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Dramatic irony in the Odyssey
Dramatic irony in the Odyssey
Dramatic irony in the Odyssey
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This paper is about how the character Zeus in the novel "Prometheus Bound" by Aeschlyus is being represented as an authority figure. This paper will also show how outside circumstances placed Prometheus on the opposition to authority. The word authority can mean different things, but in the context of the paper; it is being used to mean "the power or right to direct or control someone or something." However, we will see how Zeus responds to the challenges that he faces in his role as an authority leader. First, we will see how Zeus is being represented in the text as the main authority figure. The character that represents the main authority in the text is Zeus because he is being portrayed as an authority figure. Zeus is being portrayed as an authority figure because, according to the Sparknotes Prometheus is one of the supporting characters which proves why Zeus is being portrayed as an authority figure. According to the Sparknotes website, Prometheus begins to talk about Zeus's downfall before himself, "...he seems to imply that this will happen...the prophesy from the first part, if not fully contradicting it." Also, Prometheus provides a brief description of Zeus's destroyer, "He openly mocks Zeus and Hermes...what will most anger his enemies." The Chorus is another character that proves why Zeus is portrayed as an authority figure. According to the Sparknotes website, the Chorus brings up another character by the name Oceanids because, "...there is enough reason to fear Zeus to make one bow to him instead of defying his orders." Yet, "Zeus does not trust his friends or hints that he doesn't really understand the concept." Overall, Prometheus is not the type of character who seems to really care about Zeus, whereas, the Chorus who brings up the fact that Oceanids suggest that there is clearly enough reason to fear
Some evaluations claim that the Dionysus appearing in The Bacchae is fairly true embodiment of the ideals of ancient Athens. He demands only worship and proper reverence for his name, two matters of honor that pervaded both the Greek tragedies and the pious society that viewed them. In other plays, Oedipus' consultations with Apollo and the many Choral appeals to Zeus reveal the Athenian respect for their gods, while Electra's need for revenge and Antigone's obligation to bury Polyneices both epitomize the themes of respect and dignity. Yet although Dionysus personifies these two motifs, his clashes with the rest of Athenian tradition seem to make him its true adversary. Dionysius distinctly opposes the usual views on gender, age, rationality and divinity, leaving the reader to wonder whether these contrasts were Euripidean attempts to illuminate specific facets of the culture itself.
Prometheus Bound is quite different from other tragedies in that it is peopled entirely by gods. The play focuses on the story of Prometheus, and we have versions of this myth in Hesiod's famous works. There is reason to think that the author of Prometheus Bound was not only acquainted with Hesiod's version but actually drew on Hesiod directly in this play. This essay therefore aims to establish in what ways the author of Prometheus Bound seems to have drawn from Hesiod's version of myth, in what ways he has diverged from it, and what reasons he might have had for making these changes and innovations. This might therefore highlight any particular emphasis or purpose of Prometheus Bound and what its author might have been trying to get across. Though there is not space in this essay to discuss the problems of attributing this play, it must be recognised that this ambiguity of authorship and dating makes it even more difficult than usual to look at views and purposes behind the play.
"Could I forget that kingly man, Odysseus? There is no mortal half so wise; no mortal gave so much to the lords of the open sky." proclaims Zeus, the king of all gods in Homer's The Odyssey. He, among countless others, harbors high regards for Odysseus, the mastermind of the Trojan War turned lost sailor. However, the epic poem is sprinkled with the actions of gods and goddesses pushing Odysseus towards his path home to Ithaka, giving the mortal war hero little exposure to the limelight. So when does all the high and mighty talk of Odysseus' power prove true? Only in the absence of godly intervention can the title character live up to his name. In Homer's The Odyssey, excessive reliance on the gods' assistance weakens the overall effect of Odysseus as the hero; while, as a break from the norm, Odysseus' single-handed defeat of the Kyklops Polyphêmos adds true suspense to the story as well as merit to Odysseus' character.
There is no doubt in mythology that the king of gods, Zeus, is the most supreme and powerful, ruling the sky. He controls the thunderbolt, a symbol of power feared by both gods and mortals. The Greeks and Romans honored Zeus above all other gods. He is without mistake, the god of all gods. Their stories of Zeus are plenty; his designs have molded mythology from his birth. Zeus' victory in outwitting his intelligent wife, Metis, by swallowing her pregnant, was the gateway used by the Greeks and Romans to show Zeus as the greatest god to come since his father and grandfather. However, as the stories of the gods and goddesses unfold, the Greeks and Roman's interpretation of Zeus' characteristics are different. Zeus is always upheld as the king of gods, but his other personal attributes to his godly rein are conflicting. Zeus' characteristics of fearfulness of female deities, cunningness and use of trickery, and lust in Ovid's Metamorphoses compared to the Theogony are opposed due to Hesiod's true respect of Zeus versus Ovid's lack of respect of Jupiter in Roman mythology.
Prometheus takes the human side in the negotiation because he sympathizes with their ongoing struggle for survival and also intends to make the world a better place. Prometheus realized that it was his duty to aid the humans when he “found them living in caves, and in holes of the Earth, shivering with cold because there was no fire…” (Baldwin et al. 1). Prometheus empathizes with the humans’ struggle for survival as they do not have fire or any of the techniques needed to survive. This follows the theme of someone of a higher status wanting to give the same opportunities that he/she had to someone of a lower
In The Odyssey, Homer contrasts Odysseus and his native island of Ithaka with other characters and places that are perceived to be superhuman and subhuman as well as with the less than fully human. Throughout the course of this paper, you will be introduced to a vast number of characters and several circumstances will be examined in order to answer the question of what it is to be human and fully human. Up until the time Telemakhos leaves to find news of his father, he is viewed as nave and child-like by the suitors and his own mother, even though he is in his late teens. This lack of recognition can be attributed to Telemakhos’s poor choices, or lack of choices early in the epic. While Telemakhos remained loyal to a father he has never known, without Athena’s assistance, he would have done absolutely nothing about the suitors.
The lack of freedom in this society causes Prometheus to do what he does. It gives Prometheus problems, for example, throughout his life he was treated differently b/c he was tall. In this society being tall was a transgression b/c it was different and they didn’t like that. The consequences of being different were great. He is punished for working on his invention, not b/c it was a bad idea, but b/c the members of the Council of Scholars thought that he had “dared … to think that his mind held greater wisdom than the minds of his brothers.
In Prometheus Bound, all the characters are keenly aware of the power of Zeus: his name is invoked as the one who decided on the punishment for Prometheus and his wrath is sensed by the others. For example, Prometheus describes Zeus as “hard-hearted” and “in constant anger with an unbending mind”. Under Zeus’s rule, Prometheus stole fire and then gave this element to humans, thereby upsetting the existing paradigm Zeus ruled. Zeus is a “tyrant” who trusts not his “family or friends”. Prometheus insightfully recognizes that Zeus’s leadership is tyrannical. While Ocean agrees with Prometheus’s assessment of Zeus as he says “our king’s a harsh one, and his rule unchecked” but at the same time there are other characters who do not hold this same opinion. Hephaestus for one, is unable to support Prometheus’s lamentation about Zeus’s excessive power and so does Hermes, son of Zeus, owing to his family loyalty. Hermes supports Zeus’s actions and affirms the Prometheus “wronged the gods in furnishing honors to mortals” which implies that to hold the element of fire is a right born solely by Zeus, Hephaestus and other worthy gods.
An interesting and important aspect of this Greek notion of fate is the utter helplessness of the human players. No matter the choice made by the people involved in this tragedy, the gods have determined it and it is going to come to pass. T...
Hunt, J.M. "Greek Mythology Zeus Lovers." SDSU College of Education: Home Page. Web. 19 June 2011.
Prometheus Bond is a drama of disparity. Zeus, the newly tyrannical force established in the heavens, has obtained more power than is just. Prometheus, an ally of Zeus in the beginning of the drama, has granted mankind the power of fire and knowledge. The actions of Prometheus’s set the tyrannical god, Zeus, equitably angry and harshly punishes Prometheus. In the final scheme of things Prometheus is rebellious. His change in heart questions the result of Zeus’s actions. The actions presented in Prometheus Bond provide a symbol of the conflict between Prometheus and Zeus: the binding of the Titan. The binding is a representation is a feud between god and god and god and fate. A confrontation between tyrant and aristocrat at he forces of intelligence
Prometheus, the Titan of Greek mythology, was considered to be the most important Titan ever in all the myths. He helped the human race tremendously in his efforts to sustain an easier lifestyle. Mankind had great respect for him because of his advantages and gifts or abilities he gave them. Also, his battle against Zeus as a result of his love for man was very much appreciated. Prometheus was one of the most interesting Greek mythology figures in his time. He was a very kind, loving, generous, and courteous god to mankind. This can be seen through many events in his life including a particular myth that the reader will acknowledge in this research paper.
Caught between the “Birth of the Olympians” and the story of Pandora, lines 509-572 of Theogony, serve as an intermediary to enhance its preceding and subsequent stories. The “Birth of the Olympians” is the first introduction of Zeus into Hesiod’s world, beginning as “Rheia… was about to give birth to Zeus our father…” (Hesiod 472-73). The lines following Zeus’s birth mention the “wiles and power” (Hesiod 499) of Zeus, and the manner in which he frees all of his brothers and sisters, but does little to elaborate on the character of Zeus, simply stating that he “rules mortals and Immortals.” (Hesiod 508). Hesiod places the story of Prometheus immediately after this line, because this story exposes Zeus’s character traits. It is only logical for Hesiod to elaborate on Zeus after he has been introduced, and the most effective manner in which this can be accomplished is logically in the story of Prometh...
One of the best summarizes of Greeks’ gods attitude toward human is the claim of Aphrodite in Euripides’ Hippolytus that she will treat well the people who revere her power, but will “trip up” those who are proud towards her, and this pri...
Zeus is the god of law, justice, morals, thunder, lightning, and rain. It was his job to oversee and make sure laws were being kept. He was worshipped originally as a weather god. He was depicted as a middle-aged man with a youthful appearance; he was regale and was almost always shown ready to throw a lightning bolt (pantheon/zeus).