At the end of the age of heroes, a king named Ponasis ruled over the city of Aeolusiom on the plains of Thessaly. Ponasis was cruel ruler, his every whim enforced at the tip of the sword. King Ponasis had a son named Pobrias, who was a favorite of Apollo and fancied himself the greatest of princes.
One morning, proud Pobrias was riding his chariot down the road. An old farmer was attempting to pass the road. For sport, Pobrias drew his sword and cut the old man down. Then he seized the cattle of the farmer intending to take them to Aeolusiom to be sacrificed before the temple of Zeus. The farmer had a son, a young man named Andronicus. Andronicus was cunning, and upon the road he laid an ambush and slew Pobrias with the throw of his spear.
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Ponasis’s palace at Aeolusiom was spared the death, for he sacrificed a bull a day to Zeus, protector of kings. Bulls taken by his pillaging army from his suffering subjects as tribute for his fallen son. Andronicus with a small band of followers began ambushing these warriors too, and raiding the king’s storehouses of wheat to feed the starving people
Word of Andronicus’s deeds spread across the land, slaves left their masters, serfs abandoned their fields to join Andronicus, the noble outlaw. Among the first followers of Andronicus was a withered old man with ragged gray beard bundled in long thick robes. The old man spoke sparingly, but with great intelligence. As the army of Andronicus grew, the old man became his most trusted advisor. Everyday, the bold young man suggested a direct assault on Aeolusium and everyday the old man urged caution and Andronicus much to the surprise of many of his followers changed his tune.
Then after a full year had passed and Andronicus’s army was well-experienced and fully equipped with the armor and weapons of the king’s fallen warriors. The old man nodded at the young man’s suggestion and the Andronicans marched on Aeolusiom. The king in his arrogance left his city walls and the plains of Thessaly. There was a great battle. For hours, the phalanxi clashed. Much blood was shed, but as the sun began to set, the victory of Andronicus was all but
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You are the most powerful of the gods, in the case of material goods you want for nothing.”
“It is to show their obedience.”
“And why must they do that? To appease your vanity?”
“You are a liar!” Zeus slammed down his fist and the whole mountain seemed to shake.
“Only a tyrant finds all lies disreputable. A noble politician understands the frequent necessity of malleable truth,” Prometheus was smirked as he spoke. Zeus grew red with rage.
“They have harnessed your very own lightening bolts, oh Zeus, to power their cities to conquer the night,” Prometheus continued then he turned from Zeus to the divine assembly, “You my savior Hercules, a man apotheosized, surely you sympathize with the cause of man. Hephestaus, so maltreated on Olympus, with your metal Mankind will conquer the seas of Poseidon. And with the ingenuity of Athena, they will make great metal birds to invade heights reserved for divine chariots.”
“Quiet!” roared the king of Mount Olympus.
“Have I upset you?” Prometheus spoke viciously. “I said quiet!” Zeus repeated. “Irresponsible, arbitrary power,” mummered just loud enough for all to hear. Zeus rose from his throne “I
Greek mythology is a beloved part of literature that has given humans thousands of stories to tell. From stories about deadly quests, powerful deities, to the even more famed aspect of Greek Mythology, its epic heroes. One of the many authors who took inspiration from Greek Mythology, and will serve as reference for this paper, is Hamilton, Edith. Mythology. 1988. The most well known epic heroes from Greek Mythology which Edith Hamilton writes about in her book are Hercules, Jason, Perseus, and Theseus, but the debate lies in which of these heroes is the best. To which the answer is, Theseus is the better epic hero because he possessed superior strength, intelligence, and courage, he was the most just from all other heroes,
Allusions to the Greek Myth of Prometheus allow insightful readers to withhold a better understanding of the story of Prometheus. First, from the poem “Prometheus” by Marin Sorescu we were given a piece that has far more meaning to the text then is depicted. “Whoever said I was chained” (Sorescu 1). Said the mighty Prometheus, which I believe portrays how free Prometheus feels due to the eagle’s presence and how itself has the freedom to soar in the sky and be free with itself. Next, from D'aulaires’ Book Of Greek Myths we read through a number of passages that gave us more understanding as to how Prometheus cares for his creations, the humans. “Prometheus could not bear to see his people suffer and he decided to steal fire, though he knew
Aeschylus. The Oresteia. Trans. Richmond Lattimore. Ed. David Grene and Richmond Lattimore. Chicago: University of Chicago Press 1953.
Greek Myths in Order of Publication. (n.d.). Retrieved November 1 1, 2010, from Storynory LTD: http://storynory.com/category/greek-myths/
Prometheus was also very intelligent and had a bright mind. Although he and the titan lost their powers, he impressed Zeus on many occasions and proved him that his knowledge was superior than his. But Prometheus and victor had also many foolish and very prideful ambitions. Both of them wanted to accomplish something, which was the creation of life, but without the permission of the ones that had the power to do so. Yet both of them accomplished their goal but they were suffering because they did something against th...
- Priest of Troy being punished by the Gods for warning against accepting horse from the Greeks. Sea serpents attacked him and his sons. Beautiful anatomy.
The decision of Achilleus is a crucial moment in understanding how fate works in epic (Homerian) literature. Thetis tells Achilleus of his opportunity to win renown as the greatest warrior of all time, earning glory through his fearless acts in battle against a foe who is sure to overcome the Achaians. The fate of ten years of attack on Troy hinge upon the decision of Achilleus, who is given the choice to win glory for the Achaians and, more importantly, himself.
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.
...er allowing his life to interfere with his destiny, if indeed he truly believed in it, for judging by his master piece, I must simply believe that he, in all of his expert wisdom on battle and virtue, failed to understand the complications of love and passion. As a man who has lost much, constantly pondering the ambiguity of love, I cannot deny that the road to happiness is a long, uncertain path, but, just like my loss of companionship, I can’t help but to think what would have happened if Aeneas would have just forsaken his path and cradled Dido until the grave, yet one cannot deny the fate of passion, in all of its uncertainties and unseen truths.
Pyrrhus’s battle against Rome started in 281 BCE when the Greek city of Tarentum in southern Italy asked for his assistance against Rome. This was to be the first time that the Romans and Greeks ever met on the battlefield. Pyrrhus came to Italy with an army of about 25 000 men and 20 war elephants. The first battle (the battle of Heraclea) took place in 280 BCE. Due to his elephants and superior cavalry Pyrrhus’s army won a costly victory. After this v...
When it is argued that Aeneas was just “handed” everything by the gods, the fact that not all of the gods were in support of him is often overlooked. Although many gods steer Aeneas toward his destiny, Virgil adds complexity to his character by introducing gods who wish not to see Aeneas succeed along with a slew of obstacles. He does this in order to spark the reader’s interest in his hero's successes, which may not necessarily be set in stone. The dangers that Aeneas and his crew face are real, even if it is know that he will survive them. There is in fact a humanistic aspect of Aeneas that is revealed by creating physical and emotional strife, which he must endure by himself. It is these human aspects of Aeneas: his leadership, his emotional strengths, and his heroism that make him a crucial and interesting character in the Aeneid.
Knox, Bernard. "Chapter 1/ Hero." Oedipus at Thebes: Sophocles' Tragic Hero and His Time. New Haven: Yale UP, 1998. 3-52. Print.
“And are you not a child and even more witless than a child if you expect to learn anything from me? There is no torment or device by which Zeus shall induce me to utter this until these injurious fetters are loosed. So then, let his blazing lightning be hurled, and with the white wings of the snow and thunders of earthquake let him confound the reeling world. For nothing of this shall bend my will even to tell at whose hands he is fated to be hurled from his sovereignty.” (1.1. 987-996)
Oedipus is depicted as a “marionette in the hands of a daemonic power”(pg150), but like all tragic hero’s he fights and struggles against fate even when the odds are against him. His most tragic flaw is his morality, as he struggles between the good and the evil of his life. The good is that he was pitied by the Shepard who saved him from death as a baby. The evil is his fate, where he is to kill his father and marry his mother. His hubris or excessive pride and self-righteousness are the lead causes to his downfall. Oedipus is a tragic hero who suffers the consequences of his immoral actions, and must learn from these mistakes. This Aristotelian theory of tragedy exists today, as an example of what happens when men and women that fall from high positions politically and socially.