In Greek mythology there are many life lessons to be learned. These are life skills. Such as, always listen to your parents, and always follow the directions you are given, being kind to everyone. In the myth, “Phaethon” by Bernard Evslin the lesson or moral is to always listen to the your parents. “Keep the middle way,” (Evslin 66). Usually kids have to be told twice or they do not understand the importance of the directions they are given. In the myth phaethon made poor choices by not follow directions, and didn’t truly understand how important his role was and it resulted in his death and innocent, immortal, helpless peoples deaths. If he would have understood the importance, they might have still been alive. In the myth “Daedalus and
Icarus,” by Geraldine McCaughrean , the moral taught was, to always listen to your parents. “ Don’t fly too close to the sun,” (McCaughrean 55). Sometimes when children get too excited they tend to tune out everything around them. This is the same thing that happened in the story of Daedalus and Icarus when their father told them not to fly too high, but he did not remember his father’s words once he got into the air. As a result of his actions, he ended up falling into the ocean instead of flying away from the prison. In the myth “Arachne” by Olivia coolidge, the lesson taught was to treat everyone kindly. “Stupid old women” (Coolidge 74). Some children don’t understand how to treat others. These children are usually always get there way and think they are upper-class and everyone else is just ordinary. Just like in the myth Arachne was used to being better than everyone else ,so when she was challenge it resulted in her arrogance taking over and she turned into a spider. In this Greek Mythology the lessons were very important and in cases where the lessons were not being executed it ended up affected someone or something negatively. So it is important to follow directions, listen to adults (your parents), and treat others with you full respect and kindness. Life is easier if these steps are utilized.
well as lessons into the nature of all men. Most important in these lessons on
The notion of honor and justice is prevalent throughout all types of literature. In Greek culture, honor is essential for creating a solid foundation within a society and family. Honor will follow you until the day you perish, and beyond. The honor for men in Greece is spiritual in that loved ones show respect to the deceased by giving them a proper burial. Nevertheless, when a man acts upon betrayal of the city, that man looses the privilege to die in such honor. This is evident in the life of Antigone when her two brothers, Polyneices and Eteocles, both die at each other’s hands at war when deciding the ruler of Thebes. Polyneices cannot have a proper burial, because the new king, Antigone’s uncle, Creon created a law that decrees that anyone who tries to give Polyneices a proper burial will have a dire consequence: death. In Sophocles’ Antigone, the quest that Antigone endures to stay true to her pure intentions of honoring Polyneices by giving him a proper burial is in juxtaposition with the fact that her defiance towards Creon is not only to do with Polyneices, but also to show appeasement to the gods.
In The Odyssey life is one's own responsibility; instead of leaving all things up to fate, the characters had a significant influence upon his or her own existence.
Parents are there to protect and raise their children. It is their choice on how to do it. Many can be very nice and almost not strict enough, but others can seem stubborn and mean. Unlike strict parents, people who are truly stubborn can be much, much worse. Their inability to be wrong or not get what they want can destroy relationships and lives. This happened in Sophocles' Antigone, she was doing what she felt to be right and her uncle, Creon the king of Thebes, had her killed because he did not agree with her point of view. Stubbornness can lead to bad judgments and horrible repercussions. Stubbornness is like a parasite that takes over a persons mind and body, and makes them sad, depressed, and angry. In the play almost every character exhibits some level of stubbornness, and it leads to disaster.
People learn lessons every day. They can either learn them the easy way, or they can learn them the hard way. Homer documented Odysseus’ journey back to Ithaca in The Odyssey. In this journey, Odysseus learns several life lessons that applied to our lives.
Antigone, The daughter of Oedipus, the niece of the king Creon, the sister of Eteocles and Polyneices. She has a huge part in this story. From going against Creon for burying her own brother. To Explaining why she did it so she wouldn't get put to death. Creon “Not even death can make a foe or friend”. She shows the definition of braveness in this story .
in Greek mythology was related to the nature of the world and human problems. In this case, Greek mythology is relating to human flaws and frailties. In Greek mythology, there are stories that teach about human flaws and frailties such as greed, jealousy, and adultery.
In the early years of Greek culture, the people relied strongly on mythology. The presence of fate and curses take
“Do what is right, not what is easy nor is popular” is a quote by Roy T. Bennett describing a moral compass people should follow. He means that the easy thing to do is not always the right thing to do. This idea is applicable to an infinite number of situations, but it best fits that of the play Antigone by Sophocles. Sophocles was a legendary Greek playwright from ancient times as well as a political figure. He was a prolific writer, producing over one hundred plays in his ninety years. Antigone, the story of a young girl defying the law for her family, is one of the few that remains. Over the course of the play, the reader is introduced to Antigone’s uncle, Creon, the new king of Thebes. He is a powerful ruler and does not like to be disobeyed.
We should obey God’s laws and surrender our loyalty to him. Curses and punishment will come if we do not stay loyal and follow the laws from God. For example, when Creon first became King. Creon wanted nobody to bury Polynecies and even stated that as a law in his speech. Polynecies was to be left to rot without a proper burial. Antigone comes in a defies Creon’s law putting the laws of God first. Creon questions her asking why and Antigone responds with, “That final Justice that rules the world below makes no such laws”(Ant.2.57-58). Here, Antigone puts the laws of God above Creon’s law. Antigone knows that God is the superior ruler of the world and his laws must be followed. That means that Polynecies was suppose to have a proper burial
In the play Antigone, there are several life lessons learned throughout. Of course, it being a Greek tragedy, the play is very dramatic. Even in today’s society, these lessons are very truthful and relevant. In this particular play, some of the lessons learned are that with power comes responsibility. Each character have their own way of life that brings out the best and worst of them. For example, Creon had power and did not use it responsibly. Therefore, it caused some of his very own family members to be killed. Antigone on the other hand, had her priorities first and it seemed to work for her. She fights until her opinions influence others and she has made a change. Many of the lessons learned in Antigone seem to have a great impact on each of the characters’ lives. Antigone learns to have faith and follows her own beliefs. She is a confident woman with strong morals. She learns not to follow in other’s footsteps, ignores the society’s rules, and becomes more of a leader. Antigone did not have an easy life but it was very similar to life today on Earth. Even today, people make stupid decisions that could mean life or death for others. King Creon even learns some very important life lessons. Creon is very determined and hungry for power. However, Creon abuses his power instead of putting it to good use. With his power, he attacks the citizens with his fierce demands as if no one is able to provide Polynices with a proper burial. Creon says “This is my command… As long as I am King, no traitor is going to be honored with the loyal man” (Sophocles I.i. 37-38). In the end, it finally comes back to haunt him. His son dies by his own hand. Not long after receiving news of his son’s death, Creon’s very own wife kills herself also. Th...
In our culture today, many aspects of ancient literature can be found within it. One such example of this can be found in the Greek myth Phaëthon. The myth details the story of a boy who is trying to learn the truth of who his father is and eventually is killed. Many questions, truths, and messages that can be found in the story of Phaëthon are present and relevant in our world today. The myth touches on subjects such as, the power of answering questions, the love of parents, the positive and negative consequences of courage, proving one’s self to another person, keeping promises, and being careful what you say.
“Do what you believe is right.” This is a phrase common to us all, brought to our attention by parents, reinforced by teachers, and preached by leaders. But how does one define what is right? Is it what we believe in our hearts, or is it what we know is acceptable? This is a predominant dilemma that can be traced throughout society, and is the main focal point of Sophocles’ play Antigone. Written in 441 B.C., Antigone is one of the earliest records of the conflict between Natural law and Positive law. Sophocles deftly exposes these two philosophical standpoints and their respective moral and political aspects by way of the two main characters, Antgone and Kreon. Antigone is a champion of Natural law, while Kreon practices the Positivist approach. Both characters deem their behavior superior towards the other, and both assume religious justification for their actions. Sophocles ultimately proves that with so much support for each philosophical standpoint, a solution to the dilemma is hardly in sight.
Another ancient Greek philosopher was Socrates. Socrates said "the unexamined life is not worth living." I agree with this in a sense that if you can't look back at your life and be proud of your accomplishments, then everything that you ever did was in vain. You have to be able to look at the mistakes you have made and be able to learn from that or you are doomed to repeat those mistakes. Maybe on a deeper level Socrates might have been talking about analyizing the purpose of one's life. This in my opinion is just as important. I feel that in order for me to succeed in life I ha...
Question: Why is the Parthenon regarded as the finest example of the architecture of Ancient Greece? Consider the building’s siting, design, detailing, materials, and cultural significance.