Greek and Roman Mythology Mid 2

Oedipus

Father of Antigone, blinded himself after he killed his father and slept with his mother, wanders as a Begger

Thebes

Antigone’s city

Antigone

Oedipus’ daughter wants to burry both of her brothers even though her uncle thought one of them was a traitor. the family, religion, and individual.

Eteocles

Antigone’s brother, saw as a martyr, got a proper burial

Polynices

Antigone’s other brother, saw as a traitor, Creon told everyone not to burry him at all.

Creon

Antigone’s uncle. Head of state, like the king. Has all the power.

burial of the dead

In Greece everyone had to buried, it was important for the culture. They even had to bury traitors, usually outside the city borders. So, to not bury someone was an offense to the Gods.

polis

the Greek city-states

unwritten laws

There are some laws that don’t need to be stated to be obeyed, like burial for the dead.

nature of law

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philos (friend)

included all those to whom he or she was connected by reciprocal duties of care and respect, including those connected by bonds of *xenia*. By definition, one’s *philoi* included family members.

ekhthros (enemy)

*Ekhthroi* (pl. of *ekhthros*), on the other hand, are one’s personal enemies within the *polis* (as opposed to *polemioi*, enemies of the state or wartime enemies). Just as how bonds of *xenia* could be passed from one generation to another, a relationship of enmity with one’s *ekhthroi* could also span generations.

individual vs the state

in this case it is between Antigone and Creon (the king). should you be true to yourself or to the rules of your government.

religion vs politics

same as above. do you trust your religion mor than the government?

family vs state

same. who are you loyal to?

male vs female

what are the roles in society? Who has the responsibility to what? Who has the power?

Ismene

Antigone’s sister

messenger speech

different from all the others. The guard is not out of breath or rushed he slowly came onto the stage in plain view.

Praise of Man

facets of human ingenuity and achievement.  The adjective they use in Greek to describe human beings is *deinos*, which can mean both wonderful or terrible depending on the context (this word is where the dino- prefix comes from in the word dinosaur, i.e. “terrible lizard” in Greek).

Deinos

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agon (debate)

between Antigone and Creon, Creon asks whether Antigone knew about the proclamation (line 447) do you think he asks with anger or with compassion, providing her a way out, he makes a distinction between the laws of the gods (*nomoi/nomima*) and what she sees as the temporary decrees (*kerugmata*) of Creon,

stichomythia

Creon uses the Greek words *ekhthros* and *philos* to describe the conflict regarding Polynices’ burial. Antigone responds, with her most famous line of the play, that she was born to join in loving, not in hating, repeating but also transforming Creon’s use of the words *ekhthros* and *philos*. The situation with Polynices has created a paradox in which the characters must choose between seeing him as a *philos* or an *ekhthros*. Antigone chooses love; Creon chooses hate.

misogyny

bias against women. Creon against Antigone

Haemon

Antigone’s fiancé, Creon’s son, kills himself when he finds her dead. Has a big debate with Creon. Haemon uses a well-known simile in lines 712-18 to describe the need for rulers to flexible

Eurydice

Creon’s wife also commits suicide like Jocasta

catharsis

cleansing- bearing the body of Haemon, only to be joined by the body of his wife Eurydice. The chorus sings a lament in turn with Creon. Aristotle claims that witnessing extreme misfortune on the tragic stage

Hero’s Journey

Call to adventure, Supernatural aid, Threshold Guardian, Threshold, Mentor/Helper, Challenges and temptations, Abyss/Revelation (Death and Rebirth), Transformation, Atonement, Gift of the Goddess, Return

Monomyth

**the common template of stories that involve a hero who goes on an adventure, is victorious in a decisive crisis,** and comes home changed or transformed.

Joseph Campbell

creator of the Hero’s Journey and monomyth. American writer.

Comparativist approach to myth

comparison of **myths** from different cultures in an attempt to identify shared themes and characteristics

Narratological approach to myth

study of narrative and narrative structure and the ways that these affect human perception.

Vladimir Prop

broke down the stories into *morphemes* (analyzable chunks) and identified 31 *narratemes* (narrative units) that comprised the structure of many of the stories. Five categories of elements define not only the construction of a tale, but the tale as a whole: functions of dramatis personae (see below) Conjuctive elements (ex machina, announcement of misfortune, chance disclosure – mother calls hero loudly, etc.) Motivations (reasons and aims of personages) Forms of appearance of dramatis personae (the flying arrival of dragon, chance meeting with donor) Attributive elements or accessories (witch’s hut or her clay leg)

Carl Jung

he saw as a reservoir of archetypes and universal symbols that are shared by all humans. t**o reveal to consciousness the collective unconscious.**

Archetypes

the **original pattern** or model of which all things of the **same type** are representations or copies

Sigmund Freud

Neurologist who based his studies of the mind on the myth of Oedipus. Had a guide to interpreting dreams.

Oedipal complex

A man has the innate desire to bed his mother and kill his father

Anthropological approach to myth

**examining each story for its primary messages about the society and culture it comes from**

Myth-Ritualist Theory

**maintains that myths and rituals operate together**. The theory claims not that myths and rituals happen to go hand in hand but that they must. In its most uncompromising form, the theory contends that myths and rituals cannot exist without each other. In a milder form, the theory asserts that myths and rituals originally exist together but may subsequently go their separate ways. (The mysteries based on Persephone)

The Initiation Paradigm

**period of separation from family, during which older men mentor the younger ones?**

Separation

**the hero receives some kind of aid to push them to the threshold of their adventure**.

Liminal Zone

Liminal Zone

Reintegration

The hero coming back to his home, master of two worlds

Childhood Initiation vs Religious Initiation

Childhood:Initiation. It is the rights of passage for many boys. Start at temple, run to the altar, steal cheese and bring it back to the temple. Spartans have whips as they try to hit the boys as hard as possible, once you get to the temple, you are a man

Religious: ???????

3 Phases of the Monomyth

**Separation, Initiation, and Return**.

Zeus (Perseus)

Perceus’ dad: came to his mother as a shower of golden light

Danaë

Perseus’ Mother. Reason he went quest in the first place: old man was trying to get with her.

Acrisius

King of Argos. Perseus Grandfather. Did not want Danae to give birth, he knew the child would kill him, so locked her in a tower. When she had Percy he through them in a trunk and tossed them into the sea. Killed from a shotput to the foot by Percy.

Seriphos

The island that Perseus and his mother washed up on.

Polydectes

__King Polydectes of Seriphos fell in love with Danae, mother of the Greek hero Perseus. Sent Percy to retrive Medusa’s head__

The Graeae

3 Grey sisters. NOT THE FATES. Guided Percy on his journey.

Medusa

Gorgon who could turn people to stone. Was a lover of Poseidon was turned by Athena.

Hermes (Perceus)

Gave percy his winged sandles

Cassiopeia

Bragged that her daughter was more beautiful than the sea nymphs, Poseidon sent a sea monster to terrorize the town. sacrificed daughter.

Phineus (Perseus)

Originally Andromeda’s fiancé

Amazon

Race of Warrior Women. Lived on (modern day) Turkey. Sometimes enemies with the Greeks sometimes allies. Could have tattoos might have bright colorful clothing. Prob equal with men might above in society.

Queen Sana/Amezan

mistakenly kills her lover on the battlefield. Killed herself

Amazonomachy

one of various mythical battles between the ancient Greeks and the Amazons, a nation of all-female warriors. Many of the myths portrayed were that of Heracles’ ninth labor, which was the retrieval of the girdle of Hippolyta, Queen of the Amazons; and of Theseus’ abduction of Hippolyta (or Antiope), whom he claimed as his wife, sparking the Attic War. Another famous scene portrayed is that of Achilles’ victorious battle against Penthesilea during the Trojan war.Greek ideal of civilization. The Amazons were portrayed as a savage and barbaric race, while the Greeks were portrayed as a civilized race of human progress

Stoa Poikile

??????

Parthenon West Metopes

Like a 3D painting of stone- depicts the Amazons invading Athens

Bassae Frieze

Trojan and Heraklean Amazonomachies following on from their determination of the blocks' arrangement. Yet contrary to customary practice these three scenes are not on separate sides of the building, but run continuously around the entablature.

Antiope and Theseus

Amazon. Kidnapped by and married Theseus. Mother of Hippolytus.

Greek artistic invention vs historical women warriors

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Achilles

kills the amazon queen Penthesilea after she sought him out in battle. Some say in their last moments they fells in love with each other

Penthesilea

Amazon queen. Distraught after sisters death battled Achillies and died.

The Other

Anyone who does not speak Greek: barbarians

cultural chauvinism

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Scythians

An actual race that had women warriors, thought to be the Amazon society. Lives kind of on turkey ???????

Nart Sagas

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Herodotus

a Greek historian and geographer from the Greek city of Halicarnassus, part of the Persian Empire (now Bodrum, Turkey) and a later citizen of Thurii in modern Calabria (Italy). He is known for having written the *Histories* – a detailed account of the Greco-Persian Wars. Herodotus was the first writer to perform systematic investigation of historical events. He is referred to as "The Father of History"

Sauromatai

Sarmatians were “**under women’s control**” because of numerous female military units and the great power of their queens. Greeks called Sarmatian female warriors ‘**Amazons**’

Aeneid

Story of Aneas son of Aphrodite who fought in the Trojan War. This is the tail of his voyage to where Rome would one day be.

Camilla

enemy of Paris, devote of Artimis.

gender

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misogyny

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Greeks vs the Other (Barbarians)

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witchcraft

Medea. Greeks were heavily interested in the aspects (Hecate)

magic

Medea. Greeks interested but also fear (Hecate)

family discord

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Medea

foreign born wife of Jason. Witch. Killed brother to prevent pursuit of father. Killed Jasons new wife and her own kids.

Jason

Hero, married Medea, now wants to marry someone else.

Argonauts

Jason’s crew

heroes

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Scythians

bearing the body of Haemon, only to be joined by the body of his wife Eurydice. The chorus sings a lament in turn with Creon. Aristotle claims that witnessing extreme misfortune on the tragic stage. (Amazons)

Amazons

Women warriors. Medea compared to them because she is also a women warrior

internal audience

Chorus mirrors for the external audience in the theater how they should respond.

agon (Medea)

with Creon, the ruler of Corinth. Medea’s opening speech about the plight of women in Greek society

stichomythia (Medea)

Even when their discord has brought about the destruction of their children, they are still interested in scoring points against each other. , Medea provides a brief etiology for a ritual that was known among the people of Corinth. What might Medea’s retort to Jason about his broken oaths (line 1391) have meant to the Athenian audience in 431 at the outset of a brutal war caused, among other things, by the failure of the various Greek city-states to honor their word to each other?

protofeminist

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Creon

somehow related to the princess that Jason marries?

supplication

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Sophism

moral relativism, making weak arguments sound strong

culturally relativistic

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Aegeus

king of Athens, one of the Argonauts, swear an oath that he will protect her,

Theseus

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Pittheus

King of Troezen. The Athenian audience would recognize Pittheus as the father of Aethra, Theseus mother,

Aethra

Theseus mother, and know that the visit to Medea fits into the myth of Aegeus right before he (and Poseidon) sleep with Aethra, who then gives birth to Theseus

Poseidon

Theseus’ father. Promised him 3 wishes.

oath

This part of the scene follows common Greek and Roman ritual practices in which one person dictates to another person the oath that is to be sworn and the one swearing the oath pronounces a curse upon himself if he should break the oath.

red herring

a potential plotline that does not develop in a play, kill the children, they may think that Medea’s plan to kill them

Ino

except that Ino was driven mad by Hera.