The Ancient Greeks have influenced American culture through their language, their architecture, and in the theater. Many words in the English language were derived from those of the Ancient Greeks. You can find many examples of Greek architecture in America today, especially in our nations capital. The Ancient Greeks were the first people to start theater and that is still very popular today through stage theater, and through movies. To begin, countless words and phrases found in the English language were obtained from the Ancient Greeks. One example is the “Achilles heel,” which in the English language means, “a fault or weakness that causes or could cause someone or something to fail (Merriam- Webster).” However, for the Greeks, Achilles was a hero, who, when he was born was dipped in the river Styx to give him immortality, yet his heel did not touch the river, and so that …show more content…
The Greeks were the first to introduce the concept of theater. As a matter of fact, one performer, Thespis, created the idea of a chorus, which was a group of people that expressed opinions, gave advice, and had the author’s point of view. The chorus would be the equivalent to the “score” in modern theater. The International Thespian Society, an organization formed to honor student’s success in the theater, was named after Thespis. In Greek theater, the place that the actors performed was called the “paraskene,” while in modern theater it is called the stage. In conclusion, the Ancient Greeks have influenced modern American culture in a multitude of ways. The influence of language, architecture, and theater are just three ways that show the influence that the Greeks have on us today. It is important to learn of the impacts that the Greeks have had on us today, so that you may better understand how different things came to be as you can see through examples on language, architecture, and