Most Greek plays give an insight to the valuable relationship between gods and human beings. In the mythologies the gods were all around the people in each and every way. It was evident that they existed in almost everything that they did. The gods were extremely helpful to the mankind and helped them in very many different ways. In most cases the Greek gods have a certain amount of power that they are all willing to manipulate for their own entertainment without keeping mind the welfare or the we well-being of other people either immortal or non-immortal. Through various encounters we get to learn the true identity and the true reflection of the Greek gods. The Greek gods see too human and relate much attached to humans. Their human traits …show more content…
The emotions could either be exposed directly or indirectly depending on the intensity of the harm that some0oone was exposed to. Some of the gods had feelings and felt the urge to help in the case of such an event. Some of the instances that showed such emotions in place are the case of Calypso and Circe. When there was ship wreckage, Calypso helps Odysseus from the ship wreckage soon after the storm that was caused by Zeus after Odysseus crew killed Helios’s cattle. She earnestly tended to him and all his needs and made him love her. The author tells us that Calypso held him captive for seven years amid hopes that he will always stay there forever and become her husband. The emotions between the two became so high and knowing very well that Odysseus could not resist the goddess, hence he was bound to fail in his mission to get back home. It took the intervention of Zeus to ensure that he embarks on his mission to get back home. Calypso’s emotion evidently go overboard when she plans to keep him captive against his will even though she genuinely cares for him as she provides shelter and feeds him very well. This is according to Sir Hugh Lloyd-Jones a scholar and a professor at Oxford
Throughout the story of Odysseus’s journey told by Homer, there are many defining examples of interaction between humans and their gods. The gods primarily interact with humans by either siding with or against them. The gods would often side with humans since they wanted to help them such as Athena, Goddess of Wisdom, helping Telemachus, Odysseus’s son, whereas the gods seeking revenge such as Poseidon, who sought revenge on Odysseus for slaying his son Polyphemus, would turn against them. While actual interaction between gods and humans seems to be a rather risible idea, there was much guidance given to humans by the gods throughout the Odyssey.
In the Odyssey, I feel as if the Gods role was to function more as spiritual guides and as support for the human of choice. An example being Athena reuniting Odessyus and his son after 20 years, Hermes warning Odysseus of Circes witchcraft, and Circes giving him directions. Yet, I also feel as if they punish for poor behavior as well.
In the play Antigone by Sophocles the Greek gods play a very important role. Discussion of the gods is present throughout the entirety of the play. Essentially the gods drive the plot of Antigone. The play is about a girl, Antigone, who lives in Thebes Greece. She is the niece of the king Creon.
The Immoralities of Humans and Gods Normally, individuals claim that gods are immortal and divine existences that we should worship and pray for in order to receive a favorable afterlife and atone for one’s sins and crimes. However, Ovid, a famous Roman poet, presents a different point of view about gods. According to Book One in his epic Metamorphoses, he depicts several stories to display the immorality of not only humans but also the “holy” gods. There are various similarities and differences between the immorality of humans and gods. Although both mankind and the deities are unethical in certain ways, the gods definitely act more immorally because they come and go as they wish, abuse their super powers, and lust for nymphs along with daughters
As Odysseus arrives to the island-home of Calypso, the beautiful nymph, he is quickly held prisoner. Although it may seem that Odysseus felt that he was truly a prisoner, he, at one point in his stay, enjoyed Calypso’s presence and was willingly seduced by her. It is clear that over the seven-year stay, Calypso had fallen in love with Odysseus and he had let his vulnerability to women become his harshest weakness. Her female dominance was even shown at times of manipulation through her ability to hold a man prisoner and prevent him from carrying on with his travels home. Although, when it came upon Athena that Odysseus was eager to arrive home to Ithaca, Zeus sent Hermes to have Calypso free Odysseus.
These gods are the personification of death in the play which is why the messenger hoped that “they might restrain their anger”; because death has the power to influence
They associated each of their gods with a different aspect of life or nature. For example Zeus was the king of the gods, Athena was the goddess of wisdom, Dionysus was the god of wine, and the list goes on. The ancient Greeks erected massive temples to these gods for worship. Each god or goddess had his or her own temple for sacrifices or offerings. They Greeks believed sacrifice was necessary to appease the gods and keep everyday life fruitful and peaceful.
The relationships between the Greek gods and mortals have always been complicated. The gods can be generous and supportive, but also harsh and destructive towards the humans. They claim to be all powerful beings with unlimited power and influence, but in truth, they are far more human than they are perceived. They meddle with human lives, not because they are wise, but because of their own selfish reasons. In Homer’s
Greek mythology can be viewed as a mirror to the ancient Greek civilization. Ancient Greek myths and legends often reflected how the Greeks saw themselves. Myths were used by Greeks to make justifications of every existing aspect of earth as well as their own society. In myths, Greek gods & heroes often represented key aspects of the human civilization. From Greek mythology, we can learn about the favorable characteristics of humans, such as their behavior and valuable skills that were approved of by the ancient Greek society.
The Greek Gods: Tyranny in Exchange for Power Throughout the evolution of society, one idea has stayed the same. That is the belief that we need to consistently be the best and the most powerful. We use this as a measure of self-worth and the foundation of the social hierarchy. The hierarchical nature of society drives this motivation of people to do everything it takes to reach the top. Our commitment can be so incredibly devout that we lose more than we gain on the search for this sense of power.
In the epic poem The Odyssey, Homer portrays Greek gods and goddesses as possessing human qualities and faults. Through their actions and emotions, Homer emphasizes the detrimental effects of lust, envy, wrath, and greed in ancient Grecian society. He also never fails to remind readers of the importance of respect for holy figures because of their powerful abilities to create chaos and wonder". Homer wants to prove that gods and humans share a variety of traits, and the only difference is that god don’t allow these flaws negatively to impact their society. To help further his argument, we can compare Greek gods and goddesses to that of Christianity.
The lives of the gods were motivated the same basic factors of love, anger, and envy. Although their situations with these factors were more drastic due to their abilities, the gods still reacted and behaved similarly to humans. In the novel, Mythology , it is shown that the behaviors of the Greek gods that were influenced by the desire of love were extremely similar to those of a human. When Cupid falls in love with a mortal girl named Psyche, in an attempt to assure that no one else would marry her, the text states, “He put some drops of water of Psyche’s lips, a charm to prevent anyone else from falling in love with her, “ (33).
They shared the same emotions humans showed such as; jealousy, love, anger, pride , hatred, and revenge. Gods will often leave Mount Olympus to go be involved in mortal affairs. They talk with the humans by taking a human form and will often call humans enemies or lovers. They while have children with humans that are called demigods, and these demigods will either become a great hero or die trying. There
These figures stretched beyond the Greek landscape to the palace Mount Olympics, as well as the underworld. Greek mythology’s stories became known throughout the world. God rewarded honorable behavior and obedience and people who dishonoured themselves had to be punished. Greek mythology is the body of myths concerned our God and heroes, the
Sacrificing something you love for lent, or fasting during Ramadan can be quite difficult, but it shows your loyalty and love towards your religion. However, imagine sacrificing many things or even killing an animal for your “Gods.” Even though Christianity and Islam are both monotheistic religions, and sacrificing or killing an animal would not be pleasant, it was a ritual in Ancient Greece. In the Ancient Greek world, religion was present in all areas, and it played an important role in their everyday lives. Ancient Greeks worshipped many Gods that had superhuman strengths or ageless beauty but appeared in the human form.