Legends of Troy

Discuss the character of Aeneas, which has often come

in for harsh criticism. (Charles James Fox, the eighteenth-century

English statesman, found him “either insipid or odious,” and

William Butler Yeats speaks of an Irishman who thought Aeneas

was a priest.) The implied comparison is of course with epic

heroes such as Achilles and Odysseus. How far is such an

attitude justified?

 - I had to look up the words insipid and odious because I did not know what they meant. According to Dictionary.com Insipid means without distinctive, interesting, or stimulating qualities. Also, Odious means deserving or causing hatred; hateful; detestable. I do not think Aeneas' character is either of these terms. He is courageous and highly deserving after fighting in the Trojan war. Aeneas' leadership is portrayed when he leads his people to Italy to find a new home. He honors his family and shows his son how a real man should act. Aeneas is similar to Odysseus because he also travels the sea on a great adventure with many setbacks and struggles. Both men were head strong and accomplished what they set out to do. Achilles was more selfish than Aeneas during the Trojan war. Achilles was harsh and only wanted victory. No matter what he had to do to get there. He was vengeful and arrogant. Aeneas was not a selfish man.

Aristotle’s Theory

Give a brief but clear explanation of what Aristotle means

by the following terms (not an internet definition or something you

learned in high school – use only Aristotle’s text):

• Tragedy-

- Tragedy is the greatest drama according to the Greeks. “Tragedy then, is a process of imitating an action which has serious implications, is complete, and possesses magnitude; by means of language which has been made sensuously attractive, with each of its varieties found separately in the parts; enacted by the persons themselves and not presented through narrative; through a course of pity and fear completing the purification of such emotions.” 

• Hamartia-

- It means “mistake” and often leads to fall of man that is noble. The protagonist creates a problem and this problem leads to a chain of negative events. 

• Katharsis  

- A word meaning the purging or cleansing of emotions or fears. Katharsis is all about overcoming pity, fear, or pain and moving on with life. 

• deus ex machina -

- “God rules all”. The intervention of divine powers. Aristotle Recommends to avoid this because he wanted things to occur naturally.

A Man With Many Goddesses

1. Odysseus and Athena have many encounters in the Odyssey. Their friendship is probably one of the most important relationships. Athena, the Goddess of wisdom, admired Odysseus for his courage, and cunning personality. She believed that they were both very alike, and this is why she helped him get home during his treacherous journey.  Odysseus had a very direct relationship with her. Job, from the Bible, has a similar but very different relationship with his God. Job was a very loyal man; however, he also encountered many hardships in life. These trials given by Satan did not make his faith in God go astray. His relationship with God was indirect. He could only pray to God without physically seeing him. God watches and protects Job like Athena did for Odysseus. After the many tragedies, God feels bad for Job and restores him to his glory. This is a similar act that the Greek Gods do.
2. Women have a very important role in the Odyssey. The beautiful Helen is the reason why the Trojan war started. Penelope, Odysseus’ faithful wife sacrifices her whole life so Odysseus could go fight that war. He was gone for twenty years, and she managed to run the city without him. Goddesses like Circe and Calypso take advantage of Odysseus and his men for their own luxury. They think they are “helping” him by giving him a new home, but they only keep him away from Penelope and their son. Athena acts as a trusty friend and guide for Odysseus and Telemachus. She is a guide that can take form in anybody. Her original body is female because she is the daughter of Zeus.
3.
Intended: Telemachus in book 16
The suitors in book 22
Eumaios and Philoetios in book 21
Penelope in book 23
Laertes in book 24

Unintended: Argos in book 17
Eurykleia in book 19

* Iv provided a music video below. I think this song represents Odysseus' journey going home. 

Tragic Figures

A tragic hero makes a judgment error that leads to his or her own destruction.
Antigone loses both of her brothers and she wants them both to have a proper burial. She speaks truth to power when king Kreon denies Polynices a proper burial. Her character stands for love, loyalty, and eternal divine truth. The Gods have set rules regarding proper religious burial and Antigone wants to obey the laws. Antigone wants justice for her brother so she defies Kreons order to let Polynices rot alone. Her deceit leads to punishment. Kreon orders her to die alone in a cave. Her eagerness to do what is right caused her to take her own life so she could be with her brothers forever. This is why she is a tragic figure. Her gender also affects her role as a heroic figure. In ancient times women did not hold great power. Even though she was born into the royal family, she did not hold power. This did not slow her down though. Antigone was very strong in her views. Her identity was also very complex. She identifies as a woman but takes the traits a man would have. When she stands up to the king and defends herself her masculine courage shines through. Also, she isn’t afraid of death. In fact, she is open to death with courage and eagerness.

Kreon, the King of Thebes, is only concerned about the law. He believes that a land without law will lead to destruction. He does whatever it takes to remain powerful. He believed that Polynices did not deserve a proper burial because of his attack on the city. When he denies Antigone the right to bury her brother, and refuses to listen to the opinions of the people in Thebes, his life becomes troubled. No one trusts him, and he begins to lose power. His actions lead to the deaths of his wife Eurydice, Antigone, and Haemon. Kreons error in presiding over his people lead to many tragic deaths. This makes him a tragic figure.

Joseph the Hero

Joseph the Hero

Joseph Campbell provides a list of stages that concern the journey a person takes to become a hero in stories. He describes a series of 17 stage events that happen to a becoming hero. According to Campbell's description, Joseph from the book of Genisis in the Bible is an epic hero. 

" 1. The call to adventure- Hero recieves a call to the unknown” (Campbell)
Joseph, In the beginning of his biblical story has a dream that he will one day be bowed down to.”Listen to the dream I had: we were binding sheaves of grain out in the field when suddenly my sheaf rose and stood upright, while your sheaves gathered around mine and bowed down to it.”(Genesis 37:6-7)  His brothers were jealous of him already because he was the youngest brother and the favorite of there father. When Joseph tells them about his dream they become furious.

This is where  the “Roads of trials” stages comes in. Josephs brothers take his handmade coat gifted to him from their father and lather it in animal blood to make it look like Joseph was attacked and killed. They did not actually kill him. However, they did sell Joseph to slave traders that take servanats to the pharaoh. Joseph continues to have dreams about becomeing a leader and being bowed down to.

Being forced into labor causes Joseph to “cross the first threshold” (Campbell). He is thrown into a new world where he becomes the servant of the Pharaoh. Here he is a faithful servant until he is an adult.

Joseph has a gift of trust. The Pharaoh trusts him as his servant until the pharaoh’s wife blackmails Joseph when he will not sleep with her. She tells the Pharoah lies about Joseph claiming that he tried to rape her. This false accusation causes the Pharoah to throw Joseph in jail. However, Joseph befriends the gate keeper and gains his trust. This newfound trust allows Joseph to leave the jail and return to the Pharoah. The Pharoah has a dream and asks Joseph to interpret the dream. When he does so the Pharoah is able to trust Joseph again. His trust is so strong that the pharoah promises Joseph leadership. Joseph now fulfills his destiny as Pharoah and obtains the “Freedom to Live” (Campbell).

https://davidrjolly.wordpress.com/2013/05/23/joseph-campbells-17-stages-of-the-heros-journey/

“The Story of Joseph” from the NIV Bible https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis%2037