Preview

Greek Mythology Influence

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
203 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Greek Mythology Influence
Of the many traditions handed down to us by the Greeks, their mythology has exercised the most far-reaching and longest-lasting influence, attracting a long line of artists, writers, philosophers, composers, and filmmakers. The extent of this influence results in part from the vibrant, ancient literary and artistic tradition that has transmitted the mythology to us. A familiarity with Greek mythology can therefore significantly enrich your appreciation of art, literature, and music, and the myths often provide fascinating insights into the individual and societal psyche. Finally, the stories are in and of themselves exceptionally entertaining.

The Greek myths–and other myths–are also fascinating because they reflect our own dilemmas, impulses,

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Powerful Essays

    [ 22 ]. Apotheosis of Hercules, François Lemoyne, the ceiling of Salon d’Hercule, Palace of Versailles, 1733-1736…

    • 1904 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Bibliography: 1dkennedy.org. (2004, July 15). The Greek Myths: 1 - Robert Graves. Retrieved from dkennedy.org Book reviews: http://www.dkennedy.org/C2025243227/E518045992/index.html…

    • 1089 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Art 204 Final Essay

    • 2576 Words
    • 11 Pages

    The progression of Greek art does not simply begin with the Olympics in 776 BCE, but finds its origins in all of the civilizations that gave rise to the Greeks – the remnants of the besieged Mycenaeans, and all who conquered (and traded) with them. The loss of great civilizations often leads to dark periods, but from the ashes of Greece’s dark age emerged a civilization that revered humanity and went to great lengths to incorporate the idea of philosophy into all aspects of their empire – including art. City states joined forces, democracy was established, and skills lost during times of turmoil (reading, writing, painting, sculpting, architecture) were not only rediscovered, but reinvented. From the eastern inspired geometrics of earliest Greece, to stylize humanism in the Archaic, the mathematical perfection of the Classical periods, and the flowery realism of the Hellenistic - Greek art remains the standard by which all future art will be judged. This article will mainly focus on changes in Greek sculpture as an analogy for the changes in all of Greek art, simply because an attempt to chronicle all of the changes in the historical period would require much more than a short essay, and it’s my belief that sculpture most thoroughly reflected how art reflected the greater changes in the society. Regardless of historical argument about whether or not Greek culture and society were as great or as evil as either extreme proclaims, the fact remains that incredible works of art were spawned by great thinkers. Sure, maybe there was slavery, and maybe women were treated poorly, but that doesn’t negate the artistic value of the truly innovative art forms, starting with the very earliest pieces attributed to the Greeks, those in the period of the first Olympics, which also marks the point when the Greeks themselves considered their various city states united as one people, citizens of “Hellas” – distinct in that they spoke a…

    • 2576 Words
    • 11 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Best Essays

    Napoli, Donna Jo. Treasury of Greek Mythology: Classic Stories of Gods and Goddesses. Washington, D.C.: National Geographic Society, 2011. 42-43. Print.…

    • 530 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Best Essays
  • Good Essays

    Homer wrote one of the greatest and earliest literary works, the Odyssey around the eight-century BCE. The Odyssey provides us with a lens through which we examine Greek society around eight hundred BCE. Prevalent themes including, Greek hospitality, their attitudes towards the afterlife, and their relationship of gods and man are all present in the Odyssey, which are also contemporaneous in ancient Greek life around the eighth century. Ultimately, the Odyssey allows us to learn more about people’s customs and beliefs in archaic Greece.…

    • 743 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Greek Mythology consist of various gods, goddesses, heroes, the nature of the world, and the origins of religious beliefs and practices. Even though Hades is best known for ruling the underworld, he is also known for an act of destruction and his influence of a moral lesson on today's society.…

    • 936 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Greek civilization, in many ways, was the most advanced population of it's time. The Greeks have created a great stir in modern day values, events, and philosophy, and they were just getting warmed up. The question, "What did the Greeks contribute to modern society", was posed, and I will begin to answer. The Greeks created a vast religious system, filled with heroes, gods, villains, monsters, and more. This has fascinated us, and has even influenced some of our brands of clothing, Nike for example (Nike being the goddess of victory). Speaking of Nike, the Olympic games were held in celebration of her, and was often seen as the main event. She was held in the hand of the statue of Athena during the games, and the olive wreaths were actually…

    • 276 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Trojan War Analysis

    • 1042 Words
    • 5 Pages

    These myths were told to people and it helped them realize the difference between right and wrong. It helped them come to terms with understanding their own humility and it also helped them gain an understanding that they should never think themselves higher than their immortal gods. These myths tell the tales of mighty heroes and how their greatness was achieved while at the same time illustrating the flaws these heroes had in their personal quest to become gods. A deeper look into the Trojan War reveals meanings, attitudes, and life lessons that the Greeks were very adamant in preserving for the betterment of their society and to the world around them. These tales seldom ended in happy endings like the ones we are accustomed to observing in our culture today and is important to remember that they weren’t written solely for entertainment—they were written with a greater purpose. In truth, these myths give people the opportunity to glimpse at the way the Greeks lived and how they thought back then. These myths were an integral part of ancient Greek culture, this was how they passed down lessons from…

    • 1042 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Greece is known for its great art and architecture during the Golden Age. The Golden Age was a time period in a field of endeavor when great tasks were accomplished.The Parthenon is an example of an architecture built on the Acropolis between 447 B.C. and 432 B.C. and until now it is one of the most important and great buildings in Greece. The history and culture of Ancient Greece have been a great influence in the modern world. A lot of these influences have been very beneficial; however, some of these masteries have harmed and might keep harming the society. It is important to acknowledge, understand, and embrace the positive domination while at the same time, you should work towards strippig the western world of the negative and its…

    • 817 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Ancient Greece was a civilization that set many precedents. One of the most notable earmarks of Ancient Greece is It’s mythology. Though not the only polytheistic culture, Greece is one of the most prominently thought of cultures when referring to Gods and Goddesses. The deities of ancient Greece held a huge sphere of influence in their culture. The Gods and Goddesses affected many aspects of everyday life. These myths became their religious and spiritual foundations. “In ancient Greece, a myth was not simply a story, or a tale, rich in religious and poetic meanings, but rather a body of scientific knowledge about the world and a normative conception of human beings” (Javier Lopez Frias, Isadora,Hadjistephanou Papaellina).…

    • 179 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    After the death of Alexander the Great in 323 B.C.E, the Greek empire was divided. The control of Palestine was given to Greek leaders located in both Syria and Egypt. For about one hundred years, most of Israel was ruled by the Greeks in Egypt. Even though Greek Influence was noticed across Palestine (especially in Galilee), the Jews were generally allowed to coordinate their internal affairs without any interference from Greek authorities.…

    • 392 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    The Ancient Greek society ended over 2000 years ago, but even now its mythology continues to influence Western society. References to Greek Mythology are found in books, pieces of literature, television shows, and even video games. Even when the Roman Empire took over Ancient Greece, Rome still used and adopted the Greece mythologies (Jupiter as Zeus, Kronos as Saturn, etc.), which influenced our society just as it did throughout history. Greek Mythology has several links to music, film, and religion, which opened up industries and crossovers from today’s world. This includes movies such as Clash Of The Titans, poems about Greek gods and plays written about the great stories in Greek Mythology (Prometheus Unbound by Aeschylus).…

    • 1993 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Better Essays

    Greek myths helped the people who composed and listened to them shape their identity through a variety of ways. During the Archaic period, writing began again. During this period of history, there were a variety of communities and each Greek community developed into a city-state or polis. Each polis had classes or social ranks which were the aristocracy, the poor, and the middle. They also didn’t have kings which lead to politics. During this period, women did not have any contribution to the city-states, so the city-states were mostly a community of male citizens with rights and duties under the law. In addition, each city-states were very prideful of their town which lead to intense rivalries and often had wars…

    • 1926 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    A myth is a story that is told by people from an earlier time period. They explain what they think to be happening or how they view the world at that point in time. Many of them focus on gods, goddesses, or a mythical creature in order to explain the events that define their culture. The most common myths are within Greek mythology that help to explain culture and gave the world around them a meaning. These were an important part of their everyday life and help to explain religious practices and help influence art and literature years after its…

    • 101 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Essay On Greek Myths

    • 553 Words
    • 3 Pages

    “The characters, stories, themes and lessons of Greek mythology have shaped art and literature for thousands of years. They appear in Renaissance paintings such as Botticelli’s Birth of Venus and Raphael’s Triumph of Galatea and writings like Dante’s Inferno; Romantic poetry and libretti; and scores of more recent novels, plays and films.” I think that it is great that the ancient Greeks came up with these myths. When I first started reading and listening about the Greek myths, I thought they were totally absurd. However, I now think that some myths tell entertaining stories and teach great lessons. Through this paper I will tell you about one of the myths we share today in our culture, share what Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung had to say about mythic structures of the human psyche, and explain why myths such as these bring us together socially and culturally. (2)…

    • 553 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays