The negative connotation that follows both women has risen from a cultural concern about the beauty of women and their sexuality. Pandora did not follow the traditional role of what a woman should be by the Greek standards except for the inherent negative attributes that all women possessed. She was paradigm for everything that could be considered bad about a woman, which resulted in the attitude men had towards women during the Greek period. Hesiod captured the creation of the first woman on earth named Pandora. In the myth of Pandora the very source of her creation was based on Zeus’vengeance against Prometheus. The Olympians gave her many gifts; however, these gifts were not associated with the good things of the world. The gifts that were given to Pandora were considered to be negative attributes that women possessed and eventually they would lead to destruction. The first of her gifts were beauty, grace and desire that were given by Aphrodite, which eludes to the destructive beauty that women have. Similar to Helen of Troy, the myth of Pandora is credited for the inherent nature of destruction that women cause because of their physical appearance. The second gift that was bestowed upon Pandora was a devious tongue and cunning by Hermes. Athena gave her the gift of skill with her hands, while Poseidon and Apollo gave her a pearl necklace that would prevent her from drowning and the ability to sing and
Just as Eve was very important to the Christians, especially women, the planet of Pandora, was of grave importance to the ancient Greek, as the name was an allusion to Greek mythology. Like Eve, Pandora was the first woman, and person primarily responsible for unleashing affliction upon human beings, although in both cases the gods deserve at least some of the blame, since humankind was created by them as being curious and gave them full access to the materials that would bring them to their
The myth of Pandora starts with two brothers, Epimetheus and Prometheus, who were Titans that tasked themselves as spokespeople for their creation from clay: mankind. Epimetheus was in charge of creating the creatures that were to roam the Earth while Prometheus was to distribute them. While most animals were armed or protected by their physical attributes, man stood alone naked and bear to all those that may attack. Thus, Prometheus, the mischevious of the two, deceived Zeus one day into giving mankind the best portion of a sacrificed bull, leaving behind bare bones and fats for the gods. Outraged and offended, Zeus then took the gift of fire away from mankind to leave them in the cold and darkness. However, Prometheus once again outwitted Zeus and stole unwearying fire for men to have the intelligence necessary to sustain their lives. As punishment, Zeus chained Prometheus to a rock in Caucasus where an eagle ripped apart and devoured his liver every day, which then regenerated each nightfall as result of his immortality. Although Prometheus caused him the most angst, Zeus believed the kind-hearted Epimetheus deserved to struggle as well in a form that would not only punish him but also the brothers’ creation of mankind. Zeus called out for Hephaestus to construct the most beautiful, intelligent, and brave women named Pandora to be the new companion of Epimetheus in place of Prometheus. However, he also graced her with one other quality: curiosity. So, Zeus delivered his
There are many allusions to Pandora in modern day life. In this report I will be writing about all of the different ways Pandora is incorporated in todays society. Pandora was the first woman on earth and she was created by Zeus as a punishment to Prometheus. Zeus gave Pandora and a box to Epimetheus and told him not to open it. Pandora and Epimetheus lived a happy life together in a world where no one grew old or sick. Later in life Pandora grew curious and she opened the box releasing hate, jealousy, cruelty, anger, hunger, poverty, pain, sickness, old age, and death into the world. With all of the horrible things, one good thing came out of the box, that thing was Hope. Hope made it possible for humans to have a chance at happiness.
George Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue is one of those timeless classics that is instantly recognizable to many people’s ears today, even ninety years after it was first introduced to the world. It is a piece that has found its way into contemporary movies and advertisements, making it likely as recognizable as Chopin’s Funeral March or Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony. But unlike these two pieces of iconic classical music, Rhapsody in Blue “resists classification.”1 In it are elements of classical music, blues and jazz, making it at once “Gershwin’s most famous piece” but also “possibly his least understood composition.”2 Indeed, while Rhapsody became a popular hit in the
'' Prometheus And The First People '' is a historical work of art written by Olivia E. Coolidge. What the Greeks believe at the time man was created there was no sorrow or wicked ways, a war was unknown to man. Zeus entrusted their creation to two brothers, Prometheus and Epimetheus. Epimetheus took over all things but got forced to appeal to Prometheus for help. Prometheus later was tortured by Zeus for making humankind like the gods. After centuries Prometheus was released and him, along with the other gods created woman. Then flooded the earth to kill all evil. This essay will examine, '' Prometheus And The First People '' by Oliva E. Coolidge and how the author has used literary elements in creating this detailed story.
The stories that as a whole make up the body of ancient Greek mythology have treatedthe complex subject of women in various ways. Although women are generally considered to beweak and subordinate to their husbands, there exist some examples of strong, even heroic womenin certain myths. Such “extraordinary” women include Deianeira, Phaedra, Medea, Penelope,and Clytemnestra, among others. This discussion of women will focus on the latter two,comparing and contrasting them and addressing the ways in which the former is often considereda “good” wife and the latter a “bad” wife. The comparison of Penelope and Clytemnestra willultimately show that, in certain ways, the line between “good” and “bad” wife is rather blurryand the distinction between husband-killing monster and devoted, faithful wife is not as clear-cutas one might expect.The major works in which Penelope and Clytemnestra appear are Homer’s Odyssey andAeschylus’ Oresteia, particularly the Agamemnon. One of the first things to notice about theseworks is that they were both written by men, for men. Given the ancient Greek context, this is arather obvious observation, but it deserves to be pointed out because it should be expected thatmen would have a biased view of women. Hesiod’s Theogony and Works and Days describe thecreation of Pandora, the first of “the race of women”, as a gift and punishment from the gods.While she is made to “look like a goddess immortal, / having the lovely, desirable shape of a
“Zeus, angry with Prometheus for stealing fire and giving it to man, had the gods create another gift, a woman of great beauty and evil, from whom womankind is descended… she opens a jar from which pains and evils escape, leaving only hope caught within the lid.”(Murray 91). Murray shows the direct link between the actions of Prometheus and Pandora, as does Hesiod, but Murray accomplishes this actively through analysis of the events, whereas Hesiod does so in an additional passive sense, through the use of structure in the Theogony.
The story of Pandora is one of the main stories mentioned in Works and Days. Pandora was created as a punishment for men by Zeus because Prometheus tricked Zeus and stole back the gift of fire after Zeus deprived mankind from it. Hence, he ordered Hephaestus to craft a creature out of clay that Athena then supplied with ‘womanly skill’ of weaving while Aphrodite was in charge of ‘pouring grace’ desire and heartbreak. Hermes added ‘thievish nature’ and the ‘mind of a bitch.’ Since she was given all these gifts
The excerpt from Hesiod’s text illustrates different characters who serve a myriad of purposes. There are 3 main characters in the text Zeus, Hephaestus and Hermes. Zeus orders the creation of the first woman, Pandora, and commands Olympians to present Pandora with gifts. Hephaestus crafts Pandora because of Zeus’s orders. Hermes provided Pandora with “a deceitful nature,” (Hesiod) and delivered her to Epimetheus. There are other characters with minor roles in the text. The most important character is Zeus, because he was orchestrating the whole event. He assigned tasks to the Olympians and all the other characters were just following his command.
Prometheus is given a (possibly) eternal torment, to be chained to a column and have his liver torn out daily. His brother Epimetheus is given what we may infer is punishment of comparable magnitude: the first woman. In the Works and Days, we learn she is called Pandora, "The Gift of All." This gift comes with many alluring qualities: she looks "like a goddess immortal, having the lovely shape of a virgin," she is taught by Athena weaving, and Aphrodite has"shed on her charm, …mak[ing] her an object of painful love and exhausting desire" (Theogony, 62-66). She is dressed by Athena in a "silver-white gown (575) and adorned by the Graces and "our Lady Persuasion" with golden necklaces, and crowned by Horai with flowers, as well as an intricately crafted golden crown, which, while a "marvel to look at," depicts "terrible monsters." And if these charms aren’t enough to lure a man into the clutches of woman, men who do not marry and have progeny are doomed to "baneful old age with no one to care for his needs,"(604-5) and his collateral heirs will divide his goods.
In this passage, I couldn’t help but think of the similarities between Helen and another mythological woman, Pandora. Both women are a beautiful evil. They both unleashed horrors and sorrows in their own way. Pandora unleashed them onto the world as a
Prometheus was a figure in Greek mythology who created the conflict between mankind and the God’s. Prometheus one day decided to steal fire from the sun and give it to the people for their advantage. Mankind then had the ability to create tools and weapons. Prometheus was then punished by the God’s and was chained to a rock where he was visited by an
1. Compare Pandora's original business model with its current business model. What's the difference between "free" and "freemium" revenue models?