SAPPHO c. 600 BCE HOMER c. 700 BCE HESIOD · PDF file · 2016-09-25... The...
Transcript of SAPPHO c. 600 BCE HOMER c. 700 BCE HESIOD · PDF file · 2016-09-25... The...
SAPPHO c. 600BCE
HOMERc. 700BCE
HESIOD
SAPPHO,thePOETESSLIFE:620–550BCE
• BorninGreekislandofLesbos, locatedinthenortheasternAegean Sea
• Memberofaffluentfamily• Contributedtolyricpoetry(wrote poemsandmusicalaccompaniment)
• Also,playedimportantrolein educaXonofotherwomen
• ConXnuestoaYractaYenXonof literaryscholarsandfeministcriXcs
SAPPHO,thePOETESSOFINTEREST:
• complexityofherwork(sapphic meter/‘metricalinventor’),contribuXon tolyricpoetry,expressionandthemes, oneofthembeinglesbiandesire
• Influencedpoetsbasedonexpressionof emoXon,love,longingandexploraXon oferoXcthemes(withreferencesto religion/myth/Eros)
• Herworkbelongstothegenreoflyric poetry(describedas,‘inXmate’,‘private’,focusingonsubjecXve experiences-unlikeepicpoetryfocusing onheroicidenXty,war)
SAPPHO,thePOETESSPoems:-HymntoAphrodite
-OneGirl-IAskedmyself
-ToanArmywife,inSardis
LIFE:c.750BCEUncertainXesastowhenandwherehe wasborn(AsiaMinorcoastorislandclose by)
• Producedepicpoetry;versesnarraXng heroicdeeds,warandjourneyofhero/ es.HeroisminAncientGreecerooted in:
• Honour,acclaim(kleos),excellence(arete),deeds/labours/(athle)
• Individualvaluefromwithinasocial, poliXcalframeworkthatwasfamily- centred,hierarchical,maledominated
• Homerichero:fromaselectgroupof peopleofnobledescentcelebratedin lifeanddeathbecauseofextraordinary deeds
HOMER
OFINTEREST:
- PrimaryrepresentaXveofepicpoetry/ oraltradiXon- HomerandHesiodwerethefirstpoetsof theGreeks,accordingtoHerodotus
- Homerviewedbymanyastheguideofallthegreattragicpoetsandasaneducator
WORKS:recitedbyrhapsodes-THEILIAD(theangerofAchilles/war– Troy/Helen-Paris)
-THEODYSSEY(thereturnofOdysseus/ Ulysses-Penelope)
HOMER
TheOdyssey-Epicpoem(asTheIliad/didacXcinnature)-givesaccountoftheperiod(10years)ittookOdysseustotravelfromTroytohishomeinIthakaDividedin24booksI-IV:TheadventuresofthesonofOdysseus,TelemachosV-VIII(andXIII):ThehomecomingoftheheroOdysseusIX-XII:Theadventures/wanderingsofheroXIII:Thehero’sreturntoIthaka
TheadventuresofOdysseus• Kikonians(enemiesofhisallies)• TheislandoftheLotusEaters(lotus/lossofinterestinthejourney)• Cyclopes(oneeyedgiants)• Aiolos(godofthewinds)• Laistrygones(cannibals)• IslandofCirce(sorceress)• DescenttotheUnderworld• Sirens(monsters)• ScyllaandCharybdis(monsters)• Thrinakia,islandofHelios(Sun)• Ogygia,islandofnymphKalypso---Homer’snarra7onbegins• Scheria,islandofPhaiakians(Naysikaa)--Odysseusnarrateshis
adventures• Ithaka
Narra7vepa=ern:Thejourney
Elements:thresholds,guardians/co-travelers,transformaXveexperiencesThemes:homecoming,nostalgia,memory,lethe/ oblivion
DemeterandPersephoneMythofPersephoneabducXonbyHadesandDemeter’sjourneytofindherAnotherexampleofliterarydescenttotheunderworld
Examplesthroughthecenturies
PersephoneandHadesintheUnderworld
Greekvase,5thc.BCE
Modernworks:
JamesJoyce’sUlysseschroniclesthejourneyofthehero,LeopoldBloom,duringthecourseofoneday,inDublin(withsimilarstructure-andnamedajerOdysseycharacters,themesandmoXf-e.g.MollyBloomas
Penelope)
Examplesthroughthecenturies
LIFE:c.700BCESimilariXeswithHomerConnectedtoAsiaMinorCoast,Ionic dialect,useofdactylichexameterHowever,includesbriefautobiographicalreferencesinhis worksOFINTEREST:Theogony:creaXon,glorifyinggods,organizesstoriesonmythicalenXXes/categorizesthem,glorifieskings(targetedaudience)
HESIOD
Hesiod’sTheogony,700B.C.
AESCHYLUSc.524–456BCE
SOPHOKLESc.496–406BCEEURIPIDESc.480-407BCEARISTOPHANESc.447–386BCE
GREEKTHEATRE
• TheatrewasperformedatthecenterofAthens.
• DuringthefijhcenturytragedywasperformedattheTheaterofDionysus.
• Thistheaterwasneartheagora,theareathathousedthecouncilorsofthevouli(council)
• AboutDionysus:Father:Zeus,Mother:amortal,SemeleKnownasBacchus,godofexcess,wine,theatre,ecstasy.Followedbythemaenads/bacchaeandsatyrs
GreekTragedy
Didac/c amediumformoral improvementofaudiencememberswhoare notviewedaspassivereceptorsofthedrama unfoldingbutascapableofreacXngtowhat unfoldsbeforetheireyesPoli/cal:adiscourseofthepolis.Educa/onwaspoli/calinAthensofthe5thcatthecenterofwhichwasthecity/polis.
Tragedy
• Hubris/Hybris:crimedrivenby disregardofmorallaws
• HamarXa: errorwhich • Anagnorisis: astowhatis • Nemesis:retribuXonagainstthosecommiongcrimes• Peripeteia:adventure affecXngthe
• Katharsis:moralimprovement/educaXonbasedonthedifferent
emoXonalstatestheaudiencemembersexperiencewhilewitnessing
thedramaunfoldingbeforetheireyes
OnGreekTragedy
• Plato:tragedyasmimesiscannotaYainorreflectthetruthso,onecannotlearnthetruthfromit.TragedyisalsobasedonemoXonalstateswhichisalsoproblemaXc.
• Aristotle:mimesisisdirectlyconnectedtolearningaswestarttolearnthroughmimesis(PoeXcs1448b5–9).TheemoXons,whichincludepleasure,fearandpity,donotexcludethepossibilityofthought;theyhaveanintellectualvalue,theycanforcepeopletoreflectonmoralvirtue.
OnGreekTragedy
• ForAristotlethentragedycanplayanimportantpartineducaXngtheemoXons,itselfanimportantpartofa moraleducaXon.TragedyeducatesbyeducaXngtheemoXons(PoeXcs1451b5–11).
• WhilePlatocriXcizeshowandwhattragedyteaches,AristotleunderstandsthebeneficialemoXonalandintellectualeffectstragedycanhave.
• bornin525BCE,inthevillageofEleusis,nearAthens
• comesfromnoblefamily• foughtatMarathonin490BCE(Persianinvasion)
• CreatedOresteia,PrometheusBound• Diedin456BCE
Aeschylus
Sophocles
• 496-406BCEAoca• WroteAnXgone,OedipusRex,Electra,PhiloctetesandOedipusatColonus
• Servedasageneral• ParXcipatedindramaXccompeXXonsofthecity-stateofAthenssuchastheDionysia
Euripides
• Bornin480-406BCE• Reflectedonhumannature,femalecharacters,emoXonalturmoil
• PresentedworkattheFesXvalofDionysusatAthens
• WroteMedea,Hecuba,TheTrojanWomen,Iphigenia,Helen
DivineIntervenXon
• Dieusexmachina(intragediesofEuripides)• DeterminingthecourseofhumanacXon/by
influence/useofpower • Socrates(reflecXonsonmyth,divine)
/Plato(in‘Republic’,discussionondivineintervenXon)
OnComedy
• AristophanesknownforcomedypartofwhichissaXre(broadlybasedonpoliXcalcommentary);ifonetakeswatchingtragediesasaneducaXon,onethenshouldturntocomedy,hissaXres,toreflectonpoliXcs
Goldhill1991,201–22;Heiden199
Aristophanesc.447–386BCE
Majorworks• TheWasps
• TheFrogs• TheBirds• Lysistrata