Ancient Greece Sophocles and Antigone What Are Myths

Ancient Greece Sophocles and Antigone

What Are Myths? § Myths are stories, often with imaginative characters and violent plots. § Greek and Roman myths contain gods and goddesses, human characters, and other fantastic creatures.

What are the Purposes of Myths? § To explain how man got here (Creation Myths) § To explain good and evil (why there is suffering in the world) § To teach moral lessons § To explain human behavior (understand about love/jealousy, etc.

Mythological Explanations § Mythological explanations are not logical or scientific, and they require a different kind of thinking than you are used to. § Remember these stories are thousands of years old.

How are Greek and Roman Myths Related? § There are many similarities between the personalities in Greek Myths and those in Roman myths, which came later. § Often the only differences are in the names given to the figures.

The Way the Ancient Greeks saw the World

The Gods

Zeus/Jupiter § King of the gods § Rules over Mt. Olympus § God of power, sky, thunder, rain, law § Married to Hera, unfaithful to his marriage § Symbols: thunderbolt, eagle

Hera/Juno § Queen of the gods § Wife and sister to Zeus § Patron of marriage and women § Jealous of Zeus’ infidelities § Symbol: peacock § Related word: June

Poseidon/Neptune § § King of the sea Brother of Zeus Implacable god Causes storms, and cause people to drown § Created the horse, seahorse, octopus § Symbols: trident, bull, horse, dolphin

Hades/Pluto § King of the underworld (Tartarus) § Death § Greedy; hoards peoples’ souls § God of wealth § Brother of Zeus § Married Persephone the spring goddess § Symbols: staff, helmet of invisibility

Demeter/Ceres § Goddess of the earth, life, plants (grains) § Sister of Zeus § Mother of Persephone (spring goddess) § Symbols: corn, sheaf of grain § Related word: cereal

Persephone § § Spring goddess Daughter of Zeus and Demeter Queen of the underworld (Tartarus) She spends six months with Hades and six months with Demeter thus being responsible for seasonal changes

Athena/Minerva § Grey-eyed § Born from Zeus’ head § Goddess of intelligence/wisdom, strategy, war (defense), peace § Symbols: Athens, olive tree, owl

Aphrodite/Venus § § § Goddess of Love/Beauty Son is Eros/Cupid Married to Hephaestus Born from the sea Symbols: Dove, swan, sparrow § Related word: aphrodisiac

Eros/Cupid § Son of Aphrodite and possibly Ares § God of love § Shoots gold arrows for love, lead arrows for indifference § Youngest of the gods § Related word: erotic

Apollo § § § God of the sun Golden god Son of Zeus and Leto (nymph) God of music Symbols: lyre, sun Related word: lyric

Artemis/Diana § § § § Virgin goddess Many names Huntress with bow Silver Moon Wild beasts Symbols: moon, bow and arrow, deer

Ares/Mars § God of war (offensive) § Son of Zeus and Hera § Symbols: all weapons, vulture, dog § Related words: marital, March

Eris § Eris is the daughter of Zeus and Hera. She is the goddess of discord. In addition to her main activity of sowing discord, she frequently accompanies her brother Ares to battles. On these occasions she rides his chariot and brings her son Strife. § Eris is unpopular and frequently snubbed as a guest by the other gods and mankind. This was not always a safe thing to do. The most dramatic example being the Trojan War, which was an indirect result of not inviting Eris to a wedding.

Hephaestus/Vulcan § § Son of Zeus and Hera Lame Ugly God of the forge, smith, handiwork, volcanoes § Symbols: anvil, hammer § Related word: volcano

Hermes/Mercury § Son of Zeus and Maia § Messenger god § God of thieves, messages, travelers, luck § Symbols: caduceus, winged sandals and hat

Dionysus/Bacchus § God of wine, poetry, song, theater § God of happiness due to intoxication § Sometimes his followers became violent when drunk § Symbols: grapes

Hestia/Vesta § Goddess of the hearth, home, domestic life § Virgin § Stays at home § Does not approve of Aphrodite § Greeks had hearths blazing constantly to worship Hestia

Ancient Greece

Climate § § § Hot and dry in summer Cool and wet in winter Comparable to Southern California

Greece Divided § Polis: City and farmland around it § Each polis had its own government, army, navy, and god or goddess § Example: Athens honored Athena, the goddess of wisdom

Greek Enemies § The Spartans!

Superstition § The Greeks believed in: – – – Star-reading Interpreting dreams Examining the entrails of an animal – Flight patterns of birds – Soothsayers – Oracles

More Superstition § The Greeks believed that the spirit of a dead person could only enter Hades after the body had been purified and buried. Until the proper rites were performed, the person hovered at the gate of Hades…neither dead or alive

The Oracles § An oracle was a response given to individuals who came to a special place to ask a question of a god or hero. The question had to be submitted by a priest or priestess.

Dodona § Zeus’ oracle § The oldest oracle known § The gods spoke through the rustling of leaves or doves

Delphi § Apollo’s oracle § Priestesses were said to become intoxicated by vapor from the earth

Epidaurus § Asclepius’ oracle § Mostly consulted for medical questions § Patients were required to sleep in a building near the temple, where they were visited by a dream and woke up cured

Lebadeia § Trophonius’ oracle § A bizarre ritual—spend the night in a narrow underground chamber

Oropus § § § Amphiaraus’ oracle Similar to Trophonius A hero was swallowed up by the ground § The spot became an oracle § Located between Athens and Thebes

Bura § § § Hercules’ oracle Is now under the sea Involved the throwing of dice

Women and Marriage § Marriage was the transfer from one master (the father), to another (her man) § Being unmarried was not a choice but a misfortune

Women and Marriage § Being unmarried brought shame to the girl’s father is she were too ugly, or he not rich enough to buy her a man § Women married at age 13 or 14 § Men married around age 30

Sophocles

Sophocles § An Athenian from Colonus § He was from a rich family § He won prizes for wrestling and music § At 16 he was chosen to lead the boys’ choir

A Popular Guy § Sophocles was exceptionally good looking § He acted as well as wrote plays § He gave up acting because of a weak voice § Everyone liked him

More Sophocles § He had two sons by different marriages § He was deeply religious § Born around 496 BC § Died around 406 BC § Death: he either died choking on a grape or was reading Antigone

Sophocles’ Success § Wrote 123 plays § Won 24 victories – 96 of his plays won 1 st prize (the plays were always produced in fours)

Sophocles’ Plays § 7 plays survived – – – – Ajax Antigone Oedipus the King Trachiniae Electra Philoctetes Oedipus at Colonus

The Bee § Sophocles was called “the bee” because his verse sounded like honey

Oedipus § “There once lived a man called Oedipus Rex § § § You must have heard about his odd complex. His name appears in Freud’s index Because he loved his mother…” Tom Lehrer

Oedipus § Laius, ruler of Thebes, is told that his son will kill him. § Laius and his wife try to sacrifice the baby, but a slave takes pity on him…

Oedipus Lives! § Oedipus is taken to the other side of the mountain to Corinth § He is given to Polybus, the king of Corinth § He is called “Oedipus” because it means “swollen foot” (his deformity)

18 Years Later § Oedipus decides to seek out his true family § He travels to Apollo’s oracle. § He is told that he will kill his father and sleep with his mother

Oedipus Flees § He leaves Corinth and goes to Thebes— thinking that he is moving further away from his true father § He meets his father where the “three roads meet”

Murder! § Oedipus gets in an argument with his “real” father (he doesn’t know it’s his dad) § Oedipus kills him

The Riddle of the Sphinx § Thebes is terrorized by the Sphinx (body of a lioness, head of a woman, winged) § She destroys all who cannot solve her riddle

The Riddle § Which animal has one voice, but two, three, or four feet, being slowest on three? § Man!

Oedipus Saves Thebes § Oedipus answers the riddle § He is named ruler of Thebes § He gets to marry Jocasta (his mother) as a reward § He does not realize that she is his mom!

Incest! § Oedipus and Jocasta have 4 children § A plague begins to kill all living things § Plagues are caused by sin § Only a god can reveal the cause of the plague…

Plague! § Oedipus sends his brother-in-law, Creon, to the oracle at Delphi § The plague is being caused by an unpunished murder— the murder of Laius. § Oedipus puts a curse on the killer (himself)

The Truth § Teiresias (a soothsayer) and Creon tell Oedipus that he is the one who killed Laius § Oedipus refuses to believe them

Nonsense § Jocasta tells Oedipus that the oracles are nonsense § She tells of the oracle who told her and Laius that their son would kill him and how it didn’t come true…or did it?

Jocasta § Oedipus receives a message that Polybus, his adopted father, has died § Jocasta recognizes the messenger as the man who was supposed to kill Oedipus § She figures out the truth!

Jocasta § Jocasta flees, but Oedipus doesn’t understand why § He learns the truth and runs after her § It’s too late; she’s already hanged herself

Shame § Oedipus takes the shoulder pins out of Jocasta’s dress and blinds himself § Creon becomes ruler § Oedipus says goodbye to his dauthers § He must await the god’s punishment

Interpretations § In Greek law, the ACT counted, not the MOTIVE § Murdering Laius wasn’t really a crime; it was any Greek’s duty to harm an enemy. Oedipus thought Laius was an enemy because he insulted him

Interpretations § Family was everything in Greece § The worst crime: to kill your father § The second worst crime: to sleep with your mother § Oedipus committed both crimes

Oedipus to Antigone § Oedipus is thrown out of Thebes § Antigone (his daughter) goes to help guide him § Nobody wants Oedipus around to taint their soil when he dies. Colonus takes him.

Oedipus’ Family § Oedipus’ other daughter, Ismene, tells him that his two sons, Eteocles and Polynices, have fought over who gets to rule Thebes. § Polynices asks for Oedipus’ blessing

Curses § Oedipus curses the two boys, saying that they will end up killing each other § Oedipus dies § Ismene and Antigone return to Thebes. § Eteocles rules Thebes

Battle § Polynices returns to Thebes and battles his brother, Eteocles. § They end up killing each other § Creon becomes king § The play Antigone begins…

The End? § Sources: www. users. globalnet. co. uk § www. masconoment. org