Compare And Contrast Greek Myths

INTRO: Despite difference of around 400 years between them Greek poet Homer and tragedian playwright Euripides explore many of the same themes in their works the Odyssey and Trojan Women (written by each respectively). Both works are inspired by the events of 12th Century BCE Trojan War that Homer previously explored in the Iliad. The two examine the worth of cunning over brute strength, the dangers of temptation and the role of women in their respective time periods. Despite having extremely similar central ideas, the techniques employed by each are markedly different. These differences arise as the result of changes in socio-historical contexts and format of each work’s presentation, for example the critical shift of the 5th century which saw the rise of sophistry and a certain scepticism in regard to Athenian leadership and the very existence of the gods.

Greek Mythology is strongly based on Roman Mythology. Most of the stories are the same, but the gods have different names. For example, Zeus in Roman Mythology is Jupiter.

The Greek forces won the Trojan War. The story of the war is a cornerstone of Greek legend, and pervaded Greek literature and culture. Though the evidence for the Trojan War as historical fact is scarce, it was a formative event in Greek cultural memory, producing some of the classical world’s most famous heroes and narratives. The War was won, Helen was retrieved from Paris, whose violation of ξενία was redressed, the heroes attained the κλέος that many of them fought for – and yet the positive outcomes of the Trojan War are difficult to grasp. For the victims of the Trojan War, the tragedy is obvious; the War ended in genocide and total cultural destruction. But such a war, burnt into legend, should have left the victors far better off; and yet, the Greek heroes only suffer because of it. They die tragic, dishonourable deaths; their households are left in ruin; their families are torn apart. From both modern and classical perspectives, the Trojan War is a tragedy, a “harrowing destruction of life” (Euripides, Andromache, 291). The victory is pyrrhic, the loss of life is horrific, the reparations non-existent.

There are few works of literature that hold as much meaning to the definition of Greek culture as the two epic poems credited to Homer: the Iliad and the Odyssey. Both works, albeit more so the Iliad than the Odyssey, serve as the chief source of information about a pivotal event in Greek history: the Trojan War. Whether this war happened exactly as it has been narrated is subject to debate, as any answer holds very little evidence to be supported. However, the Greeks saw the Trojan War as the first time there was unity within their culture as they all fought for a common goal. As such, many regarded the Trojan war as an important event in defining the central values and virtues of Greek culture; they would revisit these epics time and time

One significant difference between the Iliad and Troy is the timespan. The Iliad is not a story of a Trojan war, but a story of a hero’s wrath. The time span it covers is only a few weeks in the tenth year of the siege of Troy. Homer chooses to focus on events that occurred during a quarrel of King Agamemnon, king of Mycenae and brother of Menelaus, and Achilles, the most powerful warrior of the Achaean army. Homer doesn’t go into detail about other events and battles, as the story of the Trojan War was well-known to the Greek society because it has been told and retold by bards for numerous times and the general plot was still fresh in the minds of the Greeks. For his poem to stand out, Homer had to be original, so he didn't tell his audience about the war as a whole, but rather spotlighted the wrath of an individual hero, Achilles. Troy,

Greek mythology and Roman mythology both have an importance in both ancient history and the modern world. People often confuse the two and mistake them for each other. They may be similar on paper but they are very different. Greek mythology is more original, had a bigger influence on the ancient people, and has a bigger influence on the modern world.

The Iliad and The Odyssey are two epic poems with both similar and different styles to the structure of the poems, as well as each poem having the same gods incorporated into the stories intervening with the day to day lives of the mortals.

Greek mythological heroes, and Roman mythological heroes share similar trades, however are different in many ways. These similarities and differences can be identified when looking at the means for the creation of a hero, and a hero’s life (birth, challenges, death), and how they become a hero. Thus will this easay discuses Greek and roman heroes from the Trojan war to identify the similarities and difference between them.

Since the dawn of time, people have necessitated explanations for various natural phenomena, such as rain, earthquakes, and death as well as human characteristics of love, wisdom, and anger. Societies, thus, began to formulate unique beliefs of deities with great power that explained any unknown territories. They worshiped these divine beings trusting in their abilities and fearing their fury. However, no two cultures ever had the same beliefs; each system of belief - each mythology - was designed to reflect the individual societies, who practiced it.

Homer’s famous poem, the “Iliad,” is one of the most powerful pieces of literature which narrates the Trojan War from beginning to end. Moreover, this essay will focus on analyzing Homer’s ancient stories about the Trojan War and how movies, such as, “Troy,” have mercilessly altered and wrecked the essence of the epic poem. It will be argued that the film depicts a severely inaccurate chronological sequence and imprecise setting. Besides the mentioned, this writing will begin by scrutinizing the events in both the movie and the poem, and mentioning various archaeological evidences to testify their existence. Summarizing, there will be supported statements that will unveil the truth about Troy.

Mythology is the traditions that have been passed down orally, among a culture, for many generations. Myths can include several different elements, often varying slightly. Most include fantasy or unnatural characters, such as monsters, dragons, gods and goddesses. Myths generally tell a story which is the basis for many beliefs among a culture. Greek and Roman myths encompass the gods that the cultures worship. Myths often serve to teach a lesson or play on superstitions. The origin is unknown and because it has been handed down orally, there are variations in the story. The story often travels around to other cultures also. This leads to similar myths among cultures. Similar situations and characters

Homer’s Iliad does not fail to portray the role of the gods in the Trojan war and it also includes several magical elements within the poem. However, in the 2004 movie Troy, these significant elements are rather neglected. In addition, some of the history of the characters are changed in the film, resulting in a change of plot. Nevertheless, the portrayal of the characters, gods and magical elements in the epic and the film differentiate from each other in a multitude of ways. The differences between the two are definitely worth pointing out and discussing.

Barry Strauss, professor of classics at Cornell University attempts to redefine a one of history’s biggest love affairs, the Trojan War. Strauss explains how certain events and characters from Homers “The Odyssey” might have actually existed, but also uses modern discoveries from the Bronze Age to compare Homers account to those of Egypt, the Middle East, and etc. While Homer’s epic should not be read as a historical document which recounts the Trojan War hundred percent accurately, it can still be seen as document which embodies some historical truth. The novel as a whole explains the customs, economic standing, fighting styles and beliefs of the Greeks. Strauss’s writing style allows for the book to be accessible to both students and historians. He argues that just like Franz Ferdinand was the spark which ignited World War 1, Helen on the other hand was just a spark which escalated an existing tension between the Greeks and Trojans. Strauss’s personal input on the war itself gives the novel a different outlook on the Trojan War because, it allows for readers to see beyond the facts and make connections with ideas that Strauss had made with recent discoveries and Homers epic.

Regardless of the time frame, Virgil’s Aeneid and Homer’s epic the Iliad share both a copious amount of similarities and differences. For example, many common themes such as heroism, fate, and destiny are apparent in both works. Within the Aeneid and the Iliad, it is seen that the wars going on during that time were glorious that is why the role of gods were significant in leading both Aeneas and Achilles and influencing fate. In both texts, it is clear from the beginning that the role of the gods is to make Aeneas and Achilles fulfill their journey The Iliad focuses on the end of the Trojan War and the damaging power, while the Aeneid is focused during the aftermath of the war and underlies the foundation for the new civilization. This paper will address and argue the comparison of the role of gods and how each of the authors representation of the gods have influence on the lives of mortals.

​When you think of two ancient kingdoms, you think of Troy and Sparta. In Greek mythology the Trojan War was again the city of troy which are the Greeks. There are many differences between the movie Troy and the book lliad. In the book you were able to get a visual understanding of what was going on. The book was very specific about what happened. In actuality it took them 10 years to finish the book. In movie was finished in 2 weeks. This war was one of the most important events in Greek mythology. One difference that saw within the movie and book was the in the book they talked about the gods a lot. In the movie you don’t really hear or see of them. The only goddess we see is Thetis, this is because she was there to warn Achilles that if he fights the Trojan War he