The ancient Greeks created much of what is used, spoken, read, and written today. Without the Greeks and their inventions or developments, life now wouldn’t be the same. Literature was one of these many Greek contributions. Literature is still very important to all of us today. Epic poetry, mythology, and the creation of the dramatic genres comedy and tragedy, all came from ancient Greece. Much literature influenced to create what we write today was lead through time, beginning with the ancient Greeks. The best epic poems would no longer exist, the myths we use to learn about them would no longer exist, and all hilarious or absolutely tragic stories, Shakespeare’s included, would no longer exist. We have the Greeks to thank for much of the literature famous even today.
Epic poetry is defined as a long, and narrative poem including details of a heroic event that affects the culture of a civilization. At times, epic poetry is counted as oral poetry, or as short poems with the theme of romance or mythology. Examples of Greek mythological epic poetry are the following: Iliad, Odyssey, ascribed to Homer, Works and Days, Theogony, Catalogue of Women, and Shield of Heracles, ascribed to Hesiod. Some 20th Century examples are Cerulean Odyssey: Journey of a Long Distance Voyager. by Gerrit Verstraete, Thaliad by Marly Youmans, and Sveta poroka by Vlado Žabot. The most famous examples would be Ramayana, Mahabharata, the Ancient Greek Iliad and the Odyssey, the Old English Beowulf, or the Portuguese Lusiads in the Philippines Hinilawod. Epic poems have dialogue and the scenes change, unlike usual poems. This type of poetry had an oral tradition. The stories were passed down, most probably in a family, from master to his pupil storyteller....
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...n’t exist, along with the funniest movies. The next time thoughts are had while watching an epic, mythological, tragic movie. Or while reading a classic epic, mythological, tragic novel. The Greeks of thousands of years ago made these things. The gift of literature. Nascent thousands of years old. Hatched from the egg of literature. Epic poetry, mythology, tragedy and comedy genres. Ancient Greek.
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185-196. Dillon, Mathew, and Garland, Lynda. Ancient Greece: Social and Historical Documents from Archaic Times to the Death of Socrates. Routledge International Thompson Publishing Company, 1994, pp. 179-215 Lefkowitz, Mary.
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The ancient Greeks and Romans made a variety of contributions to western civilization in the field of literature. Both of these ancient cultures produced a variety of literary works which have persevered the test of time and continue to be studied today. One of the biggest contributions of the ancient Greeks to literature came from an author, who still relatively little is known about, Homer. Homer, believed by many to have been blind, is credited with the authorship of two of ancient Greece’s most famous epic poems, The Iliad and The Odyssey. These two epic poems chronicle the final days of the Trojan War and the epic struggle Odysseus underwent on his sea voyage back to his home after the tragic war. These two epics have had a profound impact on western literature and continue to influence literary scholars and authors to this day. The following excerpt from Bio descries the impact of these ancient poems, “The Iliad and The Odyssey have provided not only seeds but fertilizer for almost all the other arts and sciences in Wester...
An epic is a long narrative poem on a serious subject. It usually is about
If there is one subject that is still being widely taught today with significant cultural and historical importance, it has to be the study of ancient Greek mythology. It isn’t just a subject in history, but even then some people might be wondering why the world is still talking about ancient Greek mythology when they are just stories and tales that were written thousands of years ago. However, the vast amount of ancient Greek-themed movies and literature today is astonishing and shows that at least some of the world is still fascinated with the Greeks and their mythology, but still we can see that most can not understand why some people love it to
of poems that are story size that we now call epic poems. But it was mainly through
Thus muses Achilles, one of epic poetry's greatest heroes. Epic poetry, one of the earliest forms of literature, began as an oral narration describing a series of mythical or historic events. Eventually, these stories were written down and read aloud to an audience. Although the Epic of Gilgamesh was composed approximately fifteen hundred years prior to the Iliad, the heroes of both epics possess strikingly similar characteristics. Indeed, Gilgamesh and Achilles, as epic heroes, exemplify godlike qualities, great personal power, and fierce pride and loyalty.
Morris, Ian. Classical Greece: ancient histories and modern archaeologies. Cambridge [England: Cambridge University Press, 1994. Print.
Pomeroy, Sarah B. Ancient Greece: A Political, Social, and Cultural History. New York: Oxford UP, 1999. Print.
For years, Greek literature has transitioned from ancient scrolls, to school textbooks, and oftentimes to the big screen. Stories about Oedipus, Hercules, and the Titans have been told throughout the years captivating generation after generation. These classics never go out of style.
Homer is credited for writing epics that generate source materials for the modern world. The Iliad and the Odyssey by Homer are captivating stories with fascinating heroic characters. The Homer stories share with classical mythology typical recurrent motifs. The two Homer epic poems focus on the Trojan War, and its result. The epic poems contain the Greek mythology featuring the Greek gods, goddesses, mythological creatures, and the Greek heroes, and heroines. In addition, the principal motifs typical of classical mythological hero stories are; the dominance of fate, evil fighting against the gods, and death. In both the classic mythology, and he modern fiction hero stories, the heroes always have a helper in their expedition, but ultimately, they have to stand alone, face the darkness, and conquer it in order to become victorious.
The 'Secondary' of the 'Secondary' of the 'Secondary' of the 'Secondary' of the 'Secondary' of the History of Greece: Classical Greece. Ancient Greece.org. -. [3/13/2014] http://www.ancient-greece.org/history/classical.html>. Roman society, Roman life, Roman society. n.d. - n.d. - n.d.
Clarke, Fiona, and Mark Bergin. Greece in the time of Pericles. Hemel Hempstead: Simon & Schuster, 1909.
Literature is a area the Greeks made the biggest contribution. One evidence is the Alphabet. The Alphabet is something that is still going on today. This started when the Greeks started the alphabet.
An epic is an extended narrative poem in elevated or dignified language, celebrating the feats of a legendary or traditional hero. The main characteristics of an epic as a literary genre is that it is a long poem that tells a story, it contains an epic hero, its hero searches for immortality (but doesn't find it physically, only through fame), gods or other supernatural beings are interested and involved, and it delivers an historical message. The Epic of Gilgamesh is classified as an epic because it fits all the characteristics of an epic as a literary genre.