...Marisa Paris Humanities 220 Professor Cope 12/8/14 In 1949, American scholar Joseph Campbell, published what could possibly be one of the most influential non-fiction books of his time, The Hero With a Thousand Faces. (Joseph Campbell Foundation) After lifelong research, Joseph Campbell discovered as well as exposed, a number of common patterns linked between multiple myths and stories spread all over the world. Thus, giving way to the composition of his book. The “hero’s journey” can be described as the various stages or phases that pretty much every hero-quest experiences, with no regard to what culture the myth plays a part in. Put more explicitly, the “hero’s journey” is an adventure the person known as “the hero” takes on behalf of the...
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...problems. We have read many of them in this course such as Odysseus, Oedipus, Aeneas, Achilles and Beowulf. Then there is the great Hamlet who is not one of the Greek Heroes but a character from a play by William Shakespeare. Today in this essay, I want to compare some of the Greek poetry characters with the Prince Hamlet. First of all, I want to talk about few similarities between Hamlet and one of the Greek poet characters we have learned from this course. In my opinion, the story of Hamlet itself can be very analogous to the story of the poetry Oedipus. Both of the story have a plague or a outbreak going on from the beginning of the story. In the Oedipus the King, it starts with the Plague of Thebes where then Oedipus start to take actions for his people. This is where he shows his heroic features being a great leader for his city and sacrificing himself to solve the problem. The play Hamlet also starts with an outbreak and there seems to be something strange. The play starts with, "who’s there?" (Act 1 scene 1 line 1) by one of the guards. The fact that the play starts out with a question and with a guard, it foreshadows that there is something wrong and the Prince Hamlet would have a lot to face from this point on. They are similar in a way that they are both a tragic character who seems like they were destined to live this way. In fact, I believe that because these two characters are tragic and are in deep disaster, it makes the poetry and the play so powerful. I actually...
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...around the world in his story, Confessions. Similarities between The Aeneid and Confessions are abounding. Augustine uses a very similar geographical route in his story that Virgil uses in Aeneas’s conquest. In Book III of Confessions, Augustine moves to Carthage, the same city in which Aeneas arrives in The Aeneid. Augustine, like Aeneas, leaves Carthage and goes to Italy. Both characters eventually fulfill their missions in Italy. Aeneas ultimately finds Rome, and Augustine discovers Catholicism and the Lord in Milan. Upon arrival in Carthage, Augustine reminds the reader of Aeneas’s story saying, “I came to Carthage and all around me hissed a cauldron of illicit loves” (Book III, i). In this reference to The Aeneid, Augustine describes the love affair of Dido and Aeneas. Although they profess openly as lovers after their adventure in the caves, they are not technically married. In Augustine’s own life, he has a lover and they are not married. Ultimately, both couples are separated. In the Aeneid, Aeneas leaves Dido after Jupiter sends a messenger to tell Aeneas that his future is not in Carthage with Dido, but instead in Italy. Similarly, Augustine’s break up with his lover is comparably tragic. He is told he is to be married to another woman, and must get rid of his “consort”. The result of Aeneas’s departure has a much more horrific effect on...
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...and prideful ruler, he is simply attempting to do what he believes is best for the city of Thebes. Although seemingly, Creon’s actions lead to the tragedy and downfall of all the primary characters in the play, Creon fulfills his destiny with good intentions in mind, whether or not these intentions are beneficial or morally withstanding with the other characters in Antigone. If one truly believes that they are doing the right thing and with good intentions, no one can judge that these actions are either righteous or unjust. What is a man without his ideals? In Antigone, Creon holds steadfast with his beliefs and righteously sticks with what he believes is the right thing to do, making him not the antagonist of the play, but rather the tragic hero destined to fail because of Antigone’s reckless actions. One can make the argument that it’s not Creon who is the antagonist of the play that leads everyone to their destruction but rather Antigone. From the beginning of the play, one can notice that Creon is a highly logical man, who believes in the ideals of justice and patriotism. He is simply a lawmaker, a law enforcer, who is given the authoritative power of deciding what is right and what is wrong in the city of Thebes. This fact is shown when Creon first enters the scene after seizing victory from his battles and rising to the throne which Oedipus once ruled. Creon states, “You cannot measure a man’s character, / policies, or his common sense—until / you see him in action, enforcing...
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...the divine antagonist of the destiny of Aeneas, and Venus, his main protector and his mother are the main Gods. Lesser Gods such as Mercury, Neptune, and Aeolus serve as instruments for the main Gods to interfere with during the story. The role of the Gods in The Aeneid play a major part in intervening in certain events and delaying Aeneas journey, but nothing can change what Jupiter has decreed will happen, although they alter the way the events transpire. In book one, the interactions of Gods is clear when Juno is angry that the Trojans are prophesized to destroy her favored city, Carthage. Already having hatred toward the Trojans, to keep Aeneas and his crew from reaching their destiny in return for the most beautiful nymph, Juno calls on Aeolus to let loose “brawling winds and howling storms”(Book 1). However, God of the ocean, Neptune calms the storms down because he does not appreciate this, and says this of Aeolus, “He is not the one who has jurisdiction over the sea or holds the trident that knows no pity. That is my responsibility, given to me by my lot”(Book 1). This shows that even Gods with higher power (Aeolus and Juno in this case) cannot just order anything to happen or have power over other Gods because they must treat them equally. This also indicates that lesser Gods can cancel out orders from even the Queen of Gods. ‘Pious Aeneas’ is what they often refer to as Aeneas in The Aeneid. Aeneas says of himself “I am Aeneas, known for my devotion”(Book 1). In Latin...
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...Davele Zephyr Magistra Semidey English, R1 15 January 2013 It’s About How One Handles Their Mistakes Sophocles once wrote that, “All men make mistakes, but a good man yields when he knows his course is wrong and repairs the evil. The only crime is pride”. This quote means that everyone messes up at some point, however the ones who acknowledge their mistakes and strive to improve upon them are considered honorable, unlike those who ignore their mistakes due to a fear of tainting their prestige. Both epic poems, The Iliad by Homer and The Aeneid by Virgil affirm this idea because throughout each book, characters that learn from prior mistakes are successful when faced with challenges, whereas those who practice prideful thinking eventually reach a shameful downfall. In The Iliad, one prominent leader who fights during the Trojan War that demonstrates admirable qualities was Achilles. Seen in Book 18, this great Greek fighter acknowledges his arrogance for withdrawing himself from the war and sending his comrade Patroklos, to his death. Achilles and Patroklos shared a mentor-mentee relationship where Patroklos admires this great warrior, however by Achilles displaying such selfishness, his heroic status diminishes. After recognizing the disgrace of his actions, Achilles assures his fallen comrade, Patroklos that he will redeem his status by avenging Patroklos’s death. This decision justifies Achilles as an honorable person because after admitting his mistakes, he goes on...
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...introduced to a whole new world. He is introduced to a completely different environment when he comes to Uruk. His human side comes in to play when he sees how Gilgamesh is treating the people. Enkidu and Gilgamesh became good friends and partners in adventures. He gains a great lot of experiences and a kind of love from Gilgamesh. Through his adventures with Gilgamesh he ends up loosing his life and right before he dies he wishes that he had stayed in his animal world and not join the world of man. Enkidu gets sick and tells Shamash that he wishes the hunter never met him, “…he cursed the hunter to his heart’s content” (p129). He ends up gaining a great friend and looses his life, through the friendship. Achilles comes off as a tragic hero. He comes off as a selfish warrior who does not care for his people. He is all for himself. He can be seen as heroic for his frightening skills and his part-god abilities. In the lliad Achilles, does not improve over time. He acts on his own rage and personal feelings. You can feel sorrow for Achilles,...
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...The Olympians Zeus - Roman name: Jupiter or Jove. The sky-god Zeus rules Mount Olympus. His weapon is the thunderbolt, and his bird is the eagle. The central figure of the myths, Zeus epitomizes their complexity. At times he is divine and represents a pure, eternal sense of justice; at other times, he is capricious and cruel. Hera - Roman name: Juno. Zeus’s wife and sister, Hera is a very powerful goddess known mostly for her jealousy. She is often vicious and spiteful, and it is usually Zeus’s infidelity that incites her. Many unfortunate mortals endure hardships by provoking Hera’s wrath. Poseidon - Roman name: Neptune. The god of the sea, Poseidon is Zeus’s brother and second only to him in power. Poseidon holds a decade-long grudge against Odysseus. The often cruel and unpredictable violence of the seas is assumed to be a result of his anger. Hades - Roman name: Pluto. The brother of Zeus and Poseidon, Hades rules the underworld, the realm of the dead, with his wife, Persephone. Pallas Athena - Roman name: Minerva. Usually just called Athena, this goddess emerges from Zeus’s head fully-grown and armed. Associated with war, cleverness, and wit, it is no surprise that she favors Odysseus. Athena is the goddess of Wisdom, Reason, and Purity and is chaste, like Artemis and Hestia. Phoebus Apollo - Usually just called Apollo. A son of Zeus and Leto and Artemis’s twin, he is the god of Light and Truth, the master of Poetry and Music, and the god of Archery. His Oracle...
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...Virgil whose name was Publis Vergilius Maro was an icon of his time. Virgil’s work has been widely studied until today. He was very famous in his community and very involved in Rome’s politics. Vergil was an introspective man very different from other important poets such as Horace. Virgil was born in Andes, a small town near Mantua, Italy on October 15, 1970 BCE and died on September 21, 1919. He was born under the government of Gnaeus Pompeius the Great and Marcus Licinius Crassus. While being pregnant , Virgil’s mother dreamt that she was giving birth to a tree full of fruits and flowers. The next day when she was with her husband in a nearby town, she gave birth to Virgil beside the road. The baby had such a pacific expression in his face that his parents predicted that he was going to have a happy destiny. Few days later, someone planted a tree in the same place where Virgil was born. The tree rapidly reached the size of other older trees. Consequently, pregnant women who wished their children to become as successful as Virgil worshiped the tree. (Naumman) Virgil’s family was well regarded but they weren’t wealthy. Virgil’s father, according to some historians was a potter, even though some have stated that he used to work for a Magus, an attendant on the magistrates, and because of his upstanding work his employer allowed him to marry his daughter. He later acquired some land and was dedicated to raise bees. The...
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...MYTHOLOGY IN MODERN SOCIETY [pic] [pic] [pic] |Mythology is everywhere! Daily you run across instances of words, city names, companies, | |literary allusions - and even planets and constellations - that take their name or borrow | |their theme from myths. Because of your many requests, I've provided a couple of thousand | |excellent examples to help you get started in your research. Remember, you're surrounded | |by mythology in today's society, whether you realize it or not! | Mythological Influence on Modern... |[pic]Companies & Groups |[pic]Planets & Constellations | |[pic] Words & Expressions |[pic]Literary & Pop Culture | [pic]American Cities Named From Mythology [pic] COMPANIES & GROUPS |Mythology is everywhere! There are hundreds of companies, groups and corporations that take their name, logo or theme from ancient mythology. | |I've provided a variety of examples to help you in starting your research. Some are well-known international companies, others are of a more | |local nature. | |Aegis - Zeus and Athena's protective shield; modern group of insurance companies (The Aegis Group). | |Ajax - Greek warrior in the Trojan War, who "cleaned up" in...
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...THE HERO WITH A THOUSAND FACES JOSEPH CAMPBELL BO I. L I N G EN SERIES XVII PRINCETON UNIVERSITY AND PRESS P R I N C E T O N OXFORD Copyright © 2004 by Princeton University Press Published by Princeton Unhxmt^Pms, U WiffiaM SUrtt, Pnnceton, New Jersey 08540; im^inii!-. •:-..• punght i 1-49 by Botiingen e d i t i o n l n ' i l h Foundation, rc't.'itii.yi •: • andpttt t*j''!' !_•"' . !.,.: b% :''ohi: •• Bough, one-volume edition, p. 386. Copyright, 1922 by The MacmiUan Company and used with their permission). Compare Sigmund Freud: "I recognized the presence of symbolism in dreams from the very beginning. But it was only by degTees and as my experience increased that I arrived at a full appreciation of its extent and significance, and I did so under the influence of . . . Wilhelm Stekel. . . . Stekel arrived at his interpretations of symbols by way of intuition, thanks to a peculiar gift for the direct understanding of them. . . . Advances in psycho-analytic experience have brought to our notice patients who have shown a direct understanding of dream-symbolism of this kind to a surprising extent. . . . This symbolism is not peculiar to dreams, hut is characteristic of unconscious ideation, in particular among the people, and it is to be found in folklore, and in popular myths, legends, linguistic idioms,, proverbial wisdom and current jokes, to a more complete extent than in dreams." {The Interpretation of Dreams, translated by...
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...Troyes's Lancelot, the Knight of the Cart (1177). The term courtly was derived from the term ‘amour courtis’ which according to Paris was an admiration and an ennobling discipline. The lover accepts the autonomy of his mistress and tries to make himself worthy of her attention by trying to act bravely and doing whatever deed she desires. In order to prove to her his passion and his unwavering commitment and, he subjects himself to a series of tests and ordeals that she desires to put him. Paris further explains that sexual satisfaction may not have been the main goal or even result of the ‘amour courtis’ but neither was the love entirely platonic as its foundation was sexual satisfaction. Classical literature, as demonstrated in Dido for Aeneas, the passion described through the text often refers to...
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...Bloom’s Classic Critical Views W i l l ia m Sha k e Sp e a r e Bloom's Classic Critical Views alfred, lord Tennyson Benjamin Franklin The Brontës Charles Dickens edgar allan poe Geoffrey Chaucer George eliot George Gordon, lord Byron henry David Thoreau herman melville Jane austen John Donne and the metaphysical poets John milton Jonathan Swift mark Twain mary Shelley Nathaniel hawthorne Oscar Wilde percy Shelley ralph Waldo emerson robert Browning Samuel Taylor Coleridge Stephen Crane Walt Whitman William Blake William Shakespeare William Wordsworth Bloom’s Classic Critical Views W i l l ia m Sha k e Sp e a r e Edited and with an Introduction by Sterling professor of the humanities Yale University harold Bloom Bloom’s Classic Critical Views: William Shakespeare Copyright © 2010 Infobase Publishing Introduction © 2010 by Harold Bloom All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage or retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the publisher. For more information contact: Bloom’s Literary Criticism An imprint of Infobase Publishing 132 West 31st Street New York NY 10001 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data William Shakespeare / edited and with an introduction by Harold Bloom : Neil Heims, volume editor. p. cm. — (Bloom’s classic critical views) Includes bibliographical references...
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...Beginning theory An introduction to literary and cultural theory Second edition Peter Barry © Peter Barry 1995, 2002 ISBN: 0719062683 Contents Acknowledgements - page x Preface to the second edition - xii Introduction - 1 About this book - 1 Approaching theory - 6 Slop and think: reviewing your study of literature to date - 8 My own 'stock-taking' - 9 1 Theory before 'theory' - liberal humanism - 11 The history of English studies - 11 Stop and think - 11 Ten tenets of liberal humanism - 16 Literary theorising from Aristotle to Leavis some key moments - 21 Liberal humanism in practice - 31 The transition to 'theory' - 32 Some recurrent ideas in critical theory - 34 Selected reading - 36 2 Structuralism - 39 Structuralist chickens and liberal humanist eggs Signs of the fathers - Saussure - 41 Stop and think - 45 The scope of structuralism - 46 What structuralist critics do - 49 Structuralist criticism: examples - 50 Stop and think - 53 Stop and think - 55 39 Stop and think - 57 Selected reading - 60 3 Post-structuralism and deconstruction - 61 Some theoretical differences between structuralism and post-structuralism - 61 Post-structuralism - life on a decentred planet - 65 Stop and think - 68 Structuralism and post-structuralism - some practical differences - 70 What post-structuralist critics do - 73 Deconstruction: an example - 73 Selected reading - 79 4 Postmodernism - 81 What is postmodernism? What was modernism? -...
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...1 In memory of Skip and Mary Dickinson For Quintin and Griffin And for Louise Dennys, with thanks ‘Most of you, I am sure, remember the tragic circumstances of the death of Geoffrey Clifton at Gilf Kebir, followed later by the disappearance of his wife, Katharine Clifton, which took place during the 1939 desert expedition in search of Zerzura. “I cannot begin this meeting tonight without referring very sympathetically to those tragic occurrences. “The lecture this evening ...” From the minutes of the Geographical Society meeting of November 194-, London I The Villa SHE STANDS UP in the garden where she has been working and looks into the distance. She has sensed a shift in the weather. There is another gust of wind, a buckle of noise in the air, and the tall cypresses sway. She turns and moves uphill towards the house, climbing over a low wall, feeling the first drops of rain on her bare arms. She crosses the loggia and quickly enters the house. In the kitchen she doesn’t pause but goes through it and climbs the stairs which are in darkness and then continues along the long hall, at the end of which is a wedge of light from an open door. She turns into the room which is another garden—this one made up of trees and bowers painted over its walls and ceiling. The man lies on the bed, his body exposed to the breeze, and he turns his head slowly towards her as she enters. Every four days she washes his black body, beginning at the destroyed feet. She wets a washcloth...
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