Ancient Greece Sophocles and Antigone

1. Ancient GreeceSophoclesandAntigone

2. What Are Myths? • Myths are stories, often with imaginative characters and violent plots. • Greek and Roman myths contain gods and goddesses, human characters, and other fantastic creatures.

3. What are the Purposes of Myths? • To explain how man got here (Creation Myths) • To explain good and evil (why there is suffering in the world) • To teach moral lessons • To explain human behavior (understand about love/jealousy, etc.

4. Mythological Explanations • Mythological explanations are not logical or scientific, and they require a different kind of thinking than you are used to. • Remember these stories are thousands of years old.

5. How are Greek and Roman Myths Related? • There are many similarities between the personalities in Greek Myths and those in Roman myths, which came later. • Often the only differences are in the names given to the figures.

7. The Way the Ancient Greeks saw the World

8. The Gods

9. Zeus/Jupiter • King of the gods • Rules over Mt. Olympus • God of power, sky, thunder, rain, law • Married to Hera, unfaithful to his marriage • Symbols: thunderbolt, eagle

10. Hera/Juno • Queen of the gods • Wife and sister to Zeus • Patron of marriage and women • Jealous of Zeus’ infidelities • Symbol: peacock • Related word: June

11. Poseidon/Neptune • King of the sea • Brother of Zeus • Implacable god • Causes storms, and cause people to drown • Created the horse, seahorse, octopus • Symbols: trident, bull, horse, dolphin

12. Hades/Pluto • King of the underworld (Tartarus) • Death • Greedy; hoards peoples’ souls • God of wealth • Brother of Zeus • Married Persephone the spring goddess • Symbols: staff, helmet of invisibility

13. Demeter/Ceres • Goddess of the earth, life, plants (grains) • Sister of Zeus • Mother of Persephone (spring goddess) • Symbols: corn, sheaf of grain • Related word: cereal

14. Persephone • Spring goddess • Daughter of Zeus and Demeter • Queen of the underworld (Tartarus) • She spends six months with Hades and six months with Demeter thus being responsible for seasonal changes

15. Athena/Minerva • Grey-eyed • Born from Zeus’ head • Goddess of intelligence/wisdom, strategy, war (defense), peace • Symbols: Athens, olive tree, owl

16. Aphrodite/Venus • Goddess of Love/Beauty • Son is Eros/Cupid • Married to Hephaestus • Born from the sea • Symbols: Dove, swan, sparrow • Related word: aphrodisiac

17. Eros/Cupid • Son of Aphrodite and possibly Ares • God of love • Shoots gold arrows for love, lead arrows for indifference • Youngest of the gods • Related word: erotic

18. Apollo • God of the sun • Golden god • Son of Zeus and Leto (nymph) • God of music • Symbols: lyre, sun • Related word: lyric

19. Artemis/Diana • Virgin goddess • Many names • Huntress with bow • Silver • Moon • Wild beasts • Symbols: moon, bow and arrow, deer

20. Ares/Mars • God of war (offensive) • Son of Zeus and Hera • Symbols: all weapons, vulture, dog • Related words: marital, March

21. Eris • Eris is the daughter of Zeus and Hera. She is the goddess of discord. In addition to her main activity of sowing discord, she frequently accompanies her brother Ares to battles. On these occasions she rides his chariot and brings her son Strife. • Eris is unpopular and frequently snubbed as a guest by the other gods and mankind. This was not always a safe thing to do. The most dramatic example being the Trojan War, which was an indirect result of not inviting Eris to a wedding.

22. Hephaestus/Vulcan • Son of Zeus and Hera • Lame • Ugly • God of the forge, smith, handiwork, volcanoes • Symbols: anvil, hammer • Related word: volcano

23. Hermes/Mercury • Son of Zeus and Maia • Messenger god • God of thieves, messages, travelers, luck • Symbols: caduceus, winged sandals and hat

24. Dionysus/Bacchus • God of wine, poetry, song, theater • God of happiness due to intoxication • Sometimes his followers became violent when drunk • Symbols: grapes

25. Hestia/Vesta • Goddess of the hearth, home, domestic life • Virgin • Stays at home • Does not approve of Aphrodite • Greeks had hearths blazing constantly to worship Hestia

26. Ancient Greece

27. Climate • Hot and dry in summer • Cool and wet in winter • Comparable to Southern California

28. Greece Divided • Polis: City and farmland around it • Each polis had its own government, army, navy, and god or goddess • Example: Athens honored Athena, the goddess of wisdom

29. Greek Enemies • The Spartans!

30. Superstition • The Greeks believed in: • Star-reading • Interpreting dreams • Examining the entrails of an animal • Flight patterns of birds • Soothsayers • Oracles

31. More Superstition • The Greeks believed that the spirit of a dead person could only enter Hades after the body had been purified and buried. Until the proper rites were performed, the person hovered at the gate of Hades…neither dead or alive

32. The Oracles • An oracle was a response given to individuals who came to a special place to ask a question of a god or hero. The question had to be submitted by a priest or priestess.

33. Dodona • Zeus’ oracle • The oldest oracle known • The gods spoke through the rustling of leaves or doves

34. Delphi • Apollo’s oracle • Priestesses were said to become intoxicated by vapor from the earth

35. Epidaurus • Asclepius’ oracle • Mostly consulted for medical questions • Patients were required to sleep in a building near the temple, where they were visited by a dream and woke up cured

36. Lebadeia • Trophonius’ oracle • A bizarre ritual—spend the night in a narrow underground chamber

37. Oropus • Amphiaraus’ oracle • Similar to Trophonius • A hero was swallowed up by the ground • The spot became an oracle • Located between Athens and Thebes

38. Bura • Hercules’ oracle • Is now under the sea • Involved the throwing of dice

39. Women and Marriage • Marriage was the transfer from one master (the father), to another (her man) • Being unmarried was not a choice but a misfortune

40. Women and Marriage • Being unmarried brought shame to the girl’s father is she were too ugly, or he not rich enough to buy her a man • Women married at age 13 or 14 • Men married around age 30

41. Sophocles

42. Sophocles • An Athenian from Colonus • He was from a rich family • He won prizes for wrestling and music • At 16 he was chosen to lead the boys’ choir

43. A Popular Guy • Sophocles was exceptionally good looking • He acted as well as wrote plays • He gave up acting because of a weak voice • Everyone liked him

44. More Sophocles • He had two sons by different marriages • He was deeply religious • Born around 496 BC • Died around 406 BC • Death: he either died choking on a grape or was reading Antigone

45. Sophocles’ Success • Wrote 123 plays • Won 24 victories • 96 of his plays won 1st prize (the plays were always produced in fours)

46. Sophocles’ Plays • 7 plays survived • Ajax • Antigone • Oedipus the King • Trachiniae • Electra • Philoctetes • Oedipus at Colonus

47. The Bee • Sophocles was called “the bee” because his verse sounded like honey

48. Oedipus • “There once lived a man called Oedipus Rex • You must have heard about his odd complex. • His name appears in Freud’s index • Because he loved his mother…” Tom Lehrer

49. Oedipus • Laius, ruler of Thebes, is told that his son will kill him. • Laius and his wife try to sacrifice the baby, but a slave takes pity on him…

50. Oedipus Lives! • Oedipus is taken to the other side of the mountain to Corinth • He is given to Polybus, the king of Corinth • He is called “Oedipus” because it means “swollen foot” (his deformity)