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Prometheus vs zeus essay
Prometheus vs zeus essay
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More handpicked essays just for you.
Prometheus vs zeus essay
Prometheus vs zeus essay
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Recommended: Prometheus vs zeus essay
Second thing about Prometheus is — he betrayed his people (Titans) by helping Zeus during the war ( Olympians VS. Titans). In the first few sentences, I wrote the Prometheus stole fire form Zeus right? Why? It’s because he loves his creations.
Are Brains Mightier than Brawn? Although most Greek mythology shows that being strong can lead to being greater than others, what if I told you that a humongous and strong, brain-bashing cyclops was once defeated by a single wise man and his crew? The cyclops named Polyphemus who was humongous and strong according to the text "The Cyclops” because he could lift a giant stone that not even twenty-two normal sized four-wheeled waggons could shift, to close his cave. The wise man named Odysseus defeated the cyclops later in the story by creating a spear from the cyclops' green olive wood staff to get him drunk with wine and then stab him in the eye.
As one version of the myth goes, Prometheus and his brother Epimetheus were punished for not fighting alongside the Titans and were sent down to earth and given the task of creating man and protecting him. Prometheus gifted man fire and allowed him to stand upright like the gods. In a food sacrificing ritual to the gods, Zeus was tricked by Prometheus, which angered him very much. As punishment, he took fire from man and returned it to the heavens. Prometheus, who loved man dearly, defiantly climbed back up to the heavens and stole fire to return it to man.
In many stories, the hero uses either his wit or strength to solve problems. However, in the epic poem, The Odyssey, written by Homer, Odysseus, the main character, uses both intelligence and strength in order to overcome the problems he faces. Both are used many times in the epic, but Odysseus relies more on his intelligence. This is shown many times, such as when he kills the suitors that stay in his home, encounters the Cyclops, Polyphemus, and when he decides to immediately leave the island of the Lotus Eaters. During the time when Odysseus killed the suitors, intelligence was more important than strength.
In the poem called Works and Days, written by an ancient Greek poet Hesiod, a god named Prometheus gives mankind the gift of fire without the consent of Zeus. This infuriates Zeus, which results him to punish Prometheus by inflicting him with eternal pain. Not only did Zeus punish Prometheus, but he also penalized mankind. In Hesiod's poem, it mentions, "The price for the stolen fire will be a gift of evil to charm the hearts of all men as they hug their own doom" (45).
The Odyssey: Intelligence and Fate The Odyssey, by Homer, is an adventurous book about Odysseus and his journey against the gods to make it back home after being gone for twenty years. Throughout his journey, he faces many trials and tribulations, but he uses his keen intelligence over strength to return to his homeland, Ithaca, thus making his intelligence the elite factor in his success. An example of Odysseus’s intelligence over strength is when they were captured by Cyclops Polyphemus, Poseidon’s son when they went to explore the land of the Cyclops.
This shows that Prometheus’s intentions were only pure in making new discoveries. He never had plans of uncovering new inventions and knowledge to keep to himself, but to help improve the lives of all people in his world. This also shows that this discovery sparked the inspiration in Prometheus to strive for the greater good of his people, the opposite of what is perceived of what an egoist would want. Another example that proves Prometheus is a good-hearted egoist is when he talks about what he hopes to accomplish by bringing the light bulb to the scholars. He says, “We shall join our hands to theirs, and we shall work together, with the power of the sky, for the glory of mankind” (Rand 69).
A powerful leader shows the strength of a lion and the wisdom of an owl. One gets their men out of any predicament they may find themselves in while staying mostly intact. It’s difficult, but the main character Odysseus often makes the correct and moral decision. Intelligence is greatly valued in the world of ancient Greece and Odysseus is fortuitous enough to have it. In The Odyssey, intelligence is seen as an important trait to the Greeks because quick thinking and careful decisions shows a great likelihood of becoming a strong leader.
Clever can be defined as showing intelligence or skill or being ingenious. Cleverness is an important trait when it comes to dealing with others, especially difficult people. When dealing with difficult people, one must be clever in what they say and how they say it. Homer, the author of The Odyssey, shows the trait of cleverness in the characters of Penelope and Odysseus. Penelope shows cleverness when she tells the Suitors that she will wed the one who wins the archery competition.
Excellence and virtue are pivotal concepts in Greek Culture. For example, the Athenian justice system uprooted the traditional “eye for an eye” form of justice that we see in the Oresteia. Indeed, the characters who exact this form of justice create intense anxiety in the audience, which Aeschylus remedies with Athena in the Eumenides. This idea is apparent from her placement within the trilogy, and the way she interacts with the Furies and Apollo. Because of her ability to relieve and reorder character emotion, Aeschylus uses Athena as a primary means to produce catharsis in the audience.
Prometheus felt bad for humans that his brother Epimetheus gave all the gifts to all other animals and humans were left with nothing. In the myth it states “For the children of earth were not happy as they had been in the golden days when Saturn ruled. Indeed, they were very poor and wretched and cold, without fire, without food, and with no shelter but miserable caves” (Study syncs2). Life for humans was not so easy without a gift since all the gifts were given to all the animals of the world. As further in the story Prometheus “Then he showed men how to build fires for themselves, and it was not long before they began to do all the wonderful things of which Prometheus had dreamed.
Intelligence Breeds Overconfidence Intelligence is commonly seen as a gift, a perfection or a survival instinct, but many don’t realize that intelligence can undermine a person’s life. In Oedipus Rex, a theatrical play by Sophocles, displays the idea that human flaws such as intellect can flourish overconfidence which may become a downfall. The play revolves around the king Oedipus, in a burdensome experience to find out what who is the murderer of the previous king. He is confident that with his intelligence he will restore Thebes and go against the word of the gods, to later realize that his intelligence is not a gift but a destruction. As previously stated Oedipus tries to use his intelligence to stop the curse of Thebes.
Greek mythology can be viewed as a mirror to the ancient Greek civilization. Ancient Greek myths and legends often reflected how the Greeks saw themselves. Myths were used by Greeks to make justifications of every existing aspect of earth as well as their own society. In myths, Greek gods & heroes often represented key aspects of the human civilization. From Greek mythology, we can learn about the favorable characteristics of humans, such as their behavior and valuable skills that were approved of by the ancient Greek society.
The fire myth shows compassion, however, while the myth about sacrifices shows Prometheus’s more mischievous side. Hesiod’s Theogony outlines the myth. Prometheus is said to have split up a cow and hid the bones under fat, and the meat underneath organs. When Zeus was asked to pick a sacrifice, he chose
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.