The ancient Greeks created much of what is used, spoken, read, and written today. Without the Greeks and their inventions or developments, life now wouldn’t be the same. Literature was one of these many Greek contributions. Literature is still very important to all of us today. Epic poetry, mythology, and the creation of the dramatic genres comedy and tragedy, all came from ancient Greece. Much literature influenced to create what we write today was lead through time, beginning with the ancient Greeks. The best epic poems would no longer exist, the myths we use to learn about them would no longer exist, and all hilarious or absolutely tragic stories, Shakespeare’s included, would no longer exist. We have the Greeks to thank for much of the literature famous even today.
Epic poetry is defined as a long, and narrative poem including details of a heroic event that affects the culture of a civilization. At times, epic poetry is counted as oral poetry, or as short poems with the theme of romance or mythology. Examples of Greek mythological epic poetry are the following: Iliad, Odyssey, ascribed to Homer, Works and Days, Theogony, Catalogue of Women, and Shield of Heracles, ascribed to Hesiod. Some 20th Century examples are Cerulean Odyssey: Journey of a Long Distance Voyager. by Gerrit Verstraete, Thaliad by Marly Youmans, and Sveta poroka by Vlado Žabot. The most famous examples would be Ramayana, Mahabharata, the Ancient Greek Iliad and the Odyssey, the Old English Beowulf, or the Portuguese Lusiads in the Philippines Hinilawod. Epic poems have dialogue and the scenes change, unlike usual poems. This type of poetry had an oral tradition. The stories were passed down, most probably in a family, from master to his pupil storyteller....
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...n’t exist, along with the funniest movies. The next time thoughts are had while watching an epic, mythological, tragic movie. Or while reading a classic epic, mythological, tragic novel. The Greeks of thousands of years ago made these things. The gift of literature. Nascent thousands of years old. Hatched from the egg of literature. Epic poetry, mythology, tragedy and comedy genres. Ancient Greek.
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"Greece - Greek Literature." About.com Ancient / Classical History. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 May 2013.
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"Theatre of Ancient Greece." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 30 May 2013. Web. 30 May 2013.
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An epic is a long narrative poem on a serious subject. It usually is about
Thus muses Achilles, one of epic poetry's greatest heroes. Epic poetry, one of the earliest forms of literature, began as an oral narration describing a series of mythical or historic events. Eventually, these stories were written down and read aloud to an audience. Although the Epic of Gilgamesh was composed approximately fifteen hundred years prior to the Iliad, the heroes of both epics possess strikingly similar characteristics. Indeed, Gilgamesh and Achilles, as epic heroes, exemplify godlike qualities, great personal power, and fierce pride and loyalty.
Morris, Ian. Classical Greece: ancient histories and modern archaeologies. Cambridge [England: Cambridge University Press, 1994. Print.
Clarke, Fiona, and Mark Bergin. Greece in the time of Pericles. Hemel Hempstead: Simon & Schuster, 1909.
of poems that are story size that we now call epic poems. But it was mainly through
Pomeroy, Sarah B. Ancient Greece: A Political, Social, and Cultural History. New York: Oxford UP, 1999. Print.
An epic is an extended narrative poem in elevated or dignified language, celebrating the feats of a legendary or traditional hero. The main characteristics of an epic as a literary genre is that it is a long poem that tells a story, it contains an epic hero, its hero searches for immortality (but doesn't find it physically, only through fame), gods or other supernatural beings are interested and involved, and it delivers an historical message. The Epic of Gilgamesh is classified as an epic because it fits all the characteristics of an epic as a literary genre.
Homer is credited for writing epics that generate source materials for the modern world. The Iliad and the Odyssey by Homer are captivating stories with fascinating heroic characters. The Homer stories share with classical mythology typical recurrent motifs. The two Homer epic poems focus on the Trojan War, and its result. The epic poems contain the Greek mythology featuring the Greek gods, goddesses, mythological creatures, and the Greek heroes, and heroines. In addition, the principal motifs typical of classical mythological hero stories are; the dominance of fate, evil fighting against the gods, and death. In both the classic mythology, and he modern fiction hero stories, the heroes always have a helper in their expedition, but ultimately, they have to stand alone, face the darkness, and conquer it in order to become victorious.
The 'Secondary' of the 'Secondary' of the 'Secondary' of the 'Secondary' of the 'Secondary' of the History of Greece: Classical Greece. Ancient Greece.org. -. [3/13/2014] http://www.ancient-greece.org/history/classical.html>. Roman society, Roman life, Roman society. n.d. - n.d. - n.d.
If there is one subject that is still being widely taught today with significant cultural and historical importance, it has to be the study of ancient Greek mythology. It isn’t just a subject in history, but even then some people might be wondering why the world is still talking about ancient Greek mythology when they are just stories and tales that were written thousands of years ago. However, the vast amount of ancient Greek-themed movies and literature today is astonishing and shows that at least some of the world is still fascinated with the Greeks and their mythology, but still we can see that most can not understand why some people love it to
For years, Greek literature has transitioned from ancient scrolls, to school textbooks, and oftentimes to the big screen. Stories about Oedipus, Hercules, and the Titans have been told throughout the years captivating generation after generation. These classics never go out of style.
Greeks had used writing since c. 1400 BC, but it was not until the late 8th century BC that their literature was first written down. Greek literature began in Ionia with the brilliant epics of Homer, the Iliad and the Odyssey. These mature products of a long tradition of oral poetry brought together a vast body of divine and heroic myths and sagas that served as a foundation for much subsequent Greek literature. The epic view of humankind had a lasting influence on Greek thought; indeed, it has been said that later Greek literature is but a series of footnotes to Homer.
Literature is a area the Greeks made the biggest contribution. One evidence is the Alphabet. The Alphabet is something that is still going on today. This started when the Greeks started the alphabet.