Ancient Greek Literature Essays Examples For College & High School Students in PDF

2035 total results

Blindness and Sight in Oedipus Rex by Sophocles (1074 words, 4 pages)

Sight and blindness are key motifs throughout Oedipus The King by Sophocles. They serve as tools for employing dramatic irony on the surface, but they are used for much more. Sight and blindness contrast each other in the sense that they represent the opposite of what they traditionally would mean. ... Read More

The Importance of Helen in the Iliad, a Poem by Homer (1001 words, 3 pages)

The Iliad is an attempt to capture as much of the Trojan war as possible and condense it into a story that reflects the way war affects the people involved as well as provide multiple perspectives on that war. The majority of the Iliad is fittingly taken up with descriptions ... Read More

The Admirable Traits and Faults of Odysseus as a Hero (569 words, 2 pages)

In The Odyssey, Odysseus is definitely the hero throughout the story. There are many examples in which Odysseus displays his heroism. One trait that demonstrates his heroism is his leadership. He is able to keep his men together for most of the story by earning their loyalty and demonstrating his ... Read More

A Comparison of the Iliad and Odyssey in Death by Privileging Glory on the Battlefield (1761 words, 5 pages)

Both the Iliad and the Odyssey teach us how to live. The Iliad reacts to death by privileging glory on the battlefield and the bravery of heroic warriors. The Odyssey, on the other hand, recounts a homecoming journey, emphasizing the comfort of a domestic life and reaching old age. Although ... Read More

The Symbols of the Shields of Achilles and Aeneas in The Illiad by Homer and Aeneid by Virgil (1708 words, 6 pages)

Aeneas Shield Is Not Virgils Achilles HeelSome claim that Virgil plagiarized Homers works when he wrote the Aeneid. Specifically, the Aeneid features a hero that receives a divinely crafted shield as he prepares for battle, just as Achilles does in the Iliad. But Virgils shield has a different significance from ... Read More

An Analysis of Social Hierarchies in the Iliad, an Epic Poem by Homer (1062 words, 3 pages)

Social Hierarchy, Gods, and PowerSocial hierarchy always has been an integral part of society, and the Iliad very much features a men first society. At the top, the King functions as the ruler and his soldiers fight for him, and all of the people adore the King or at the ... Read More

An Analysis of Kinship’s Relation to Social Order in Antigone, a Play by Sophocles (1754 words, 5 pages)

In Antigone by Sophocles kinship enables the social order, as it does in everyday life. The characters of Antigone, Creon, The Sentry, and Ismene are all unconsciously affected by kinship and the limits it imposes on the social order of their community. Throughout the play, kinship unconsciously motivates most of ... Read More

An Analysis of Man’s Weakness in Agamemnon, a Play by Aeschylus (978 words, 3 pages)

Weakness of man is portrayed in the play Agamemnon by Aeschylus whose characters illuminates the unwillingness of men to stand against authority. The actions, or lack thereof, taken by the Chorus exemplify their standing in society, their opinion of Agamemnon, and their reasons for not warning Agamemnon of the danger ... Read More

The Terrors of War in the Iliad, a Poem by Homer (617 words, 2 pages)

There are few texts about war that are as prevalent as the Iliad, by Homer. It is a story about the great battle of the Trojans defending themselves against the invading Greeks, all over a stolen woman who was given as a prize over an apple. Some hale it as ... Read More

A Look at the Compassion and Humanity of Achilles in Homer’s Iliad (855 words, 3 pages)

The Compassion and Humanity of Achilles Compassion is what makes one human. It is the ability to relate toanother person's sufferings. This ability to show compassion is whatraises man above mere animals. It is the redeeming quality of Humanity.Animals cannot show compassion they are not aware of the sufferings ofother ... Read More

The Humanity and Love of Odysseus in Homer’s Odyssey (1645 words, 5 pages)

OdysseusHuman and Role-ModelIn Homers Odyssey, Odysseus and his journey home from battle is the central idea of the epic poem. As we go through this journey with him and experience the struggles he encounters through his perspective, we can deduct what kind of a person Odysseus is. He consistently shows ... Read More

The Importance of a Team in the Odyssey, a Poem by Homer (1281 words, 4 pages)

In The Odyssey, Odysseus relies on his crew over and over proving that it is a must for his crew to be there with him at all times. Odysseus and his men complete several challenging and arduous tasks as a team, showing that one person could not have replicated this ... Read More

The Change of Heart of the Chorus in Medea by Euripides (444 words, 2 pages)

The ChorusIn a great majority of Greek plays, the author enlists a confidant or confidante, to act alongside the other characters and communicate with them to offer an opinion or advice. In Medea by Euripides, the confidante is the Chorus, composed of a group of women from Corinth, something that ... Read More

The Truth and Justice in Antigone’s Character in Antigone,a Play by Sophocles (551 words, 3 pages)

Have you ever met someone who seems to act one way when you first meet them but overtime turns out to be the complete opposite? In the Greek Playwright Antigone, Sophocles, the writer, portrays the protagonist, Antigone, to act in this hypocritical way. The play begins with Antigone describing to ... Read More

The Strong Personality of Antigone in the Play Antigone by Sophocles (515 words, 2 pages)

Antigone and her sister, Ismene, lost their entire family to death and have suffered unfairness from a power hungry and closed-minded king named Creon. The king has banned the right for her brother to be buried with decency and left to rot in an open dirt field guarded by the ... Read More

The Unreasonable Demeanor of Antigone in the Play Antigone by Sophocles (450 words, 3 pages)

Unreasonable Antigone In the tragic play, Antigone written by Sophocles, the character demonstrates an unreasonable demeanor by stating that she would not have broken the law for a husband or a child only for her brother, which she can never have again, due to the death of her mother and ... Read More

The Burial Stipulations of Antigone in the Play Antigone by Sophocles (478 words, 2 pages)

Should the burial provisions Antigone puts on burying a loved one alter a persons opinion of her? I argue that they should not, but rather, that these rules point out important differences between our world and Antigones. First, I will explain why Antigone is the hero of the story. I ... Read More

A Character Analysis of Antigone From Sophocles’ Play Antigone (702 words, 3 pages)

Antigone A Character AnalysisThe heroine of Sophocles poignant tragedy is the morally inclined and benevolent Antigone who forsakes her political status, power, and ultimately her life to see to it her brother Polynices corpse is placed in the earth with all the proper rites completed. Antigone is resolute even until ... Read More

Antigone’s Rationality and Irrationality in the Play Antigone by Sophocles (674 words, 4 pages)

Antigones Rationality and Irrationality as Interpreted by the Modern ReaderIn the beginning of Sophocless play Antigone, the title character makes a seemingly rash decision to support religious loyalty over state loyalty. Antigones opening dialogue with her sister, Ismene, makes it appear as though she chose to bury Polynices because of ... Read More

My Impression of Antigone, a Play by Sophocles (465 words, 3 pages)

While reading the play Antigone, my initial impression of the title character, Antigone, was that she is a grieving sister who only wants to remain loyal to her family, and that she risked her life to bury her brother out of unconditional love for him. At one point Antigone says, ... Read More

Nicknames and Prophecy in The Odyssey by Homer (448 words, 2 pages)

In The Odyssey, the characters are given nicknames, known as stock epithets, as a description. If these nicknames were not used, Odysseus would appear in every other sentence. Stock epithets functioned as forms of sentence variety. Odysseus is referred to as Great Odysseus who excels all men in wisdom (79), ... Read More

An Imitation Essay on Once Upon a Time Similar to Homer’s Odyssey (2544 words, 13 pages)

Patient, Fair Princess Emma Charming Was Separated many years away from her own realm.Tell me the adventures of the heroic Prince Charming And Snow White, and the perpetually pitiful Evil Queen ReginaWho fought and protected their prized trophies.How did their strife end in disunity of all souls within the realm ... Read More

The Sympathy for the Monstrous Central Figure in the Play Medea by Euripides (1148 words, 2 pages)

Euripides wins our sympathy for the plays monstrous central figure To what extent do you agree?As a critic of his society, Euripides used his play Medea to explore the thought that monsters are not self-created, but are born from societys evils. Therefore, despite Medeas heinous and deplorable deeds, the audience ... Read More

Is Jason a Villain in Medea by Euripides (981 words, 2 pages)

Euripides Medea follows a woman who avenges her husbands betrayal and exile by poisoning his new wife and killing their children. Though Medea possesses villainous traits, it is impossible to solely define her as this. While her development into a villain is undeniable, Medea features qualities of both a victim ... Read More

The Transformation of Odysseus Through His Journeys in The Odyssey, a Poem by Homer (921 words, 4 pages)

The Odyssey Odysseuss JourneyThroughout the history of mankind, people have told legends and stories, passed from father down to son mother down to daughter. Eventually, a person decides to write this tale down, for others to hear generations from then. The Odyssey is an Epic, that is to say, a ... Read More

The Events Odysseus Used His Brains Over His Strengths in Odyssey, a Poem by Homer (1034 words, 4 pages)

Brains over BrawnIt is often said that the brainiac kids in high school are the ones who grow up to become rich and successful. Instead of trying to show off their athletic skills and muscles to try and make it in the big leagues, they use their brains to come ... Read More

The Theme of Homosexual Love in the Ancient Greek Literature (2453 words, 6 pages)

For the ancient Greeks, and indeed all societies, past and present,love is one of the most powerful and recurrent themes in literature.Regardless of beliefs, ethnicities or creeds, the emotions displayed bypoets and lyricists in their work is in itself a universal language. Forthe Greeks, love was a topic explored primarily ... Read More

The Intriguing Concept of Justice in the Play Oresteia by Aeschylus (2596 words, 8 pages)

The concept of justice as described an Aeschylus' ancient Greektrilogy The Oresteia, is intriguing to follow within the context of theseplays, and in the historical context of Athenian democracy, which wasintroduced during Aeschylus' life. This trilogy seeks to break the endlessof cycle of revenge and bloodshed that had been the ... Read More

A Discussion on the Literature of the Ancient World and Greek Mythology (1198 words, 5 pages)

Literature of the Ancient World Oral ReportDating back to around 700 bce, Greek Mythology began influencing and affecting the everyday lives of ancient Greeks and their society as a community. Greek Mythology created gender roles and societal expectations, gave the ancient Greeks an explanation of how and why the world ... Read More

Medea’s Actions and Emotions in Medea by Euripides (289 words, 1 pages)

Medea's Actions and Emotions Medea's emotions throughout the myth were justified. Medea's emotions were justified because Hera "made Medea, all bewildered with love and misery, determine to fly with Jason." (131). This emotion of love drove Medea to great lengths, causing her to kill repeatedly. This also justified her actions. ... Read More

Ancient Greek Literature Essay Examples