Monday, 16 November 2015

Why is greek mythology relevant today?

one look at the vast amount of ancient Greek-themed movies and literature today, people will quickly come to the conclusion that the world is still fascinated with Greek mythology though they might not always be able to say why.

For sure, these stories may have been written hundreds if not thousands of years ago, but it is good to remember they were written by wise men who had a hand in helping shape modern thinking. 

Indeed, a person who doesn’t look beyond the surface will think these tales are nothing more than flights of fancy by old story-tellers from the past but a deeper look at the stories will tell you more than that. These myths aren’t just legends and while they are “just stories” they are stories with a purpose and reason. A deeper look at Greek myths should reveal morals, philosophies, and even warnings.

These myths were told to people and it helped them realize the difference between right and wrong. It helped them come to terms with how they should be humble and never think themselves immortal or they might just be proven wrong in the most horrible and inopportune of ways. Also, these tales tell people of heroes and how true greatness was achieved by those who dared while at the same breath, showing the flaws of these heroes.
Any modern person who reads or hears of Greek myths will be hard-pressed to stay unaffected. They are simply that good and this proves just how relevant they still are. Anyone can pick up a book of Greek myths. For sure, they will get something from it.

reason to study those Greek myths is because they have contributed a lot to classic and modern literature in the form of symbols.

Who are Some Famous Authors?

Below is a short list of some famous Greek mythology authors and their equally famous works:
  • Plato – This is perhaps one of the most famous of famous Greek writers. He is known for his popular dialogues including the RepublicPhaedoSymposium,PhaedrusTimaeus, and Philebus. Nothing much is known about Plato but it cannot be denied that his writings have had lots of influence on classic literature as we know it today.
  • Sophocles – Sophocles wrote 123 plays during his career and while some people might expect a happy ending from those plays, they will be sorely disappointed. Sophocles was a tragedian and came up with famous tragedies like Oedipus, the King and Electra, and Antigone. Of his 123 plays, only 7 survived intact.
  • Euripides – He was also a tragedian like Sophocles and while he wrote only 95 plays, at least 18 of them survived. Some of his famous works include Medea,The Bacchus, and Alcestis. What made his plays and stories stand out was that they tended to be realistic and would show strong women with wise slaves. He had a massive influence on the concept of European Tragedy.

  • Aristophanes – This writer was a comedian and at some point, his pen was the most feared weapon in Athens. He wrote 40 plays but only 11 have survived. Plato even pointed out that the play The Clouds written by Aristophanes was responsible for the trial and execution of Socrates.



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