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Southern New Hampshire University
7-2 Final Project Submission: Essay
FAS-201: Introduction to Humanities I
Brittany Cavin
1
2/
08
/202
3
In
this final essay,
we
will
compare works of
visual
art
and
literature that
reflect the
themes that
depict
the Trojan War. The
piece
is a two-handled amphora titled Ajax and Achilles Playing Dice.
It was created by
a man
known as the Andokides Painter.
Kazan
was
built between 525 and 520
BC. In ancient
Greece,
Athens.
The literary
work of art
I compare
it
to is
Homer's epic poem
The
Iliad,
set
in the oral and written traditions
around 726 BC and
the
archaic period. Let's
compare
how the characters
in
each work deal with the brutality of war while
maintaining
their
cultural identity. I
relate
these comparisons to the contemporary
implications
of
modern
warfare: the motivation,
family
relationships,
and
consequences
of
war.
The two-
handled
jug,
or
amphora, depicting
Ajax and Achilles
is an example of
how pottery was used in
everyday life in ancient
Greece
as
"a vessel for storage
and
transport, a
mixing
vessel,
pitchers
and
cups and
vases for oils, perfumes, and
cosmetics." It gives you ideas.
Cosmetics
”
(Mindedge 3.20). The art of pottery
has
changed
over
the
years.
The art of this
amphora is known as the
red painting
technique. This
method was
“
invented
in
530
B.C.E.
and
it
gradually replaced the
black form
technique as innovators recognized the
possibilities
of linking images
rather than
cutting
them
out.
The use of
the
brush in the
red
painting
technique was
more suitable for
naturalistic
depictions
of anatomy,
clothing
and
emotions" (Department of Greek and Roman Art). By depicting the heroic figures of Ajax and
Achilles in such works of art, "many
Greek.
families
have
sought to
connect
their
genealogy
and
the history of their cities with the epic battle that destroyed ancient Troy."
On the contrary, most
of them can
“
connect ancestors directly.
”
Homer's Heroes (Hart) too. Looking
at the epic
poem
『
Iliad
』
, we can see
how the
ideology
of
ancient
Greek culture shaped the work itself.
The
ancient Greek
civilization
worshiped
a pantheon of 12
major
gods
and
goddesses,
a
dispute
between
these
three
goddesses led to the start
of the Trojan
War,
“
a
golden
apple
thrown by the
god
of
war
at the wedding of Peleus and
Thetis for
the
most
beautiful man. ." Zeus, not wanting to solve
the
problem
himself, sent the goddesses to the young
prince of Troy,
Paris,
who
gave Aphrodite an apple, because
the
god
had promised
her
the love of
Helen, the most beautiful girl in the
world." The world of gratitude. The world of gratitude.
”
("The Trojan
War -
Greek Mythology"). It was not uncommon for
the Olympian
gods to
intervene
in
human affairs,
and
the
Greeks did their best to
appease the gods through
daily
sacrifices and prayers.
The gods intervene
at the beginning of the war,
but
the focus
is
more
on human
relationships.
The
essence
of epic
poetry
comes from Homer,
the author
who
"bequeathed the beginnings of
Western literature." Excerpts from various
epics, known
collectively as the
epic cycle, show
that the Homeric epics
are
the
source from
which the
epic
cycle
of
poetry is formed. It provided
history and religion to the ancient
Greeks
and through
them to
the West. Civilization
(Williams). Homer
himself
wrote
this
poem
at a time
when the
tradition of
oral
poetry was
widespread.
It also
uses a withdrawal-destruction-restoration
framework,
"a
format common to many epics
with revenge
motifs
at the
end" (Williams).
The
Iliad
captures Achilles' rage
after his
close
friend and
one-time
lover, Patroclus,
is
accidentally
killed by Prince Hector. Achilles and
Ajax, painted
on
a vase by
the
artist
Andokides,
was
made
in the style
of
the
red pottery of ancient
Athens, Greece. During this
period,
“
Greek
art became
more strictly
stylized and more naturalistic.
Vase paintings
evolved
from geometric designs to representations of figures, often
depicting
epic
events
” (Encyclop
æ
dia
Britannica editors). The subject matter
of paintings
by ordinary potters emphasized
"many
aspects of Greek culture, including funerary
practices,
daily life, symposia, athletics,
warfare, religion, and mythology" (Department of Greek and Roman Art).
Red
figures
on
porcelain thus replaced
the
popular black figures. The
Iliad was also
written
in ancient
Greece
around 1000 BC.
762 in dactylic
hexameter
in
epic style,
both oral and
written.
Since its
introduction,
the book
has become an enduring example of how the Western
literary
tradition
began.
If we look
at
the
Iliad and the two-handed amphora, we
can
see similarities
.
If the Iliad shows
the horrors of war,
it
also reminds us of the
people who hid
behind
the war.
A
similarity
can be seen
in the
amphorae,
as Ajax and Achilles
play
a
game of
dice during
a
break
in the
battle, this is
a moment of humanity.
On
the amphora,
we see
two
men
carrying
spears and
helmets, a reminder
that peace is temporary. Hector, his
Andromache, and their
son Astyanax
share a warm family moment before
heading off to
war
in
Hector's
Iliad. This scene also
shows the
humanity and warmth
of the family
in the face
of
cruelty
and death, which
relates to
the theme of
war imagery. chest was shocked to see
horsehair sticking out
of his father's armor and helmet. His father and mother laughed
at
him, but
Hector took
his
helmet from his head and
placed
it
blindingly on
the ground. Then
she
took
her
beloved
child, kissed him,
held
him in
her
arms,
and prayed for a
while to
Zeus
and all the
gods.
“
Zeus, this is my son and
he may be the
leader of the Trojans. Let
him not
lack power,
but
rule Ilius with
all
his
might."
(Homer,
"Iliad", book 6) ) This
moment of humanity
shows
that
the Iliad focuses more on human nature than
on
the
existence of God.
This aspect is
also
reflected
in the
actions described
in
the two
works and the
symbols
used
in
them.
The
themes that describe
the Trojan War
are reflected
in the Iliad and the
Amphora,
offering
moments of humanity
even
amid
the brutality of
war. In
the amphora, Ajax and Achilles
play a
game of
dice
in the middle of
a lull in the
battle,
a moment of humanity.
On
the
amphora,
we see two
men
carrying
spears and
helmets, a reminder
that peace is temporary.
Dice
games
can be seen as
both
a
display
of mental prowess and
an expression of warfare itself.
Seemingly minor food
symbolism plays
an important
role in the Iliad, especially when and
how
to
eat. It was
an important
social
event and contained many important rules of hospitality
that were also important to the gods, especially Zeus, in
ancient Greek
culture.
This hospitality is
shown when Achilles
welcomes
visitors to his tent,
cooking
and
serving them
before
asking
why
they
have come.
Another
example
of this is
when, after the death of Patroclus,
Achilles refuses
breakfast
and decides
to
go
to
battle, showing
his alienation from his fellow
warriors.
Symbolism
of human
progress
and the natural world is also prominent. Many things in
the
Iliad
are described in extended similes, comparing
wartime behavior with peacetime behavior. This
includes,
but
is
not limited
to,
elements of the natural
world
such as waterfalls
and lions, as well
as artifacts and flocks of sheep.
Scholars often
wonder if
these
peaceful
images
were created
to
contrast
with
the
brutal
backdrop of war.
This aspect
of symbolism
is reflected
in
October.
Consider
the leaves on
the handle, symbolizing the desire for
peace and
victory. The national
anthem
or palmette is a floral
design that symbolizes the concept
of
greeting
and hospitality.
The
horse
behind Achilles
symbolizes
his wealth,
power
,
and
status and allows
the viewer
to
understand
his
place
in society.
It
also
recalls
his birth as
the
demigod son of
a
Nereid
named
Theseus,
who tried to hide him
to
overcome
the
oracle's predictions about
her
son's future. The cat
(maybe another cat?)
behind Ajax
represents
his
skill
as a
soldier. The
subject depends on how
the medium is presented. The Amphoracan
outlines
a
10-year
siege,
and
the
Iliad is an epic poem that
gives
us 50 days
until
the
war ends and tells us that
someone will
die. Another
exception
is
his confrontation with his rival Achilles.
In
the
Amphora
he
opposes
Ajax,
and
at the end of the
Iliad
,
he
opposes
Hector. One is a friend
and fellow soldier, the other is a prince
from
a foreign
land. If we think about
how these works
are part of
today's images
of modern warfare, we
can
see how they
influence
our
thinking today.
When you look
at the scene
where
Achilles and Ajax
face each other during the
game,
you can
see that
they are
interested
in
the game,
but
you can also remember the
sense of preparation
by
wearing
armor,
putting
on
a helmet
,
and
holding a spear.
The game itself is still a game
of
dominance
between two opponents.
I wonder
how
prepared
our modern military
is,
both
mentally and
physically,
when
they go into battle. When we look at
the Iliad, we are
presented with
examples
of
the
humanity and
brutality of war that show
how it affects
non-
combatants on both sides.
Both works of art
reflect
the values
of
the ancient Greeks, especially
the soldiers,
giving them
a sense of honor,
dignity
, and pride. These works
also
demonstrate
the
importance of
visual and oral traditions
in
the ancient world before the
written word.
If
we look at the
movement
of
refugees, we can relate it to modern warfare.
It
also
serves as
a reminder that
innocent people
often
suffer during
and
after
such wars. The
Trojan
War
was political because a
man
decided to take
someone
who
did
not
belong to
him
(Paris
kidnapped
Helen).
These motivations show
how one selfish act can change the course
of
an entire story.
The 2004
film
Troy tells the story of
the Iliad
and we
see the consequences
for
the individual players and their
families.
In this version of the story, we see that Helen is
unhappy
with
her marriage and
willingly
goes to Troy with
Paris
rather than
be
abducted.
There
are
also
developments
between Hector and his wife.
Also appearing is
Hector
and
Paris's cousin
Briseis,
who plays a romantically important role in her later relationship with
Achilles. The inconsistent Golden Apple background has been completely removed. Movie
viewers will see the good qualities we have
given and want to
protect their
motherland.
This
quality
is
suggested
when Hector is outside the walls of
Troy. "All
my
life
I
lived by the
rules. The rules are simple.
Honor
God,
love your
wife
,
and
protect
your country.
Troy is the mother of us
all. , fight!" ("Troy prepares
for
the battle of the beaches.
H.D." 03:15
-
05:21) This
speech is especially
powerful
compared to Achilles' speech
when
the
Myrmidon
reaches
the
city's shores: "Brother
sword,
boys, I would
rather fight you
but with an
army of
thousands. Let no
one
forget how
dangerous
we
are. We
are lions!
Do you
know
what lies behind
this
beach?
immortality!
Take
this.
It's yours!"
("Troy's
Beach Battle
HD.
03:15 -
05:21").
Compare
these two
little words and you can see why every
man is willing to
die.
Hector
takes his
own life.This line
is
about
his
home and
the
game is
for the safety of his
family
and
Achilles
fights
for glory. Another
takeaway
from both works is the idea of
funerary
rights and
how they are reflected in
modern
rituals honoring the dead.
Although the visual
amphora
itself
is
not directly
associated with
death,
it
may have been used as
a cremation urn, as
we
have
done.
An interesting fact about
this ritual
is that
“
after
1100
BC,
the
Greeks
generally
buried
their
dead in
private tombs. The main exception
was the
Athenians,
who customarily
cremated
their
dead and placed
the
ashes in
urns" ("Ancient
Greek
Colymus" ).
practice'). The Iliad contains
many
examples of funerary practices,
including
books
6, 7, 16,
almost 23, and the
final book, book 24. The investigation also revealed who and
what was
involved in the customs and
rituals. "Women
played
an important
role in
funerals.
They
were
responsible for
preparing the body,
washing it, anointing it
,
and
placing
a
crown
on the
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