Most of the Greek and Roman myths you read in high school were re-tellings of stories from Ovid's Metamorphoses. Choose your favorite myth and read Ovid's version of that myth. Read also one of the Ovid myths that you *hadn't* read before. Cite one example for each myth that shows particularly well Ovid's "insight into the human condition."If you want to get the overall picture of the Metamorphoses, see this excellent introduction and commentary by Larry Brown.
I looked through the titles of each book and found nothing that i had entirely heard before. I have heard of many of the names mentioned but have never heard most of the things that was written about them. In Book 1 I read about "Humankind" and how Prometheus made humans in the image of the Gods and gave them the ability to look up and not just down like the animals. This was to ensure that they could look up at the heavens and worship the Gods. I also read about the Silver Age where Jupiter now ruled the Earth and it was not as glamorous as the Golden Age, but that this is where the Earth got its four seasons and humans moved into shelters they built and didn't just live in caves or under thickets. This is also an age where the first seeds for farming were planted. I found many more stories interesting while I was trying to find one that I had heard about to give an example, but was unable to find a story that I had completely knew before this blog.
ReplyDeleteMAny of the names of these stories I had heard before and had atributted Roman legends. The only story I knew off the top of my head was that of Hercules. Hercules murdered his family and was set to do trails to make up for it. I did read a part in Book V about Perseus, along with stories about Ajax and Ulysses. Think the best way Ovids makes these people seems is that they were gods amongst men, but they all had faults just like the rest of us. -Trent Dean
ReplyDeleteThe stories that I knew from the list was of Hercules and Ulysses. The one thing I will note from each of those stories is that Orpheus wrote it to portray them as Gods and the mightiest in all the land. The next story I read was on Eurydice and Hymen. After having a wedding that was not fully blessed, she died from a snake bite and Hymen fell in to a deep depression. He became known for the joyless kingdom he ruled. What really amazed me here is that he did not simply find a new bride, just like any Roman ruler we have talked about so far would have done. Hymen was devastated by the loss of his bride, and he resembled that in his rule from there on out.
ReplyDeleteHercules was also the story that I had heard of in the list of selections. Orpheus made it known that that Hercules was a son of a god and that he had great strength and power. I then read the Death of Cyparissus. In the story a boy accidentally kills his beloved stag while he was hunting. He was overcome with grief and wanted to mourn forever. The boy was turned into a tree by the gods to mourn for others forever. This shows how sad depressed people can get when they lose a loved one.
ReplyDeleteThe only story I had of was the story of Hercules. Hercules goes through his many trials to prove he is the son of Zeus. Hercules was a god among the people. For the most part he blended in with the rest of society and didn't stand out as being a god. This is common in many of the other myth's such as Ajax and Ulysses where you have a god like hero who blends in with society
ReplyDeleteThe story that I knew of was of Pyramus and Thisbe. Two people who lived next door to each other for so long fell in love. Forbidden marriage by their parents, they plot one night to leave town and meet up outside town. Thisbe get to the spot first and runs away scared by a lioness. Pyramus, seeing her veil covered in blood via the lioness, takes out his sword and kills himself under the mulberry tree. Thisbe returns to find her lover on death's door. She takes the sword that killed him and throws herself on it as well. And that is the reason mulberries are dark red instead of white...
ReplyDeleteThe one I really didn't know was Daphne and Apollo. Daphne was a nymph of great beauty. Apollo, by way of Cupid, becomes madly in love with her. He chases after her and almost catches her, but she prays to her father Peneus to be rid of her beauty, and she becomes a laurel tree. Since he can no longer get her for a bride, Apollo takes the leaves of this tree to make a laurel wreath to wear on the head as a sign of triumph.
They are both great stories with the same insight on the human condition: Loss. Apollo can't get the girl of his dreams and Pyramus and Thisbe can't run away and get married.
The one story I new about was Hercules on how he had to prove that he was Zeus son. The story that I read was Midas and the golden touch. On how he wanted the power to touch every thing and it would turn in to gold. Well he got what he wanted literally every thing including food and water, so this mad life hard, so he prayed for it to go a way and it did.This one taught us that one should not be greedy and not focus on money, that all you need to do is ask for forgiveness and it shall be given. ---kirk
ReplyDeleteThe story that I also knew was that of Hercules and how he had to prove himself. I also agree that this showed how even though he was stronger then man he also was not completely a god and had his faults and has to prove himself to Zeus.
ReplyDeleteThe I didn't know anything about was Perseus and his story was the same of proving himself. He goes and kills Medusa but then seems to let the power take control of him and turns people left and right to stone. This shows the human nature that power corrupts everyone.
I have obviously heard of the stories of Hercules as well. Hercules is one of the iconic figures in today's world. He went through his life proving himself to Zeus. I thought the story of Pyramus and Thisbe was quite interesting. You can see a parallel to Romeo and Juliet. Obviously Pyramus and Thisbe were way before Shakespeare's story. It is a great story and shows how serious people took love in Rome. They were willing to die if they could not be together.
ReplyDeleteI was familiar with a few of the names, but not so much their stories. I knew the most about Hercules, but I didn't know much other than his tremendous strength, bravery, and some family issues. I read about his wrestling match with Achelous, who was able to change forms into different animals. Achelous turned into a snake, which Hercules laughed and boasted about having killed snakes since he was an infant. Achelous then turned from a snake into a bull, which is when Hercules wrestled him to the ground, ripping off one of his horns. After his horn was ripped off, it is said that the Naiades took it and filled it with fruits and scented flowers and made it sacred.
ReplyDeleteThe story of Orpheus and Eurydice was unfamiliar to me. The two were getting married, and in the process, Eurydice was bitten in the ankle by a snake, which caused he death. In a desperate attempt to get her back, Orpheus makes the trek to the Styx river in the underworld. He struck a deal to allow Eurydice to return to life, under the condition that Orpheus not look back once. But, in his excitement to see the love of his life, Orpheus looks back and spoils the deal, causing him to lose Eurydice twice.
The story of Orpheus and Eurydice shows how powerful of a motivator love is. Orpheus went through an enormous amount of effort to get her back, only to ruin it all when he became too excited to see his true love again.
If there are any friends here, turn your face away!’ and he held up the Gorgon’s head. ‘Find others, who might be worried by your marvel’ said Thesculus, but as he prepared to throw his deadly javelin, he was frozen, like a marble statue, in the act.
ReplyDeleteI enjoy the Perseus story and this line is effective because it reveals Thesculus to be not so friendly toward our hero and shows multiple layers of character motives.
Jackson Pasco
I had heard of many of these people referenced before however I only had really heard the story of Perseus, Achilles, Chaos, Ulysses, and Midas. I read the account of Achilles and it seemed to be a bit different than I remember. It mentioned that Poseidon had guided the arrow of Paris but it never mentioned where. When I was told the story by my Latin teacher he had mentioned that the arrow was poisoned and guided to the heal of his right foot, the foot which his mother was holding when she dipped him in the river Styx. What I got out of this story about human nature is that no matter how strong a man can be, no matter how brave or what have you, every man has his weakness. And Achilles' was his heel. The only place which he could be harmed by mortal weapons.
ReplyDeleteI read the story of Phoebus and how he hunted down a stag, speared the stag, and when the stag was dieing he mourned and prayed to the gods to spare the life of the poor stag. Well a god looked down on him and said he would mourn with him. I think this shows about human nature that some things which our society may find necessary for survival or necessary to be a member of society may not quite agree with your own morals. And that is ok! This story reminded me of another American story about president Abraham Lincoln. I remember from elementary school the story of how Lincoln killed a turkey hunting while he was a young man and as he saw it fall to the ground he felt terrible and vowed to never hunt again. Similar story with the same lesson.
Matthew Remmich