The Power of Myth in the Battle of Thermopylae Having read selections from Herodotus and Plutarch and seen the films The 300 Spartans and 300. Both films are fantastic and entertaining in multiple ways. Because of its realism, portrayal of the Spartans and Persians, and character development, 300 provides the best adaptation of the Thermopylae story. The 300 Spartans appeared on the big screen in 1962, as a sword and sandals epic. Released at a time where geopolitics fueled the film industry with suspicions of Cold War connotations. The film served as a reminder of what war can do to societies. One scene, in particular, the Spartans spoke of freedom and tyranny. This was confusing since in reality the Spartans …show more content…
oral traditions were essential in this era of history. Mainly stories passed from generation to generation. The narration forces the viewer to connect with these men on a more personal level. In addition to, helping the audience to better understand what these men went through. Xerxes sees himself as a divine higher being on par with the gods as his soldiers call him “the god-king”. First seen carried in on a golden throne, Xerxes was a sight to behold. This version of Xerxes is the epitome of god- like down to his perfect eyebrows. One major theme of the film is the importance of freedom against evil dictatorship. Similar to Achilles in Troy, is the underlying plot about men wanting to make a name for themselves at any and all costs? One could believe the true theme of 300 is mythology and what one must do to harness their own immortality. Xerxes believes he has the divine power to take over the world. While, Leonidas believes in a glorified death for his immortality. The oral nature of Dilios story awards Leonidas immortality in the power of the myth. Leonidas gets his immortality through death while Xerxes proves to be mortal from the blow of Leonidas
Through a series of unfortunate events Odysseus looses all his ships and crewmen. Odysseus is away from native land for a total of twenty years, however the Odyssey only focuses on the last forty-one days of his voyage home. The rest is told in a series of flashbacks told from various charters. The concept of a hero has been interpreted in many different ways throughout the ages. One literary hero who stands the test of time is Odysseus. This essay will compare and contrast Odysseus and Thor (film).
Stanley Kubick's Spartacus In the 1960 film Spartacus, directed by Stanley Kubrick, the character called Spartacus is depicted as a revolutionary who leads an army of slaves against the oppressive forces of Rome during the first century B.C. Though the overall story is true, and most of the main characters are real, the presentation of their character is entirely fictional. Spartacus and the other characters have been split into groups epitomizing good and evil, and the story itself has been vastly romanticized. This essay will address the ways in which the story deviates from reality and finally will show how Kubrick and those before him have used such interpretations as a valuable tool for social change.
Kane, Kathryn. Visions of War: Hollywood Combat Films of World War II. Ann Arbor: UMI Research Press, 1982.
"I am Odysseus, Laertes' son. The whole world talks of my stratagems, and my fame has reached the heavens. My home is under the clear skies of Ithaca" (Book IX l. 19-21). This quote comes from Odysseus introducing himself to King Alcinous, and, in turn, he announces the goal and purpose of his quest: to go home. In the same way, in the film Gladiator, the hero introduces himself to his enemy saying, "My name is Maximus Decimus Meridius...Father to a murdered son, husband to a murdered wife. And I will have my vengeance, in this life or the next." This is the response Maximus gives to the Caesar Commodus as he removes his helmet and announces his goal and purpose: gaining peace and restitution through the vengeance of his family. These works demonstrate two similar stories arranged in different narrative planes. The Odyssey operates as a quest, whereas the Gladiator operates within the plane of restitution. When compared, these two works are similar, yet they attain their respective purposes in two opposite trajectories.
It's hard for textbooks to say anything nice about the Spartans. one may find that the Spartans described as "an armed camp," "brutal," "culturally stagnant," "economically stagnant," "politically stagnant," and other fun things. The reality, of course, lies somewhere behind the value judgements.
In her poem "Myth," Natasha Trethewey uses mythology, a unique structure, rhyme pattern, and punctuation to make form and content inseparable. Each of these elements serves to share the stages of grief one goes through one feels at the death of a loved one as well as the feelings of deep loss and longing.
The Spartan military gained eternal military fame when 300 Spartan soldiers defeated an entire Persian army during the Peloponnesian War (Papakyriakou, 2013). Their unmatched army would become the pinnacle of dominance that would inspire later western culture. Sparta was the leader of all things military for any years, but they unfortunately could not keep up with Athens’ navy and the Persian’s sheer number of soldiers. The ideals that Sparta lived by are still evident in some parts of the military today. Not all men are required to fight of course, but the idea of obedience that stemmed from their training is still very evident. Sparta’s legacy is still relevant thousands of years later, and will remain evident as we continue to learn about military history.
Myths the stories of old, how the ancients explained the creation of the world and how the human race came to be. Myths can be viewed as outdated and no longer needed. However, myths are still important today. This is the point that Joseph Campbell, and Bill Mayer discuss at Skywalker Ranch in The Power of Myth. Joseph Campbell famous mythologist is interviewed by Bill Mayer about myths from different cultures and how they are still important today. This interview makes the point that myths, although centuries old are still used today, in both popular media and other aspects of culture.
Hercules, or known in Latin as Heracles, was the greatest of the Greek heroes, a paragon of masculinity. In art Hercules was portrayed as a powerful, muscular man wearing lion's skin and armed with a huge club. He was also described as being a macho man buffoon, who was very impulsive. Hercules’ home and birthing place is in Thebes, Greece. Thebes is a city in central Greece. It plays as an important setting in many Greek myths, such as the stories of Cadmus, Oedipus, Dionysus and many other important roles in Greek Mythology. The demigod, Hercules has an interesting origin, he is most famous for his 12 labors, and leaves a legacy in words and expressions.
"Why is Eurydice such a bitch?" was the comment asked of me during a lesson on the poem "Eurydice" by H.D. "Doesn't she realize that Orpheus loves her and is only trying to rescue her? Why is she so harsh to him?" It was during a unit on mythology that the students were reading H.D's poetryówe had recently completed the small "Orpheus and Eurydice" blurb in Edith Hamilton's Mythology when I came across H.D's effort and decided to introduce it to my students. We had previously explored the roles of women in several contextsóhistorically and religiously. Now we encountered the first female speaker who activated the Greek myth with her strong, powerful language.
The books of I and II Thessalonians, which are in the New Testament, are both letters to a church that Paul the apostle helped establish in the city of Thessalonica. First Thessalonians is agreed by biblical scholars to be written by Paul. The author of II Thessalonians, however, is still being debated about.
The Persian Wars (499-479 BC) put the Greeks in the difficult position of having to defend their country against a vast empire with an army that greatly outnumbered
“Myths continue to fascinate us” (Kromholz and McCarter 1). In every new generation, many children are intrigued when they read Greek Mythology, which makes it valuable teaching tool in high school literature. This beneficial teaching device should have the priority in the on-going debate about the implementation of Greek Mythology. Implementing fundamental morals of life, providing interpretations to unexplained phenomena of the world, and stimulating the minds of students to extrapolate the content, the analysis of Greek Mythology should remain as part of high school standards, despite possible contrariety with a student's religion, or set of beliefs.
The Classical mythology contains tales and epics of the ancient Greek and roman literatures and myths. On the other hand, Homer’s two epic poems, the Iliad relates to the events of the Trojan War while the Odyssey details Odysseus expedition after the war. Homer’s epic poems, the Odyssey and the Iliad present a major part of ancient history as modern fictional heroic stories. In ancient Greek, heroes were humans who were depicted to possess superhuman abilities. A key example in the classical mythology is Akhilles who is later known in Homer’s Iliad as Achilles. Achilles is he greatest hero of the Iliad whereas Odysseus is the greatest hero of the Odyssey. The greatest heroes from classic mythology and the modern fictional hero’s stories are mortal, and subject to death. The Odyssey and the Iliad marks the beginning of modern fictional literature.
Sleeping with your mother, killing your father, watching your only son commit suicide, and gouging your own eyes out are only a few results of Oedipus and Creon’s flaws. In the books Oedipus The King and Antigone, written by Sophocles, the characters Creon and Oedipus meet horrific fates. During Oedipus The King, Oedipus becomes the king of Thebes but is ignorant to the fact that he is the son of Laius and Jocasta. In Antigone, Creon refuses to bury the former king Polyneices because he attacked Thebes. During these books Oedipus and Creon’s flaws result in the destruction of their lives.