FJCL Greek Literature

Homer

Author of the Illiad and the Odyssey; blind; wrote Homeric hymns to Demeter, Apollo, Hermes, Aphrodite, Dionysius

Iliad

Epic poem; 24 books long; in dactylic hexameter; tells the story of the wrath of Achilles during the Trojan War

Odyssey

Epic poem; in dactylic hexameter; 24 books long; tells the story of the return of Odysseus to his home in Ithaca, and his revenge on the suitors

Hesiod

Master of early Greek epic poetry besides Homer; 700 bc; wrote the Theogony, Works and Days

Theogony

Poem in dactylic hexameter; an account of the births of the gods, talks about the early gods, the Titans, and the Olympians

Works and Days

Poem in dactylic hexameter; written to Hesiod's brother, Perses; talks about farming, mentions the five stages of man (golden, silver, bronze, heroic, and iron) and mentions Prometheus and Pandora

Aesop

Author of well-known cables; slave from Egypt or Thrace; lived on Samos

Alcaeus

Poet born in the late-seventh century from Mytilene on the island of Lesbos, conflicted with the tyrant Pittacus; went to Egypt, then reconciled with pittacus and returned home. His work survives only in fragments. He wrote lyrical songs about a variety of topics, such as politics, love, and hymns to the gods. Like Archilochus, threw down his shield and ran from a battle.

Alcman

Lyric poet who lived in Sparta in the late seventh century. He was mainly known for partheneia, which are songs sung by a chorus of maidens at religious festivals

Anacreon

Lyric poet of the early sixth century, born in Teos, an Ionian Greek city, moved to the tyrant, Polycrates' court on Samos. After polycrates' fall, he moved to Athens. He wrote in Ionian Greek, in lyric, iambic, and elegiac poetry. These are about love and the pleasures of life

Anaximander

Pre-Socratic philosopher from Miletus, lived c 610-545, first greek known to have written a book in prose. This book, concerning nature, is lost. He is said to have constructed the first map of the earth

Anaximenes

Presocratic philosopher from Miletus, younger contemporary of Anaximander (therefore he learned in the mid-sixth century). He believed that the primary substance was air, but his writings are lost to us

Archilochus

Poet from Paris loved in the mid-seventh century. He also wrote a poem in which he leaves behind his shield in battle, a great dishonor, in order to survive. He was the first to use the term iambic for the meter of some of his poems.

Arion

Largely legendary lyric poet of the seventh century, said to have been born on lesbos, and to have been a pupil of alcman. He later lived at the court of periander in Corinth. According to legend, while on the way back from a visit to Italy, he was thrown overboard by pirates, but a dolphin, charmed by arion's singing, carried him to land. He is credited with inventing the dithyramb, a form of choral lyric poetry

Bacchylides

Lyric poet form ceos, lived in the late sixth century and early to middle fifth century; the nephew of the poet Simonides. He wrote odes for victors at games, in a similar style to Pindar (sometimes the two wrote about the same games, such as the Olympian games of 476 and Pythians of 470), and wrote hymns and other songs. He was considered by Aristotle to be a forerunner to tragedy

Empedocles

Presocratic philosopher of the fifth century, who believed that the universe consists of four elements: air, fire, water, and earth. He is said to have composed two poems, On Nature, and Purifications.

Heracleitus

Philosopher from Ephesus who wrote On Nature, and said that the primary element is fire. He was later known as the 'the weeping philosopher.'

Herodotus

Author of the History of the Persian Wars, which is 9 books long; he was born in Asia Minor. His history contains earlier events and a large amount of cultural info

Ibycus

According to legend he was attacked by robbers while a flock of cranes was passing overhead. Before the robbers killed him, he exclaimed, "those cranes will avenge me." Afterwards, one of the robbers was in a crowded theater, and seeing a flocks of cranes overhead, said, "there go the avengers of ibycus." His comment was overheard and the robbers were brought to justice.

Parmenides

Presocratic philosopher from Elea, founded the eleatic school of philosophy. He wrote the Way of Truth and the Way of Seeming, which is one poem on two parts

Pindar

Lyric poet from Thebes, in Beoetia, lived, c518-440, wrote odes to the victors at the four great games. Therefore, he wrote Olympian, Pythian, nemean, and isthmian odes. He is said to have been instructed by Corinna. His house was the only one in Thebes spared by Alexander the Great when he leveled the city. He wrote in Doric Greek and wrote an ode to Hieron | of Syracuse, as well as to other Sicilian tyrants. He is considered by many to be the greatest Greek lyric poet

Pythagoras

Presocratic philosopher of the sixth century, left no writings, believed in an immortal soul, which is rational and reincarnated into different bodies based on choices made in the past life (the transmigration of souls). He is credited with the theorem that bears his name

Sappho

Lyric poetess from lesbos, lived in the late seventh century; a contemporary of Alcaeus, while young she went into exile in Sicily because of political troubles in lesbos. Her poems are about love. One of these poems was translated by Catullus in his poem 51. It concerns her love of a girl at mere sight, while a young man beside her is unmoved by the same things. She was called the 'tenth muse'

Semonides

Iambic and elegiac poet from Samos, and later amorgos; lived in the mid seventh century. He wrote in ionic Greek and only a few fragments of his poems survive

Simonides

Lyric and elegiac poet from ceos, lived from 556-468; the uncle of the poet Bacchylides; most famous for epigrams. He wrote epitaphs (odes) for the Athenian dead at marathon and the spartan dead at Thermopylae

Stesichorus

Lyric poet said to have been born in matauros in Italy, and to have lived in himera in Sicily; his real name was Frisia's and he lived in the early sixth century. He wrote many poems, of which only fragments survive. He is most famous for supposedly being struck blind for slanderin Helen in one of his poems

Theognis

Elegiac poet from Megara, lived in the sixth century; many lines ascribed to him survive, but most are probably not authentic. His poems addressed to a young boy, cyrnus who seems to have loved, are commonly judged as authentic. Theognis wrote about a variety of subjects besides homosexual love, such as morality and wealth

Tyrtaeus

Spartan elegiac poet of the seventh century. He wrote about war, and exhorted the Spartans to conquer messenia. His poems filled five books, but only fragments survive

Seven Sages

Name given by Greek tradition to a group of men: statesmen, lawgivers, a philosophers

Biad

SEVEN SAGES

Chilon

SEVEN SAGES

Cleobulus of rhodes

SEVEN SAGES

Periander

SEVEN SAGES
Tyrant of Corinth c 625-585, brought Corinth to its greatest prosperity and promoted the arts

Pittacus

SEVEN SAGES
A statesman from mytilene on lesbos, feuded with Alcaeus, later became dictator in mytilene

Solon

SEVEN SAGES
Athenian lawgiver, archon in 594-3; also a poet and known for his wisdom. His most important law was the seisactheia, which ended enslavement for debt and all current debts. He is said to have visited Croesus, and told him that no man may count himself lucky until he is dead. He went into voluntary exile after enacting his laws

Thales

SEVEN SAGES
Presocratic philosopher, lived in Miletus c 600; he was the earliest Greek scientist. He is said to have predicted an eclipse of he sun in 585, and he believed he primary substance was water

Theater terms

Theater was performed in Athens at the Great Dionysus, a festival honoring the god of wine and revelry. Five comedies were performed; each competing playwright entered three tragedies, usually a trilogy, and a satyr play

Orchesta

Originally a dancing floor, later for the chorus

Thymele

Altar to Dionysus

Theatron

'Watching place' for spectators

Parados

'Way in' the enterance

Skene

'Tent' or 'hut' the dressing rooms

______________ poetry may have been the precursor to the play

Dithyrambic

Thespis

An attican credited with inventing the play in the 530s and the Dionysia festival, adding an actor to the chorus. He is also said to have invented the mask. The term thespian, referring to actors in dramas, comes from his name

Aeschylus

Lived from 525-456, earliest tragedian whose works survived. According to a story, he was killed when an eagle dropped a tortoise on his (bald) head, while he was visiting Hieron | of Syracuse. Aeschylus wrote eighty to ninety play, of which seven survive

the Persians (play)

AESCHYLUS PLAY
The only surviving Greek tragedy with a historical theme

The Seven Against Thebes

AESCHYLUS PLAY

the Oresteia trilogy

AESCHYLUS PLAY
Contains three plays

Agamemnon

AESCHYLUS PLAY

Choephoroe

AESCHYLUS PLAY
The libation bearers

Eumenides

AESCHYLUS PLAY
'Kindly ones'- a euphemism for the furies-- only extant trilogy of Aeschylus

Suppliants

AESCHYLUS PLAY

Prometheus bound

Aeschylus added the second actor to the play. He used three in his later plays

Aeschylus won the dramatic competition at least _______ times.

13

Sophocles

Lived c 496-406/405. He wrote over one hundred plays, placing first about 80% of the time, and second all the rest of the times. Seven of his tragedies and most of one satyr play are extant.

Ajax

SOPHOCLES PLAY

Trachinian women

SOPHOCLES PLAY

Oedipus Rex (tyrannous)

SOPHOCLES PLAY

Oedipus at Colonus

SOPHOCLES PLAY

Antigone

SOPHOCLES PLAY

Electra

SOPHOCLES PLAY

Philoctetes

SOPHOCLES PLAY

Sophocles added the _____________ actor and _____________ to playes

Third; scenery

Sophocles increased the chorus from ____ to ____ members

12;15

Sophocles made his characters ______________

Idealized

Euripides

Lived c 485-406; died just before Sophocles, said to have written his plays in a cave on salamis. He used the technique Deus ex machina, where a god solves the plot, the most of the playwrights. 19 of his plays survived, the most of any Greek dramatist. We know the titles of eighty plays by him. He was supposedly torn to pieces by the dogs of archelaus, the king of Macedon, while visiting there.

Alcestis

EURIPIDES PLAY
satyr play

Bacchae

EURIPIDES PLAY

Electra

EURIPIDES PLAY

Hecuba

EURIPIDES PLAY

Hippolytus

EURIPIDES PLAY

Ion

EURIPIDES PLAY

Iphigenia at Aulis

EURIPIDES PLAY

Iphigenia in Tauris

EURIPIDES PLAY

Medea

EURIPIDES PLAY

Orestes

EURIPIDES PLAY

Rhesus

EURIPIDES PLAY

Suppliant Women

EURIPIDES PLAY

Trojan Women

EURIPIDES PLAY

Comedy

All extant comedy is Athenian, the number of comedies performed at the Great Dionysia was reduced to three during and after the Peloponnesian war for economic reasons. Comedy is organized into three periods: old, middle, and new

Aristophanes

Lived c 445-385, little is known of his life except that he was by far the greatest writer of Old Comedy. We have eleven of his plays completely and fragments from several others.

The Clouds

ARISTOPHANES PLAY
it ridiculed Socrates

The Wasps

ARISTOPHANES PLAY
it ridiculed he jury and court system

The Peace

ARISTOPHANES PLAY
the hero in the play rides to heaven on a dung-beetle

The Birds

ARISTOPHANES PLAY
two athenians travel to Nephelokokkygia ('cloud cuckoo land') to escape the war

Lusistrata

ARISTOPHANES PLAY
the most famous play of Aristophanes in modern time. The Women of Sparta and Athens get together and decide to reject their husbands until they give up the war.

The Frogs

ARISTOPHANES PLAY
the athenians need a tragic poet, and Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides are all dead. Dionysus decides to settle a dispute between Aeschylus and Euripides as to who the greatest tragedian (Sophocles having given way for Aeschylus). Dionysus chooses Aeschylus

Ecclesiazusae

ARISTOPHANES PLAY
probably produced in 392. Women, under the leadership of praxagora, take over the government. They institute communal property and equal sexual relations for everyone, young and old. The chorus is less important in this play than in previous Aristophanes works, and there is no parabasis.

The Plutus

ARISTOPHANES PLAY
The Wealth
Produced after Ecclesiazusae; a previous play of his, produced in 408, had the same title but is lost. The Plutus is the last of Aristophanes' extant plays

New comedy

All comedy from 323-263 (from the death of Alexander to the death of Philemon).

Meander

The greatest writer of new comedy. Lived from 342-292, died by drowning in the harbor of Piraeus. Only one of his some 100 plays is extant completely. The Dyscolus ('the bad tempered man') is the complete play

Thucydides

Wrote the History of the Peloponnesian War, which is known for being impartial, despite Thucydides being an Athenian general, until he was removed after failing to take amphipolis. His history ends in 422 with the recall of Alcibiades. He mentions Pericles' funeral oration, the the athenians who died in the first year of war

Socrates

Son of a sculptor (sophroniscus) and a midwife (phaemarete); his wife was xanthippe, he wrote nothing. What we know about him comes from his students, mainly Plato and Xenophon. He is famous for the Socratic method, which involves questions and answers. He believed in pseudo-gods called Daimones (daimon is singular). He was tried for corrupting the youth of Athens and compelled to commit suicide by drinking hemlock in 399

Plato

Student of Socrates, lived from c 427-348; he founded the Academy, a school in Athens that survived for centuries. Deiurgus is a platonic term for the creator.

Apology

PLATOS PLAY
Socrates' address at his trial

Crito

PLATOS PLAY
a dialogue with Socrates in prison, Crito is a friend who visits him

Gorgias

PLATOS PLAY
dialogue in which Socrates discusses rhetoric with the famous sophist. Socrates states during the dialogue that it is better to suffer evil than to do it, and to be punished than to go unpunished

Meno

PLATOS PLAY
dialogue concerning whether virtue can be taught

Phaedo

PLATOS PLAY
dialogue concerning the nature of death and the immortality of he soul, a discussion between Socrates and his friends as Socrates is dying; it also discusses the trip of the soul to the afterlife

Republic

PLATOS PLAY
Plato's most famous work in modern times, it discusses the perfect government, which to Plato is the rule of the greatest philosopher