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Joseph Campbell
Author of "A Hero with a Thousand Faces" and "Hero's Journey". His theories argued that world's mythologies, ritual practices, folk traditions, and major religions share certain symbolic themes, motifs, and patterns of behavior. His theories influenced a wide range of writers.
The Call to Adventure
the point in a person's life when they are first given notice that everything is going to change, whether they know it or not.
Refusal of the Call
may be from a sense of duty or obligation, fear, insecurity, sense of inadequacy, or any range of reasons that work to hold the person in his or her current circumstances.
Supernatural Aid
Once the hero has committed to the quest, consciously or unconsciously, his/her guide and magical helper appears or become known.
Crossing of the First Threshold
The point of no return, the person actually crosses into the field of adventure, leaving the known limits of his/her world and venturing into the unknown.
The Belly of the Whale
Described as the hero's lowest point, but it is actually the point when the person is between/transitioning between worlds and selves. The separation has been made/recognized between the old world and old self and the potential for a new world/self.
The Road of Trials
a series of tests/tasks/ordeals that the person must undergo to begin the transformation. The person often fails repeatedly.
Meeting With the Goddess
the point in the adventure when the person experiences a love that has the power and significance of the all-powerful, all-encompassing, unconditional love.
Woman as the Temptress
the temptations that may lead the hero to abandon/stray from his/her quest. Woman is a metaphor for the physical/material temptations of life, since the hero was often tempted by lust from his spiritual journey.
Atonement with the Father
the person must conform and be initiated by whatever holds the ultimate power in his/her life.
Ultimate Boon
the achievement of the goal of the quest- what the person went on the journey to get. All the previous steps serve to prepare and purify the person for this step.
Refusal of the Return
the person does not want to come back to all of the troubles and worries of normal life.
Magic Flight
the escape; adventurous, dangerous, and dramatic return
Rescue from Without
the person must have powerful guides and rescuers to bring them back to everyday life, or the person doesn't realize that it is time to return.
Crossing the First Threshold
returning with the wisdom gained on the quest and integrate that into a human life.
Master of the Two Worlds
the person must become comfortable and competent in both the inner and outer world- "superhero" and normal person...
Freedom to live
Mastery leads to freedom from the fear of death; a.k.a. living in the moment- no anticipation and regret
Carl Jung and his "Jungian Shadow" as well as his physiological definitions that accompany it shadow
young college of Freud and had a capacity for lucid dreams and occasional visions
animus/anima
the archetype of the male present in the collective unconscious of women/the archetype of the female present in the collective unconscious of men.
archetypes
the contents of the collective unconscious; patterns in our lives
ego
our rational or conscious self; the reality. This is the part of the Id that has been modified by the direct influence of the outside world. Ego develops around the age of 2-3 when we break out of our ultimate primate and begin to recognize the world.
syzygy
the combo of animus and anima
persona
from the Latin word meaning mask. It is the "mask" we wear when we are around other people; our public image; we act how we think people expect us to act, and this may or may not be similar to how we are on the inside. The part we choose to play instead of being ourselves
id
a Freudian term that represents our primal self; it is how we are when we are born. Id is our natural animal instinct. Id makes its comeback at the ages of around 12-14 when we hit puberty, and our natural instinct to reproduce becomes almost all-consuming.
amoral
neither good nor bad, neutral like animals
Irony
a contrast between what appears to be and what actually exists, between what is expected and what is experienced.
Verbal
when a character says one thing but means another. (Ex. In Oedipus, Tiresias says to Oedipus: I say that you, with both your eyes, are blind." Tiresias calls Oedipus blind, meaning insightfully)
Situational
what happens is different from what is expected to happen. (Ex. In Oedipus, it is ironic that the murderer that Oedipus is looking so carefully for is, in fact, himself)
Dramatic
when the audience/reader is aware of critical information of which the characters are unaware (Ex. In Oedipus, Oedipus says that "by avenging the murdered King I protect myself)
Allusion
a figure of speech that references something indirectly (Ex. Of Mice and Men references the poem "To a Mouse" without it being said)
Epic poem
A narrative poem telling in an elevated style the achievements and brave deeds of heroic characters
Homeric Epithet
the question/ problem- who wrote the Odyssey? was Homer alone? did he perform it and someone anonymous write it later?
Connotation and denotation of words
connotation is the emotional, contextual meaning of a word and the denotation is the dictionary definition of a word
Aristotle's unities
the time and place of the action
Definition of tragedy
an imitation of an action that is serious, complete, and of a certain magnitude, and through pity and fear effecting the proper purgation for these emotions.
Greek drama
its origins and stage design, costuming features
Zeus
ruler of Olympus: father of the gods; god of thunder and lightning: against Odysseus at first
Hermes
son of Zues; god of trade and thieves
Poseidon
brother of Zues; eldest of the Big three; god of the sea and thunderstorms; father of Cyclops
Circe
a nymph who tried to enchant Odysseus and his crew when they arrived on her island
Calypso
a nymph who held Odysseus captive on her island (Ogygia) for nine years
Telemachus
the son of Odysseus and Penelope; heir to Ithaca
Eumaeus
Ithaca's swineherd who stayed loyal to Odysseus until the day her returned home; aided in the purge of the suitors
Aeolus
god of the wind
Tiresias
the blind seer in the House of Hades; Odysseus went to him for direction on how to get home
Argos
Odysseus's dog who died when Odysseus returned home
Eurycleia
an old maid in the royal house of Ithaca who loyally served Odysseus since he was a baby; she was the first to be made known about the king's return home
Anticlea
Odysseus's mom; died while he was away; they reunited when Odysseus journeyed to the House of Death
Laertes
Odysseus's father; king of Ithaca before him (Odysseus's predecessor)
Agamemnon
king of Mycenae; brother of Menelaus; one of the great Greeks who fought in the Trojan War; led the Achaean army; died when he got home from Troy; killed by his wife and her lover
Antinous
the leader of the suitors who plagued Penelope and Odysseus's house; killed in the purge
Eurymachus
one of the more powerful of the suitors alongside Antinous; also killed in the purge
Penelope
wife of Odysseus and mother of Telemachus; also killed in the purge
Polyphemus
Cyclops; son of Poseidon; blinded by Odysseus and the essential reason why Poseidon sought revenge on Odysseus
Charibdis
the deadly whirlpool in the rock formation that Odysseus had to sail through (between Sicily and another Island)
Odysseus
the protagonist of the Odyssey; king of Ithaca; father of Telemachus and husband of Penelope; fought in the Trojan War; orchestrated the Trojan Horse strategy
Achilles
the greatest warrior in Achaea before he was killed by Paris and Apollo in the Trojan War; the leader of a kill squad called the Myrmidons
Alcinous
king of Phaeacia; father of Nausicaa; helped Odysseus return to Ithaca
Naussica
princess of Phaeacia; found Odysseus naked off the coast of Phaeacia and brought him back to the king- where he told the story of his travels
Helen
wife of Menelaus; queen of Sparta; basically caused the Trojan War when she ran off into the sunset with Paris
Clytemnestra
Agamemnon's wife; cheated on him with a man named Aegisthus while he was fihting in Troy, then when he returned, she and her lover killed him
Athena
daughter of Zeus; goddess of wisdom; served as Odysseus's "supernatural aid" in the Odyssey
Scylla
the six-headed dragon woman monster that lives in the cave between the rocks (Sicily and another Island probably) and eats men; Odysseus evaded this thing when he sailed through the rocks
Greek Tragedies
plays that told stories of human suffering that usually ended in disaster
Hubris
excessive pride
Aristotle's Unities
time (24 hours), place (1 setting), action (1 plot conflict)
Unity of Time
the action in a play should take place over no more than 24 hours
Unity of Place
a play should cover a single physical space and should not attempt to compress geography, nor should the stage represent more than one place
Unity of Action
a play should have one main action that it follows, with no or few subplots
Oracle
through whom advice or prophecy was sought from the gods in classical antiquity.
Catharsis
a release of emotional tension
Chorus
(role of...)- Ex. Oompa Loompas, Represented the didactic purpose- lesson- of the play, Group of 15 men- considered a civic duty, Tension release (commercial), Linked audience to the actors- can talk to the audience and the actors (broke the fourth wall- like Ferris Bueller), Reflected on what had just happened, Advised central characters, Ethical conscience, Created suspense and excitement, Appeared at perfectly planned times- not random, Separated one scene from another
Leader
spokesperson representing the Chorus which interacted with central characters
Fagles
translated the Odyssey (our favorite translator! )
Delphi
An ancient city in central Greece, in Phocis: site of an oracle of Apollo
Ancient Greek Mask
an article that let an actor impersonate another, determined the role the actor was playing
Cothurni
platform shoes
Chiton
long, flowy robe
Properties
props to distinguish stature (ex. If you were a priest, you would have a staff or something)
Hamartia
tragic flaw
Orchestra
"dancing place"
Theatron
the audience sat here
Parados
a term that identified the entrance to the stage- for the chorus
Skene
a rectangular building that provided generic backdrop
Proskenion
a small platform in front of the skene which appeared to give actors more visibility and to separate them from the chorus in the orchestra below
Life in ancient Greece
usually hot and lots of time was spent outside, Greece is mostly made up of islands and the ancient Greeks welcomed everyone who came to their island, gifts were a sign of respect because the islands produced limited resources
Hero Journey/Hero Archetype
a definition formed by Joseph Campbell that examples how each character in every book, show, and movie has the same fundamental path
Tragic Hero
a decent person, but fate places hero in a situation where hubris brings about his downfall- either physically/spiritually dies in the end (Ex. Oedipus, Othello, Macbeth)
Anti-Hero
comes from the Modernist period (after WW1), a hero who is motivated by disillusionment; usually rebellious and disinterested in living his life in the confines of society's norms. This hero may be unchanged by his experience (Ex. Han Solo, Shrek, Jack Sparrow)
Classic (Greek)
Usually based on Greek Myth, a hero with a super-human strength, magical powers, or who is immortal. (Ex. Hercules)
Arthurian
a knight who though larger than life is based on real person; loyal, honest, brave, and noble; on a quest for external things (land/money) or internal things (truth/power) (Ex. King Arthur, Indiana Jones, National Treasure guy)
American (Adam)
bound to nature; innocent and naïve; has no family/family tradition; spends life on an internal quest (Ex. Huck Finn, Forest Gump)
Apotheosis
to deify; a period of rest, peace, and fulfillment before the hero begins the return.
Archetype
the contents of the collective unconscious; unacknowledged/unlearned patterns in our lives.
Atonement with father
the person must conform and be initiated by whatever holds the ultimate power in his/her life.
Master of two worlds
the person must become comfortable and competent in both the inner and outer world- "superhero" and normal person...
Belly of the whale
the hero's lowest point, their most hopeless moments
Meeting with Goddess
the point in the adventure when the person experiences a love that has the power and significance of the all-powerful, all-encompassing, unconditional love.
Call to adventure
the point in a person's life when they are first given notice that everything is going to change, whether they know it or not.
Refusal of the call
may be from a sense of duty or obligation, fear, insecurity, sense of inadequacy, or any range of reasons that work to hold the person in his or her current circumstances.
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