How Did Greek Dominate The Arts

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Greece Dominating The Arts Art, literature, philosophy, science, all of these categories were dominated by the Greeks. Rome on the other hand falls flat when discussing artistic achievement. Rome tends to follow in the Greeks footsteps when it comes to music, poetry, and theater. Thanks to Homer, the Greeks have the upper hand on all poetry and theatrical aspects among the Western civilization. Homer was a “…poet who sang his verses while accompanying himself on a stringed instrument” (44). Rome on the other hand was not so lucky when it comes to new ideas, and talent among the art forms. Rome’s primary focus and strongpoint was law, government, and military affairs. Homer was believed to be the creator of epic poetry. “Homer’s poetry had embraces all social levels, … his authority and influence approached… a modern combination of television, Shakespeare, and the Bible” (44). This type of broad span of cultural influence is no wonder why he is so famously known around the world, and a huge contributor the Greek culture. Homer used similes and figures of speech to represent the characteristics of Greek life. The use of images also created a collection of metaphors and phrases formally called homeric epithets. “These phrases constitute ready-made metrical units… that permitted the bard to “compose” his poem orally” (45). These “homeric …show more content…

Although the Romans did have to copy their ways of making music, they did reject the Greeks philosophy that came with their music. While Greeks believed that it influenced certain behavior, the Romans used music for practical purposes only. It wasn't until imperial times did the music impact Roman society. This explains why the emphasis on creating new and creative music was not stressed on their culture. Romans were focused on the more political side of their empire, rather than the cultural