Apollonian And Dionysian

Both of these two main characters were different symbols for two ways of human nature but in the end, Dionysus seemed to be much more credible because of his actual divine power and his ability to manipulate the mind of

One would clearly be able to see these noticeable similarities between Dionysus and Apollo, but I feel that their severe differences are not as obvious. When taken into consideration, half-brothers that are both Gods would not be deemed such opposites. Their character's express extreme parallels of personality, one being passive and the other more aggressive. I believe that for all of Apollo and Dionysus' similarities, that they are more different than anyone would conclude. It doesn't seem that they would meet eye to eye on any one subject and that

Everyone is going to die. This is no secret to the audience of the Greek play Agamemnon. Rather than surprising us with the murders that befall at the hands of vengeance, the Greek playwright uses this common story to display the underlying theme that one must first suffer before they can reach the truth. To understand the significance behind the story of Agamemnon, one must understand the passions and how they relate to the human person, Zeus’s law of suffering into truth, and Aeschylus’s motives for writing Agamemnon and how he reflects Catholic teaching.

Tragedy is an element of literature. It is rooted in Greek mythology and ancient Greek society. Its definition is “A literary piece that consists of a courageous noble character who must confront powerful obstacles, either external or from within”, and “the protagonist usually has a tragic

The patterns of culture are associated with the characteristics in the distinction between the gods Apollo and Dionysius. Apollo was the god of light and Dionysius was the god of wine. Therefore, the characteristics are referred to as Apollonian and Dionysian. During the Mesolithic, Dionysian tendencies gave way to Apollonian tendencies.

I chose to compare and contrast two works of art that featured the god Dionysos. Dionysos was a god of celebration and wine, promoting both the intoxicating power of wine and its social benefits for bringing people together. He was an advocate of peace and a promoter of peaceful civilization. Both The Hope Dionysos and the Triumph of Dionysos and the Seasons Sarcophagus represent why Dionysos was such an important and celebrated figure in mythology, which is why I chose to analyze two works of art that centered on him. My first impression of each piece was of Dionysos as a peaceful, benevolent and joyful figure. I was struck by the calm peacefulness he embodied in The Hope Dionysos and the happiness he shared on the Triumph of Dionysos and the Seasons Sarcophagus. Though there are many elements to compare and contrast, my analysis will show that both pieces are tributes and representations of Dionysos meaning and purpose in Roman art.

The Apollonian and the Dionysian is a philosophical concept based on different mythologies, many Philosophers and figures have invoked this dichotomy in critical and creative works. Both are one of the important themes within Nietzsche’s first major work, The Birth of Tragedy and they are terms used to designate the two central principles in Greek culture.

Say “Greek Tragedy” to an English major and you’re likely to elicit a groan, or even perhaps a screech of terror. For me however, Greek tragedy, as well as Greek mythology, has always fascinated me. When I was younger, the Greek God’s always captured my interest, and I could never get enough of them. As I grew older, I became interested in the more refined aspects that Greek literature had to offer. Sophocles and The Three Theban Plays in particular, left me awestruck. I quickly began to realize that many of the new and inventive books and movies I had seen, had actually been written in one form or another, generations ago.

There are many gods and goddess in Greek Mythology. Greek Mythology is the study of myths, so the god and goddess are not true. Apollo is one of the many gods in Greek Mythology. Apollo is the son of Zeus and Titan Zeto and was born in Greek islands of Delos. Apollo had a twin sister Artemis-goddess of the hunt.

Frederic Nietzsche’s ideas of the Apollonian and Dionysus helps explore the power of dreaming and the reality it forces one to confront within them as they battle with the thought of assimilation. The existence of the two ideas is contrasting in characteristic, but they don’t merely fight each other; they need each other to exist. The Apollonian state is in which,

Pentheus and Dionysus represent a factor of duality. For example, they both battle against each other to prove their point as leaders. Pentheus has just become the new king of Thebes and would like to gain power of his people. He seeks to rule over with rationality and social order. Whereas Dionysus is the youngest of all Olympians and wishes to prove to the world that he is an all-powerful god. However, he is also known as the god of wine and believes that everyone should wind down once in a while and celebrate with self-intoxication. His irrational ideas and objectives are the opposite of Pentheus. The ultimate conflict between the two characters is that Pentheus is in denial of Dionysus’ existence because he refuses to believe in irrationality. For example in lines 471-480 in the Bacchae, Pentheus is speaking to Dionysus about Dionysus and is in denial of his existence. Pentheus is so oblivious that he does not even recognize his presence. This relates to duality because Dionysus is the opposite force working against Pentheus or vice versa. Pentheus is devoted to living with

but Dionysus is not an unequivocal advocate of license. In fact, Dionysus endorses a type of moderation, saying that “what a wise man does is to exercise self-controlled gentleness of temper” (641).7 Indeed, the accounts of the Theban maenads, at least up until they are threatened by others, are of a group of women who are reveling, but who are neither destructive, nor as lascivious as Pentheus claims. True, their deeds are exotic, but they are not violent. Rather, they present a paradisal image in which humans and nature live in a state of mutual peace and succor.

When hearing the word Tragedy, it would not be surprising if several different individuals would immediately think of several unique examples of the word. Perhaps one is an opera enthusiast who immediately thinks of Puccini’s La Boheme. Another is a war enthusiast that thinks about History Channel’s new episode highlighting the harshest and bloodiest battles of World War One. Even a third one obsessed with Greek mythology could generate a handful of examples of tragedy. Tragedy, like love or comedy is a universal theme that can be used to entertain, enlighten and excite its audiences. William Shakespeare, a world renown writer, was a master of this genre writing works, including Romeo and Juliet, Othello, and Hamlet. Another lesser known

Dionysus is an important figure of Greek mythology. He is the Olympian god of wine, vegetation, festivity and pleasure. He represents humanity’s longing for pleasure and desire to celebrate. Dionysus is also the god of hallucination, theatre, reincarnation and homosexuality. He is called: “the youthful, beautiful, but effeminate god of wine. He is also called both by Greeks and Romans Bacchus (Bakchos), that is, the noisy or riotous god…” (Roman 201).

Tragedy comes from the word “tragoidia,” which means “goat song.” In Ancient Greece, the goat was an animal that was widely associated with Dionysus (Powell 68). Tragedy is, according to Aristotle, “an