A liar, horrible, and egomaniac leader Odysseus was. Odysseus was not a strong leader and ultimately contributed to the destruction of his own men. Odysseus would always lie and blame his crew for his actions. Odysseus did not tell the crew that when they crossed paths with Scylla, six mem from the crew would die. Odysseus wanted to explore a cyclops island and wanted to kill one.
For example, Odysseus taunted Polyphemus and incited the wrath of Polyphemus and Poseidon, which led to the deaths of all his crewmembers. That was incredibly unwise, and not worthy of a leader who is responsible for the protection protect of his men. However, Odysseus learns his lesson, and realizes that he needed to grow through his horrifying experience of the earlier deaths. By the time Odysseus finally returns to his home, he not only has a burning desire to avenge his family by killing the suitors, but he also attained a greater understanding for the suffering of others. Even after Odysseus had satisfied his desire for revenge by killing the suitors, he refuses to gloat, and made sure
Poseidon exclaims to Zeus, “Zeus, Father, I will lose all my honor now / among the immortals, now there are mortal men / who show me no respect—Phaeacians, too, / born of my own loins” (Od. 13.145-48)! This exclamation shows that the act of tending to every needs and granting hospitality to anyone has offended Poseidon and he wants retribution against the slight made by the Phaeacians. Zeus replies to
Pentheus’ mother, in her state of “intoxication” caused by Dionysus did not even realize that she was dismembering her own son. This definition of intoxication, the inability to perceive one’s surroundings as what they truly are, clearly helps promote the theme of the power of the gods in the play. Dionysius was able to corrupt the mind of Pentheus’ Mother and her peers to the extent that they were able to murder another human being without
During the time of Sophocles's prosperity, (490-410 BC), the gods and goddesses were often highly respected by the people there. They were believed to control all aspects of life. These gods, they believed, held the power to decide one’s fate. Sophocles wrote many tragedies in his life showcasing their power to the greatest extent. One of the most highly regarded is, “Oedipus the King”.
Dionysus accentuates in his first foundational dialogue that he is hurting Agave for not embracing Dionysus as a god, born of Zeus. In its place, Agave believes in the propaganda that he is a simple human, born of a male and female. In this view, Agave and her son Pentheus make the mistake of rejecting Dionysus. For this purpose, Dionysus has compelled Agave and all the womenfolk of Thebe making them escape to the mount where they walk about in a frenzy, trying the apparel of the proper Dionysian believers. Agave’s aberrations send her in her insanity to assassinate her own child, and so she turns out to be the target of the same deity she worships in her insanity to revere Dionysus.
The Greek Gods: Tyranny in Exchange for Power Throughout the evolution of society, one idea has stayed the same. That is the belief that we need to consistently be the best and the most powerful. We use this as a measure of self-worth and the foundation of the social hierarchy. The hierarchical nature of society drives this motivation of people to do everything it takes to reach the top. Our commitment can be so incredibly devout that we lose more than we gain on the search for this sense of power.
Odysseus invoked the wrath of the Greek god Poseidon for the blinding of his son Polyphemus the Cyclops. Odysseus almost escaped the Cyclops and was practically home free before his pride got better of him. Upon leaving, the island where the Cyclops lived Odysseus originally had called himself “No one” when he first blinded Polyphemus but while
Odysseus suffered the consequence of being away from his son, Telemachus, and his wife, Penelope for 20 years. Odysseus was told by Athena and other gods, what to do during his journey. All of them told Odysseus that he couldn’t tell his men because they’d suffer a consequence. Odysseus listened to Athena and the gods because he only thought about himself and didn 't think about what his crew would say or do. When Odysseus and his crew passed by the mainland where the Cyclops lived, they were only going to stay for two days, but then out of curiosity, Odysseus wanted to see what kind of beast the Cyclops was which made them almost die.
For example, after Odysseus pokes out the eye of Polyphemus he is filled with much pride. As he is sailing away, he shouts to Polyphemus saying, “Cyclops, if ever mortal man inquire how you were put to shame and blinded, tell him Odysseus, raider of cities, took your son: Laertes son, whose home’s on Ithaca!” (9. 548-552). By revealing his name to Polyphemus, he will have to death with the wrath of Poseidon, Polyphemus’ father. This could have all been prevented, if Odysseus would have just kept his mouth shut.
He was the only god with a mortal parent. His father Zeus was a god but his mother Semele was a mortal. Before he was born his mother was burned to death. Zeus then removed Dionysus from Semele and stitched him into his thigh. Dionysus was then born from his thigh.
John Ruskin once said, “The first test of truly great man is his humility”. In The Odyssey, an epic poem by Homer, the central character Odysseus learns humility through his failures and growth in obedience making him a hero. Odysseus reaches a heroic status through the lessons learned on his journey, which ultimately taught him the value of obedience and the dangers of arrogance. Initially, Odysseus appears to lack the heroic quality of humility, through his narcissistic nature.
Disrespecting the gods spells disaster for the mortals held accountable. Menelaus, the king of Sparta, is one who infringed upon the rule that the gods must be respected. When Telemachus visits Sparta in search of information about his missing father, which prompts Menelaus to recall a run in that he had with the Old Man of the Sea. Menelaus was tasked with finding the Old Man, Proteus, to find his way home when stranded in Egypt. Proteus was described as a seer who served Poseidon, so his prophetic power was useful in helping one find their way home.
Hesiod’s Theogony was no longer able to satisfy the higher minds among the nation. Thus, inspiring Aeschylus to write tragic poets such as Prometheus’ Bound in order to express his own ideology and pointing the moral of tragedy. It is no surprise that Hesiod viewed Zeus as a glorified olympian hero and Prometheus as a traitor who stole fire and gave it to mankind. Aeschylus’s idea of Prometheus was conflicting to Hesiod, whereby he viewed Prometheus as a god supporting the civilization of mankind.
Introduction The purpose of this essay is to investigate the women’s role in Classical Greece society and literature (5th/4th century b.C.). Therefore, I decided to discuss and analyse one of the most controversial comedies of that time, “Lysistrata” by Aristophanes. This text shows how women, sick of their submissive and powerless position in the political scenario of Athens and Sparta, come on the scene and, through a smart stratagem, achieve their expected result.
