The Oxford English Dictionary defines tyranny as, “cruel and oppressive government or rule.” In Archaic Greece, however, tyranny held a different meaning, i.e. rule by an absolute leader. A prominent Classicist Antony Andrewes elaborated on the characteristics of tyrannies and set up some ground requirements for a regime to be labelled a tyrannical one: existing aristocracy, rise of an outsider to power, reliance on physical force and so forth. Polykrates is the absolute head of Samos, he came to power after an insurrection, he waged wars with many Greek city states and enforced an oppressive regime. However, Polykrates also developed infrastructure, promoted the arts and established friendly relationship with some Greek city states and fought …show more content…
Polykrates killed one of his brothers and banished the other one to keep the throne to himself. He also embarked on a colonizing mission subsequently, and captured “a great number of the islands and many towns on the mainland as well, and among his conquests were the people of Lesbos, whom he vanquished with his fleet when they had gone out in full force to help the Milesians” (Hdt.. P. 225). Polykrates’ fame and power grew after he was victorious on all of his endeavors. A tyrant’s regimes thrives under fear generated by the use of physical force. In Polykrates’ case, his good fortune heavily influenced the outcomes of his colonizing campaigns. By winning these campaign by exercising immense physical force of his army, penteconters and mercenaries, Polykrates established his …show more content…
Andrewes mentions “connections with other tyrants” as one of his characteristics of tyranny and in Herodotus we can find several evidences to support this claim. Polykrates is friends with Amasis, the king of Egypt and with Cambyses of Cyrus. Cambyses was already waging war with Egypt when Amasis and Polykrates were friends (Hdt. P. 224). After Amasis and Polykrates cease being friends, Polykrates supports Cambyses’ mission against Egypt. Cambyses, in return helps Polykrates by sending troops to fight against the Samian exiles. Hence, once the relationship between Amasis and Polykrates turns sour, it is natural for Polykrates to help Cambyses’ mission against Egypt in retribution. Herodotus’ accounts of Polykrates’ friendship with other tyrants is credible because tyrants come into power through force and it would be sensible for tyrants to establish friendly relationship with other tyrants and kings for help during political uprising and colonizing
In Sophocles’ Antigone, Creon wants Polyneices to remain unburied throughout eternity for fighting against Thebes. As a proud leader of the nation Thebes, Creon takes any action against his country to the heart. Polyneices fought against Thebes in an army titled the Seven Against Thebes while his brother Eteocles fought for the other side. Both were killed in combat, but only Eteocles was viewed as a hero by Creon. Creon’s role in the play remains static until the end, because he is to his word and an overly confident leader.
Alexander’s empire stretched from the Aegean Sea to the Indus River. (Doc. 3) The land he controlled had many different terrains and would have been different to obtain, but Alexander’s desire to control the “whole world” consumed him. Even when he controlled a large amount of land, he still wanted to gain more and more. (Doc. 2) With a feather-plumed helmet and himself on a horse in the very front of every battle, Alexander made himself an easy target for enemies. (Doc. 6) This is a brave and courageous gesture he made every battle and he knew the dangers of doing that, but still did it anyway. Alexander’s vast land he conquered connected many of these cities and eventually created the Hellenistic Era. In the city of Persepolis, Alexander took over and added it to his collection of cities he now controlled. (Doc. 4) Both saying positives and negatives about Alexander, the document remain
Antigone is the sister of Eteocles and Polyneices. Both Eteocles and Polyneices agree to jointly rule Thebes as mutual kings. After one year, Polynices distrusts his brother, resulting in Polyneices fleeing from Thebes, only to later return with an army. In the battle, both sides are massacred. Eteocles and Polyneices kill one another, consequently giving their power up as king to in Creon, Antigone’s uncle. As acting king, Creon orders that, “Eteocles who died as a man should die, fighting for his country, is to be buried with full military honors, with all the ceremony that is usual when the greatest heros die” (Sophocles, line 160). As for Polyneices, Creon passes a law for Polyneices to be left unburied, to rot for every citizen to witness. Antigone viewed this law as immoral and unjust, for one brother to be buried with military honor and not the other. Antigone, expressing her love for Polynices, rises against Creon's higher authority command
Antigone by Sophocles is a dramatic play about the king of Thebes, Kreon, and his quest for absolute power. Like any other man, Kreon was not born with power, but his access to power prompted him for supremacy. Kreon as a tyrant, seeks to gain power over others despotically as demonstrated in the laws that he makes, in his objection of consultation, and in his conversation with Teiresias. Kreon’s moment of true power begins when he introduces his laws and principles after gaining the throne of Thebes.
Leading up to the point of her death, Antigone resisted Kreon’s (the king) decision to leave her brother, Polyneices to die in the open with his remains picked upon by stray animals. According to Kreon, Polyneices was a traitor to the city after being defeated by his brother (who was also killed in a duel) in a war over the throne. Kreon used the law as his
In Antigone, Polyneices’ rebellious battle against his brother, Eteocles, the King of Thebes, resulted in the death of both brothers, and left Kreon as the new King of Thebes. Because of Polyneices’ rebellion, Kreon created a law
Eteocles and Polyneices are brothers of Antigone and Ismene; nephews of the current king of Thebes, Creon. Eteocles, who was the king after Oedipus, banished his brother. Polyneices returned fighting. Eventually, they killed each other. Creon crowns himself the king. He issues edicts proclaiming that Eteocles receives a burial with honors while Polyneices was to
Plutarch’s portrayal of Alexander as a just king is challenged by the infamous destruction of Thebes. Alexander leading his army to destroy Thebes and massacre its population is characteristic of a cruel tyrant, not a just king. To resolve this, Plutarch describes Alexander as “wishing to give her still a chance to repent of what she had done, he merely demanded the surrender of Phoenix and Prothytes and proclaimed an amnesty
Greco-Roman mythology is rich in names, characters, and events. Dozens of gods, goddesses, and mortal women and men participate in a variety of activities that reflect or exemplify behaviors and power relations in Greek and Roman societies. A wealth of literature was written about the relationships between mortals and immortals in Greco-Roman mythology. Much was written and said about the place humans occupy in the complex mythical hierarchies. However, the role and place of women remain the topic of the hot literary debate. In Greco-Roman mythology, the image of woman is always
In Greece, monarchies were found when the Mycenaeans ruled Greece during the period 2000 to 1100 BC. Monarchy is defined as a system of government where a single ruler has supreme power. The word “monarchy” comes from the Greek words “monos” meaning “single” and “archo” meaning “rule”. This single ruler, known as a king, ruled for life and passed the rule on to his heir when he died. The most famous monarchy was that of King Alexandra of Macedonia who ruled all of Greece from 336 BC.
Polynices fought against his own country and created chaos in Thebes. In addition Polynices murdered his own brother and caused his family damage. The old wise men of Thebes, the Chroagos, mention that Polynices was traitor to his own born country and he killed his brother Etocles also said by the Chroagos, “He Polynices made war with his country and Etocles defended it” (204). Polynices not only made war to Thebes, but he also killed his brother Etocles the king of Thebes. Polynices completely destroyed his family.
It was usually a tyranny, a form of monarchy or a select group of people. The Greek states could either be ruled by a single individual, such as monarchs and tyrants, or a select group of people, an oligarchy, or every male citizen, which was a democracy. Also the idea of a democracy was regarded as the Greeks' greatest contribution to civilizations of today. But actually monarchies were rare and often not distinguished from a tyranny unless the hereditary ruler was really kind and ruled in the interest of his people rather than himself. But tyrants were not necessarily considered evil, rather they were considered rulers that were just looking out for themselves.“The most famous monarchies were the states of Macedonia and Epiros, where the ruler shared power with an assembly of people” (Cartwright). The Ancient Greek government went through a lot of changes, but, unlike the government, the military stayed
It is when the power changes to another by force instead of inheritance. It wasn’t really uncommon in many places in Greece to have tyrants who were even praised and loved by their own people, because not tyrants were bad as we imagine them today. According to Mark Cartwright “Pesisistratos in Athens (from c. 560 BCE) - a typical benevolent tyrant who actually paved the way for democracy” were not a typical form of tyranny which we come to think of today. Come to think of it, it there is a ruler in a city who has made things worse for its subjugates and an able ruler throws him off and takes care of its city and population would be
Thebes was invaded by Oedipus’ son, Polynices, and his followers. As Oedipus predicted in the previous play, Polynices and his brother, Eteocles, killed each other during battle. Creon, the king of Thebes, ruled that Eteocles should have a proper burial with honors and Polynices, the invader, be left unburied to rot.
Antigone is the daughter of Oedipus, the king that married his own mother, Locaste and unwittingly killed his father, Laios. When he learned what he had done, he blinded himself and left Thebes, voluntarily went into self-style exile and died over there. Antigone and Ismene are siblings, the only surviving children of Oedipus. The other two brothers Polyneices and Eteocles quarreled and killed each other in a battle when Polyneices returned to assault Thebes, then Creon, Antigone uncle became the king of Thebes being the only heir in line to the throne. Creon ordered Polyneices be left to rot unburied on the battle field as a traitor but Antigone could not see reason to let her brothers body rot unburied. Antigone