Myths- Period 9/10
At the end of the movie Troy, Achilles captures the essence of humanity when he says, "The Gods envy us. They envy us because we’re mortal, because any moment might be our last. Everything is more beautiful because we’re doomed. You will never be lovelier than you are now. We will never be here again."
The themes of life and death have come up quite a bit during the presentations. Why were these themes so important to the Greeks? Why do you think the Gods envy mortals? Provide an example from one of the myths taught by your classmates to discuss in detail why the Greeks wrote about such themes. In what way do these myths stand the test of time?
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ReplyDeleteFrom previous knowledge about the Greeks, I know that they thought it was an honor to die in battle (or any other reason as long as it was for their country). However, every good story has a death in it. A good example is in Harry Potter, in the seventh book when one of the twins dies. This is why death is a popular, reoccurring theme. The myth would not be half as good as it currently is, if it were not for the death of some one important. When there are no phones or computers, what are you going to do all day for entertainment? Tell a story or read a book! If that is all you’re going to do all day, the story has to be interesting.
ReplyDeleteI believe “the gods envy mortals” because, just as Achilles said at the end of Troy, we live a life everyday. We know that some day we will die and we do not know when. The gods have nothing to fear. They will not die, they cannot die, and they can do whatever they want every day. In theory, the gods do not live; they are just beings in existence. Humans live everyday. Everyday is something new for us.
A perfect example of these themes is the story of “Cupid and Psyche”. The gods were jealous of mortals, so they came down from the heavens, or up from hell, and interacted with them. Sometimes when the gods came down it was to hurt humans and other times it was to “do other things” with them. This is what happened with Cupid. He ended up with Psyche. Psyches siblings were extremely jealous and curious and wanted to see cupid for themselves. However, they ended up jumping off a cliff. Death and jealousy.
A second example of gods being jealous of humans is the story of Hercules. Zeus saw a beautiful woman and came down to be with her. The offspring was Hercules, the strongest man to walk the earth. Hera, Zeus’ wife, was not too happy about that. So she put obstacles in his way and cursed him. Hercules ended up killing his family.
It is clearly noticed that the reoccurring themes in most all myths are, death and jealousy of others. It is important to notice that these stories also make sense. A common question might have been where fire had come from. “Well that is easy; a titan named Prometheus brought it down from the heavens.” “Why don’t we ever hear of him?” “That’s easy too; he was punished by the gods. Everyday vultures come to him and eat all of his organs out. Over night his insides grow back so the cycle can be repeated.” The gods were jealous that their power, fire, had been given away. However, Prometheus is a titan so he cannot be harmed so he is punished. The same as death to a normal person.
All the myths have withstood the test of time. Humans today look for heroes. Firemen are the equivalent to Hercules. They are men running into burning buildings to save others. Policemen are like Perseus, taking down crime at the risk of their lives just like Perseus and the gorgons. People are still jealous today as they were thousands of years ago. People still die today as they did thousands of years ago. There are stories on the news all the time about how a jealous spouse kills his or her mate. It is horrible but true. In this way everything withstands the test of time.
The themes of life and death are evident in almost all of the myths taught. These themes are clearly important to the Greeks. The Greeks are warriors. They fight to the death, and this is why mortality is so important to them. They know that their time on Earth is limited, so they honor it and live as if everyday was their last. This is why the gods envy the mortals so much. The gods will never die. They live an infinite life, where they have nothing to do. They know that they won't die, so what do they have to live for? Nothing. So, when the gods see that the Greeks and the other mortals are living it up, they get a bit jealous.
ReplyDeleteThe themes of life and death are shown in many myths, but I think that they are shown most in The Trojan War. This war brought death to the best Greek warriors. The death of so many Greek warriors is what sparked the Greek's passion to write about life and death. Greek writers and poets, like Homer, all experienced first hand the tragedy that is death. Then they took their emotions and wrote myths, such as The Trojan War, which is an exaggerated story about a war that did really happen.
These myths have been told and retold for hundreds, if not thousands of years. They have remained a part of society because they are applicable to people everywhere. For example, people everywhere at some time in their life question their own mortality. They may ask themselves the question, "Why am I alive?". Or, "What is my purpose?". The themes of life and death explore these questions deeply, so people can relate to the themes, and since these themes are clearly evident in the myths,so the people can relate to the myths. The themes of life and death are so deep-seated in time because of the fact that almost anyone can find a way to relate themselves to them.
Life and death are both common themes in Greek myths because of what they symbolize. Life is one thing I find that tends to be under appreciated. The Greeks bring light to the importance of life, and how it shouldn't be wasted. Death is something that most humans don't think about. The death of a loved one not only makes you truly appreciate everything they had done for you, but it also makes you stronger because you now have to take over all those responsibilities. Life and death are both very broad themes that can have many interpretations and meaning. They teach many lessons. One reason the Gods envy mortals would because they don't learn lessons. The Gods don't die, they don't make mistakes. They're shown to be these perfect figures that everyone admires and idolizes. But in reality, no one's perfect, and humans improve because of these mistakes they make. If one couldn't make mistakes, how would they learn?
ReplyDeleteIn the myth Hercules, for example, Hercules had murdered his wife and kids out of anger. He had make a mistake. Through that mistake, he repented. He understood what he did was wrong and recognized the need to do something to relieve himself of his guilt. If he was a God, that wouldn't have been possible. Through this event, Hercules had learned a good lesson, but if he was a God, he wouldn't have made such a mistake to begin with and wouldn't have learned an amazing lesson.
Greek myths stand the test of time because of the lessons they teach. Though the stories entail supernatural powers and highly unbelievable tales, the themes they portray are universal. Themes such as, love, perseverance, courage, fate, can apply to anyone, whether or not they like/believe in the myth. The lessons taken out of the myth are easily applicable, therefore they do stand the test of time.
Life and death are two very important themes that appear in most, if not every Greek myth. These themes are extremely important to the Ancient Greeks. In Ancient Greece, there were two main groups of life: mortals and Gods. The biggest discrepancy between the two was that mortals could not live forever while the Gods could. Most Greek myths deal with a clash between mortals and Gods. It was so important to the Greeks because the main groups of people in conflict were the Greeks/mortals and the Gods. The main reason for that conflict of course was that Gods could live forever while mortals only had a limited time for life.
ReplyDeleteI believe that the Gods envied the mortals because of their desire and will to make their lives have meaning. Because mortals didn’t live forever, they tried to live life to the fullest. They tried to have meaning and purpose in their life. In other words, the mortals had something to reach for; to live for. The Gods lacked that goal. It didn’t matter how they spent their lives. They lived forever. There was no end in their lives or no expiration date for them to do something meaningful. The mortals did have that expiration date. If the mortals didn’t do something meaningful in the time allotted for them to live, they did not get a second chance. Their lives would have been completely meaningless. The mortals did not want that so they strived to live life to the fullest; like every breath was their last taste of oxygen. The Gods were jealous of this motivation that the mortals had. It is true that the Gods lived much longer than the mortals. However, the Gods were jealous that the mortals’ lives had meaning and that they had a goal to strive for.
One example of the theme: life and death, appears in “The Cyclops”. Polyphemus believed that his purpose in life was to love Galatea and to wed her. Unfortunately, his goal was blocked by a young prince named Acis. So in order to fulfill his needs and wants, Polyphemus killed Acis so that he could have Galatea to himself. Polyphemus killed Acis to achieve what he believed to be his purpose in life. That purpose being to marry Galatea. Life and death are present here because Polyphemus believed that in order to better his life, he would need to take the life of someone else. Polyphemus was wrong for doing this. On the one hand, Polyphemus felt that his life was too precious to throw away his chance at true love. On the other hand, Polyphemus didn’t think Acis’ life was precious enough to let them live. Another example of life and death in “The Cyclops” is when Polyphemus tried to kill Odysseus. Polyphemus did eat a lot of Odysseus’ men but failed to kill Odysseus himself. In this case, Odysseus’ life was so powerful and precious, that death was not in the forecast for Odysseus the day he was trapped in Polyphemus’ cave. In all of the myths we read life and death appear. Whether life prevails over death, or death overpowers life, there will always be some form of life, and some form of death.
These myths clearly withstand the test of time mainly because their morals and life lessons can be related to today. With “The Cyclops” everybody knows what it’s like to love somebody who doesn’t love you back. With “Perseus” we can gain the knowledge that with teamwork, everything is possible. With “Cupid and Psyche” we can learn that in order for a relationship to work, you need trust. Another lesson we can learn from “The Cyclops” is that brawns is no match for brains. People nowadays can relate to these myths in one way or another. Not to mention that they are classics that explain what Ancient Greek culture was like. You can read any one Greek myth and make connections to your life and the world today. These myths have with stood the test of time because even though they are thousands of years old, they address current issues and current human nature.
Within all of the myths we have read, in almost all of them there has been two reoccurring themes. They would be life and death. The Greeks always had death in the back of their minds, especially when in battle. One of the toughest things as a mortal is to get through the death of a loved one. But that is what makes mortals humans. After losing a loved one you learn lessons, and appreciate life more. The Gods on the other hand look at life as just another thing. They never die and never make mistakes. With these things they can never learn from anything they do.
ReplyDeleteThe Gods envy all mortals, even though they are "smaller" then them. They do because of death. This sounds wrong, why would you ever want to die, right? But mortals live everyday living to the fullest because they know at any time it could stop. The Gods know that they will never die so they can just cruise along and not take any risks because nothing is a risk for them. "Everything is more beautiful because we're doomed!" The quote says it perfectly. Yes, the Gods do live forever but mortals "live" more because we experience death.
An example of these themes can be in Hercules. He gets anger thrust upon him which causes him to murder his family. He didn't mean to and he regretted it. He was going to kill himself because he couldn't live with his family's deaths. But because he is mortal he was able to learn that he shouldn't die for what he did because it was not his fault.
These myths stand for the test of time because they are universal. The themes taught in these myths can be put into any book, movie, show or real life situation, and it would teach us something. Themes like love, death, bravery, jealousy, fate, and anger can be taught through not just a myth but almost anything.
The themes of life and death were important to the Greeks because for their Gods, it was all just a continuous cycle. I think the Greeks felt death was an unknown mystery because they didn't know for sure what would really happen when they died. The Greek heroes also impacted the importance of life and death. They wrote about these themes because it related to the difference between mortals and immortals. Life and death was a major theme in The Fall of Troy because it's ironic how Achilles died even though he was impenetrable. Also, many Trojans died during the end of the war. I think the Gods were jealous of the mortals because they thought it would be easier to be one of them. With great power comes great responsibility. I also think the Gods were jealous because people never gave attention to them since the Gods lived on Mount Olympus. They only cared about the brave heroes who survived through many ominous events. For example, in the myth Cupid and Psyche, Aphrodite was jealous of the mortal Psyche because she was getting so much attention. Even though Aphrodite was the goddess of beauty, she was still angry about how everyone thought Psyche was the most beautiful. The myths stand the test of time because they are relatable to many things now. Over the years, they just became more popular. The variety of themes in Greek mythology are similar to themes that exist in today's world. It was a way to explain life to the Greeks and it also influenced many other people around the world such as writers and artists.
ReplyDeleteSabrina Pak
In Greek Mythology, life and death are common occurring themes. The themes of life and death seem to be important to the Greeks. I feel as though the Greeks have so much envy towards the mortals because they can die at anytime. The mortals live each day knowing that at any moment they could lose everything, whereas the immortals know they never will, which makes life much less meaningful to them. An example of a myth where the themes of life and death are represented is in the myth Hercules. Hercules lets his anger get the best of him and he kills his own family. Hercules is overcome with guilt which forced him to withstand many life threatening obstacles. It is clear that Greeks envy the life that mortals are able to live, and life and death are common themes in Greek Mythology.
ReplyDeleteThe two important and reoccurring themes that appeared in almost all the myths taught were life and death. The point of life is to take chances and live your life to the fullest because you never know what’s going to happen tomorrow. This is what the Greeks valued the most and this is why these two themes were important to them. On the other hand, Gods had no end to life; they didn’t have anything to look forward to because they knew they had all the time in the world. This discrepancy between the mortals and the Gods also led to why the Gods envied the mortals. The mortals had to live life everyday as if it were their last because they never knew when it would end. With this time limit, every day the mortals made their life an adventure, trying to follow their dreams and achieve their goals. Overall, the mortals tried to have a meaning and purpose in their life. The Gods did not have this motivation. Knowing that they were never going to die, Gods had no fear and simply lived their life without any inspiration. They were jealous of the meaning and purpose the mortals had in their lives. The mortals lived to learn from their mistakes and gain strength throughout the journey of life because they only had one chance. A perfect example of this is when Achilles says at the end of the movie Troy, "… because any moment might be our last. Everything is more beautiful because we’re doomed. You will never be lovelier than you are now. We will never be here again." This quote shows that the mortals had something to live for but if you think about it, what did the Gods live for? It didn’t matter how they lived their lives because they had no motivation to thrive for and accomplish something in a certain time limit. This is why the Gods envied the mortals. One example of the themes life and death is portrayed in the myth, Cupid and Psyche. The goddess of beauty, Venus thought that her purpose and meaning in life was to be the most beautiful creature but she becomes jealous of a mere mortal named Psyche, because everyone thinks that Psyche is the most beautiful women. Although Venus was the goddess of beauty herself she was still jealous and angry and tried to bring Psyche closer and closer to her death by giving her difficult obstacles. Venus felt that to make her life better she should make someone else’s life miserable and eventually lead to them to their death. The themes life and death are exemplified in almost every myth we have read and learned about. These myths stand the test of time because the lessons being learned from them can easily be connected to real life situations. Many themes that are depicted in these myths, such as love, courage, and fate, can be affiliated to anyone’s life and the world today. The fact that there is still an existence of the themes and morals portrayed in the myths shows that the myths stand the test of time.
ReplyDelete-Kajal Parikh
The theme of life or death is important to the Greeks because they believe the Gods have their lives in their hands and if you upset the Gods in such a way, they’d strike you with misfortunes or death. As seen in the story of “The Fall of Troy”, where the Trojans and Greeks believed that the Gods indeed aided them. When the Trojans allow the house into the city, they think that by burning this horse, they’ll make amends to the Gods.
ReplyDeleteAchilles believes the Gods envy the mortals. I believe the Gods envy the mortals because being a mortal is much easier than being a God. People in mythological times blamed the Gods for any bad harvests. They thought that the Gods where mad or maybe even being selfish. This entitled a 24-hour “work day” for the Gods, and they couldn’t just end their lives. They were immortal. If a mortal was angry with their life, they could do all kinds of erratic things, but the Gods would be held in check. A lot of famous things happened because of the Gods’ envy. Medusa was made ugly because of Athena’s jealously, and the name arachnid came about because a God, I believe Athena, was jealous of a girl named Arachne who was a great painter. So Athena turned her into a spider.
Another example is when Hera, wife of Zeus, is extremely upset by the affair, resulting in the birth of Hercules. Hera they cursed him with uncontrollable rage to go with his incredible strength.
The myths stand the tests of time because it’s easy to tell somebody a story like the myths to explain some of the unexplainable. For example, it’s easier to tell a 5-year old an interesting story about The God of the Sea saying he’s the reason for tidal waves rather than explaining what really happens. Greek myths are always fun to learn about, and they can make great bed time stories. Also, like in “The Fall of Troy” presentation, people believe the Trojan Horse is real and want to prove it. Though they believed the name was a metaphor for a lot of things, like an earthquake, we can’ say that for sure. So what did they do? Put science to it, which I found very interesting.
As Achilles exclaims at the end of the movie troy, the Gods are so sick and tired of waking up to the same faces, and same life everyday; that they end up enviously gazing at the life of the mortals. They want to feel pain and heartbreak the way mortals often do. They want to think the way mortals think and love the way mortals do. Most importantly, they want to experience the life and death of a mere mortal. In the story “The Trojan War”, the Greeks and the Trojans fought with no mercy. War for the Greeks was very enthusiastic. Even today, whoever is among the last standing is considered a hero. Sometimes the Greeks would die to become a hero, because it was just so important. In fact, it was pretty ironic how the God’s yearned to experience life and death, while the Greeks thought nothing of death. They had people willingly throwing themselves into the flames without a second thought! Life throughout the war was painful for everybody. For example, how Paris ended up slaughtering Achilles. Just like any war these days, the men that go to fight have a family and loved ones that they unfortunately must leave behind. The pain that the wife of a warrior feels is unlike any other pain. We cannot fathom the heartache a wife would feel. Neither can the Gods. The gods can never die as a true hero, and they can never fully understand the pain of a knife plunging through such fragile skin. If a person needs to walk five miles every day in order to obtain that days water supply, it is a hassle for that person. We cannot fathom the way the person feels. Instead we want to experience a 10 mile hike ourselves, for fun. This is an example of how the gods felt every day. There are two theories specifically created by mankind as to how the Trojan War ended, and how the Greeks were able to cheer of joy; The Trojan horse and The Battering Ram. The Gods were most probably extremely envious of the Trojans to be able to think so creatively. For them, everything was made easily. By the wrath of Poseidon, there can be a never ending tsunami from every ocean for the rest of mankind. Nothing even close to this is even possible for the mortals to do. But they can think, and create with their own body strength a huge horse big enough to fit 50 men, and be able to carry a battering ram as heavy as a ton. But the Gods cannot feel the happiness and accomplishment of a mere mortal, because they never have had to use their own minds to create something to solve a crisis. They never experienced the act of dying in vain, or dying with a smile on their faces due to their prior accomplishments. “Love is an internal feeling that we all experience. It is that warmth when you’re around that special someone, that feeling in your stomach when he or she looks at you, those thought that run through your mind when he or she smiles at you.”(Dr. Arif Hussain) Love comes with happiness, and it comes with pain. In “The Trojan War”, when Paris abducts Helen, imagine the anger and grief the King Menelaus of Sparta felt when his wife was abducted right under his nose. We can imagine, but the Gods cannot. Therefore, the only certain thing in life is death, and the Greeks knew it, but didn’t think about it. They knew what their final destination would be, but they sometimes ran towards it sooner than it was really supposed to come, by committing suicide. As for the Gods, they could not and never were able to fathom or even experience death, or the feelings due to it. Life is the beginning of learning, and death is the end. We should take advantage of life and what it carries unlike the Greeks, before it’s too late. Life truly is something to be envious about.
ReplyDeleteWhat is Heaven? Heaven is a place of repose. Everything and everyone in it is perfect, and heaven is for eternity. But what does eternity mean? Eternity means forever, everlasting, it will never end. Asides from Hades and a few other gods, a majority of the Gods live in Heaven. Apparently, in this time period, some of the Gods start to get bored of heaven and ultimately start to interfere and mingle with the mere mortals. This brings about the creation of a plethora of demigods on earth. As Achilles exclaims at the end of the movie troy, "The Gods envy us. They envy us because we’re mortal, because any moment might be our last. Everything is more beautiful because we’re doomed. You will never be lovelier than you are now. We will never be here again." The Gods are so sick and tired of waking up to the same faces, and same life everyday; that they end up enviously gazing at the life of the mortals. They want to feel pain and heartbreak the way mortals often due. They want to think the way mortals think. They want to love the way mortals do. Most importantly, they want to experience the life and death of a mere mortal.
DeleteIn the story “The Trojan War”, the Greeks and the Trojans fought with no mercy. War for the Greeks was very enthusiastic. Even today, whoever is among the last standing is considered a hero; and who doesn’t want to be a hero? Sometimes the Greeks would die to become a hero, because it was just so important. In fact, it was pretty ironic how the God’s yearned to experience life and death, while the Greeks thought nothing of death. They had people willingly throwing themselves into the flames without a second thought! Life throughout the war was painful for everybody. For example, how Paris ended up slaughtering Achilles. Just like any war these days, the men that go to fight have a family and loved ones that they unfortunately must leave behind. The pain that the wife of a warrior feels is unlike any other pain. We cannot fathom the heartache a wife would feel. Neither can the Gods. It’s a love for mere mortals because we eventually die, hence the name mortals. The Gods on the other hand never die because their immortal. The gods can never die as a true hero, and they can never fully understand the pain of a knife plunging through such fragile skin. It may seem gruesome to us, but when you haven’t experienced something, you’re curious little mind often starts to wonder what it would actually be like. This brings me to my next topic, the fact that the Gods can’t think the way we think.
If a person needs to walk five miles every day in order to obtain that days water supply, it is a hassle, and extremely troublesome for that person. We cannot fathom the way the person feels. Instead we want to experience a 10 mile hike ourselves, for fun. We have never had to live that way, so our minds tend to wonder what it would actually be like. This is an example of how the gods felt every day. There are three theories as to how the Trojan War ended, and how the Greeks were able to cheer of joy. These theories were The Trojan horse, The Battering Ram and the Earthquake. Out of these three theories, two were creations specifically by mankind, and with no help from the Gods. The Gods were most probably extremely envious of the Trojans to be able to think so creatively. For them, everything was made easily. With a twitch of their hands, every mortal in the world could be dead. By the wrath of Poseidon, there can be a never ending tsunami from every ocean for the rest of mankind. Nothing even close to this is even possible for the mortals to do. But they can think, and create with their own body strength a huge horse big enough to fit 50 men, and be able to carry a battering ram as heavy as a ton. But the Gods cannot feel the happiness and accomplishment of a mere mortal, because they never have had to use their own minds to create something to solve a crisis. They never experienced the act of dying in vain, or dying with a smile on their faces due to their prior accomplishments. They have never had to experience death.
Delete“Love is an internal feeling that we all experience. It is that warmth when you’re around that special someone, that feeling in your stomach when he or she looks at you, those thought that run through your mind when he or she smiles at you.”(Dr. Arif Hussain) Love comes with happiness, and it comes with pain. When you find out that the feelings are truly mutual between both of you, you’re overjoyed with happiness. But that breakup or death of a loved one puts you in an unbearable state of depression. In heaven, the gods are perfect. They do not have to worry about being too ugly, or being too fat unlike us mere mortals. In “The Trojan War”, when Paris abducts Helen, imagine the anger and grief the King Menelaus of Sparta felt when his wife was abducted right under his nose. We can imagine, but the Gods cannot. Think about the infamous Romeo and Juliet! When they both end up committing suicide to be with one another, imagine the pain they felt first when they realized that their lover was “dead”. The Gods do not have to feel this pain from love, because they never die! Also because they’re so superior, that they do not have to worry about what others think.
Therefore, the themes of life and death were so important to the Greeks, because everyone died and everyone lived! The only certain thing in life is death, and the Greeks knew it, but didn’t think about it. They knew what their final destination would be, but they sometimes ran towards it sooner than it was really supposed to come. By committing suicide. As for the Gods, they could not and never were able to fathom or even experience death, or the feelings due to it. They could never love, think, or even feel the pain of a mortal because they have already reached their final destination. They did not have the choice as to whether they would end up in heaven or hell as we do. Sometimes life may be hard, but the lessons and experiences we face are what make up a person. Life is the beginning of learning, and death is the end. We should take advantage of life and what it carries unlike the Greeks, before it’s too late. Because life truly is something to be envious about.
As we go through the variety of myths and heroes Greek Mythology has to offer, we learn of many themes and lessons that were incorporated into their stories. But one of the most significant themes is life and death. Life and death is so important among the Greeks because it gave mortals an incentive to push on, work hard in life, and survive. Without this reason, why should we give it our best everyday in the first place? It's because of this chance of dying any second, this risk called life, that we live our life to the fullest and think nothing of it. Everyone needs a reason to keep going, and our reason to keep living is the chance of dying. Without that chance, we would never truly be living in the first place. That is why the gods envy mortals so bad. The gods can never die, therefore, cannot really feel like they're living. It's true that you feel the most alive when your closest to dying because how can you be living if you can't die? If the possibility of you to keep living is a hundred percent, than you start to lose that feeling and characteristic of being alive. That is why the gods can't give it their all because there is no reason for them to do so. For example, when Odysseus and his men were trapped in the cave with the Cyclops, he had to think of a way to survive to keep from dying. He could have easily sat in the cave and waited for his butt to get chewed off by the Cyclops with the rest of his men, but its because they could die that Odysseus had to work hard and come up with a way to escape and survive. It's because of the thought and ability to die that we do the many things we do. Without it, we would actually feel dead even though technically speaking, we're alive. That is why these myths stand the test of time; because we are still mortals just like them and they were basically doing what we are doing now; battling this game of life and pushing on to survive from death.
ReplyDelete-Alvin Chai
There are many reoccurring themes in Greek myths, however there are two main ones that shine over the others, life and death. These themes were specifically significant to the Greeks because they were warriors; they marched on to the battlefield not knowing whether death was right around the corner or if they would continue hanging on to their precious lives. These themes were also substantial to Greeks because, unlike the Gods, they were not going to live forever. As a result the Greeks cherished their lives and took perilous risks, for example in the myth, Hercules, he performed 12 dangerous tasks to purify himself. Hera had coerced him to kill his family; so he was tempted to kill himself because of his outrageous behavior, until he realizes he should treasure life because death would come eventually.
ReplyDeleteWhen compared to the Gods, mortals are the lucky ones. They know what it is like to enjoy their life, and breathe every breath like it is their last. I think the Gods were jealous of the mortals because they felt as if the mortals’ lives had a meaning and a purpose. Mortals have a goal in life, unlike the Gods who live just because they have to, not because they want to. Mortals live a more exhilarating live, they have many attainments because they want to be remembered when they die. They feel as if they have to live their life to the fullest extent. On the other hand, the Gods plod their way through life knowing that they have all the time in the world to complete a task. Since that Gods are already perfect, there is nothing more they can really do, they have already reached the pinnacle of their lives. They feel extremely challenged if they see that someone else is better than them. They try to ruin the mortals’ lives by making them perform impossible tasks. In the myth, Cupid and Psyche, Aphrodite is envy of Psyche because she feels as if Psyche is more beautiful than her. Aphrodite is the goddess of beauty, while Psyche is a normal human.
These myths stand the test of time because they are relatable to our everyday lives. They have been told over the years because they are able to capture the readers’ attention with their use of reoccurring themes. The two main themes, life and death, help the myths survive because we can relate them to personal experiences, like the death of a loved one or the birth of a new one. These myths symbolize the beauty of life and death.
-Nicole Zahreddine
In most of the myths we have read, the two continual themes seem to be life and death. These themes are very important to Greeks. Mortals can die and immortals cannot. Mortals live life to the fullest knowing that each day can be their last which is why most try to cherish every moment they can. However immortals go on everyday knowing that they cannot die which is why they risk their lives. They seem not to care about their life as much as mortals do. I feel as though that sometimes immortals wish they were mortals so that they could enjoy life more and make it seem more important.
ReplyDeleteA perfect example of these two themes, life and death, would be the myth Perseus. Perseus could have lived or he could have died, while facing Medusa. He could have died if he did not have the help of two gods, Hermes and Athena. But since he did have their help, he lived. Perseus is a mortal but he still risked his life anyway which most mortals do not do because they no that that risk could be their last. Evidently, these two themes are reoccurring in this myth. Mortals yearn to live a fulfilling life because although life is so long if feels so short.
-Morgan O’Shea
Throughout all of the greek myths we studied, two dominant themes were life and death. They were illustrated in every one, but the essence of life and death is most clearly demonstrated in the Trojan War and the Fall of Troy. Both the Greeks and the Trojans took the war very seriously, and were willing to fight to the death to win. Their warriors were very noble, and the war was so long because it meant everything to the mortals, while the gods sat back and laughed at their misfortune, taking sides and betting on who would win. It meant nothing to them because they are immortal, and while the war was deadly to many mortals, nothing could kill a god. The gods have such different values and beliefs on everything, and they don't appreciate anything because they have forever at their sides. The greeks, however, felt very strongly about this war, and they would not accept defeat like a god might have. All of the warriors fought with all their strength and ability, because they could not risk taking it easy and losing their life. In these myths, the war was a game to the gods; because of their immortality it meant nothing to them. However, it was everything to the greeks; a lot was on the line, whether they won or lost, because they were mortal and anyone that went to battle could die.
ReplyDeleteThe themes of life and death are clearly demonstrated in Cupid and Psyche as well. Venus is jealous of Psyche because she is a beautiful mortal, and her beauty will not last forever, so it is valued far more than Venus' because Venus is immortal, and her beauty will last forever. Venus wishes evil upon Psyche because she is jealous that a mere mortal is receiving the attention only worthy of a god, and beauty is really the only thing Venus has. Psyche has her whole life to live, full of possibilities, and she is taking away what Venus believes is rightfully hers: extreme beauty. Venus' life means nothing, because, well, she will live forever, and Psyche will one day die. However, in the end, Psyche too becomes a goddess, and Venus is okay because now she too will be around forever, making her beauty less important, and leaving mortals to once again worship Venus for her beauty. While the gods' own lives mean nothing to them, they do seem to take an interest in some mortals' lives, because their own lives are guaranteed and therefor mean nothing. The greeks wrote so much about life and death because of the immense differences betweens mortal and immortal views on them. While mortal lives were exciting and daring and never sure, immortals could do anything they pleased and never have death as a result. Their time is neverending, while the greeks' time was limited, and very, very, precious in a way that no god could ever understand, and that is why it played such a big part in many, if not all, of their myths.
Many of the myths we've learned in class involved the theme, life and death. It was a "hot topic" for the Greeks because it's something unexplainable. Life and death is so mysterious that people couldn't comprhend the reason why we have to die.So, they used myths to explain why things happen. Like us, the Greeks valued living and dreaded death. That's also a reason why life and death is an important theme to the Greeks. In the myth, "The Fall of Troy", Ajax who was one of the heroes that fought over Achilles armor, but lost to Odysseus, became full of rage that he killed himself after going bolistic and killing the flocks and herds. In turn, the Greeks did not burn his body because committing suicide was sought to be dishonorable. This shows the importance of life is to the Greeks.
ReplyDeleteIn the myth,"Cupid and Psyche", Venus envied Psyche very much. Men started to extol Psyche more than they praised Venus because she was living. People could actually see Psyche's beauty and that she's real unlike the goddess who's beauty can only be shown in a piece of canvas or rock. Mortals have the freedom to love and live their lives to the fullest knowing that each day could be their last. the immortals have no end because they're on a never ending road and sometimes that could make you feel stuck or cage in. It's like being stuck in school FOREVER. Now that's a nightmare.
For so long these myths have been told generation after generation making it able to stand the test of time. Even though myths are stories about things from the past, we could still connect them to our present lives. War still happens, people still get jealous of eachother, and we still don't know why people die. These myths teach important morals that we discussed in class like be careful who you trust or think twice before you act which are good stories to remind people to live by good morals.
It is evident through their myths and history that the Ancient Greek believed life and death to be two very important themes. They were well aware that everyone gets one chance at life and that at any moment, it could be taken away. The Greek warriors often prepared themselves for death, glad that they leave the world honorably, doing something good for their country. Those who lost someone at war knew they could not brood over the death forever because they would be wasting their life and that brooding would not be what the other wanted for them. The Greeks, especially their soldiers, were able to appreciate life because they understood how lucky they were to be alive and did not take it for granted.
ReplyDeleteGreek myths also display life and death. Usually, there would be a mortal(s) and a god(s). In the Trojan War, 1000 Greek ships sailed to Troy to reclaim what was originally theirs. This war is one of the most brutal ever fought. Both sides lose hundreds, if not thousands. People like Achilles or Hector are big parts of the war as their bravery is able to shine through. Hector says goodbye to his family and wishes them the best. He knows Achilles will kill him, and spends his last moments with his family, his loved ones. On the other hand, Achilles wants to avenge his friend’s death, knowing he will die shortly after. However, the reason for him dying is very noble and shows how grateful he is for his friends. It is a well known fact that the gods also participated in this war, and it can be assumed that they were jealous of the mortals. The humans do not have much, yet still are able to be thankful and have something worth dying for. The gods, however, live forever and do not care what happens. Zeus cheats on his wife many times and since he is immortal, does not give a care in the world as to what happens to him next. He would never give up his "life" so that one of his many children would live on. The gods were jealous of the mortals because they have a purpose in life, whereas they themselves have nothing to live for.
These myths have been passed on from generation to generation and while bits and pieces have changed, the morals have not. Even today, these myths portray the themes of life and death, and show how humans have things to live and die for. Humans have a purpose in life and that is what sets them apart from the gods.
The themes life and death appear in most Greek myths, including the ones we read. The theme life appears often because life was greatly appreciated by the Greeks. They lived life to the fullest and found a meaning in life. The theme death appears in these myths because it was under appreciated. This is because the Greek Gods were immortal and could not die. I think that Gods envy mortal because they can die. Mortals get the full experience out of life because they know any day could be their last. Throughout the life experiences mortal have, they find the meaning of life. The immortal Gods can not do this because they never die and life becomes valueless for them. The Gods start to lose interest in life and do not get the experiences and lessons mortals do.
ReplyDeleteAn example of this, in the myths we read, is in Hercules. In the myth, Hercules kills family. Theseus tells him not to kill himself because his life is valued. So Hercules listens to him and performs 12 tasks to "purify" himself. He learns a lesson from this life experience, which a God would not have learned from.
These myths stand the test of time because they can relate to real life. Although they may not seem like the two are similar, they are through common themes. Some of the common themes seen in life as well as these myths are courage, perseverance, and fate. The themes in the myths make them stand the test of time.
The themes of life and death have come up quite a bit during the presentations. These themes seem to be very important to the Greeks. One reason is that like Achilles said, "The Gods envy us. They envy us because we’re mortal, because any moment might be our last. Everything is more beautiful because we’re doomed. You will never be lovelier than you are now. We will never be here again." This shows how valuable life is to the Greeks, and that life is to be treasured and never taken for granted because death is unexpected.
ReplyDeleteIt is very obvious that the Gods envy mortals. One reason is shown in the myth Cupid & Psyche. Venus becomes very jealous of Psyche because of how beautiful she is, and how she attracts a lot of men. Therefore, the way that mortals can be more beautiful or more strong than the gods can make the gods envy them.
An example of why the Greeks wrote about one of these themes was the presentation by my classmates for the myth Hercules. Hercules killed his family when he became enraged, and afterward felt very guilty. He felt guilty because he didn't value they're lives. To punish himself, he contemplated suicide. Yet Theseus stops Hercules because of how much value one life has. Hercules learns his lesson and spares his own treasured life, which shows why the Greeks write about this theme of life and death.
These myths also stand the test of time because the lessons learned by the characters in the stories are also lessons that can be learned today. The way that Psyche learned to trust after she broke her promise to Cupid, or that Hercules learned to pay the price of his mistakes after he killed his family and overcame the 12 tasks, are very common obstacles and lessons learned in the present today. These myths go far beyond just stories, they are life lessons that are applied even when one doesn't realize it.