The Greek Underwood

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THESIS STATEMENT

The Greek Underworld can be a dark place, especially for those who have angered the gods, where one can see how the punishments often times fit the crime.

PURPOSE STATEMENT

Throughout this research paper the Underworld is portrayed as a dark place where those who committed crimes are punished for them which can be extremely brutal.

INTRODUCTION

The Underworld is often times portrayed only as dark place for criminals, which it is, but it’s where everyone goes after death. “Souls of the dead who carried an ancient Greek coin in their mouths were ferried across another underworld river, the Styx, by Charon, to begin eternity as citizens of his dark kingdom. Those who did not have a coin remained, lamenting, by the riverside.” (Evans 16). The Underworld is where everyone spent the rest of their afterlife. It was a strict place and there was no escaping. Each person was judged when they entered. “Osiris became king and judge of the dead in the underworld.” (Ingpen, Perham 18).

The Erinyes or the Furies are who punishes the people who have committed crime. Virgil is the one who places them as to where they go. “The Erinyes – or the Furies – were regarded by some of the poets as his [Hades] daughters, and the three (or sometimes four) of them are often shown standing beside his throne. They were of fearsome appearance, often garbed in black cloaks soaked in blood…above all those who murdered their own kin.” (Allen 52-3). The Erinyes ruled with the God of the Underworld, Hades. He was the god who controlled everything that went on in the Underworld. “Hades was seen as a dark and unattractive god, hard-hearted and merciless.” (Allen 52). Hades was not always the nicest god to be around. But he was ...

... middle of paper ...

...ping from them. They spent the rest of their life being tormented.

The underworld has different meanings to it. It’s not just a place for punishment. It is the afterlife for everyone. The underworld is where people go after death. There are different ways to go through it depending on the life that person had lived. They have to sail across different rivers. When they arrive, they are sent to be judged on where they will spend their time in the underworld. If they did not live a good life they will be punished for it. If they lived a good life they go to a place that’s like paradise. Some people who committed serious crimes are sent down right away and they are tortured for all eternity. The underworld cannot always just be a place for those who have not lived the way they should have but also a place for those who did live the life they should live.

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