TMA3
‘In Rome myth was primarily a public and political tool.’ Do you agree with this statement?
For this essay I wanted to first look into the political aspects of early Rome and explore whether myth was primarily a political tool for power and wealth, starting with the foundation myths of Augustus, I came across a quote “Emperors exploited myths and mythical characters to promote their images and values” (Block 2 pg. 153) and wanted to see weather myth had any involvement in how politician’s first ruled early Rome. I will also look in to Emperor Nero and see how he used myth as a tool to gain public support from his people, and explore how myth had an impact on both men to gain political power and respect. I will then look into
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(http://didanese.deviantart.com/journal/My-favorite-emperor-quot-NERO-quot-228740816). Nero was good at manipulating myths to gain popularity from the lower-class who supported his political ideas and actions; they believed that Nero was one of them as he would treat the elite different and even ignore and humiliate them (block 2 pg. 139).
For the second section of my essay I wanted to see if myth was primarily a public tool for different social groups and see weather which social groups shared the same perspectives on myth. Or if myth was not primarily a public tool, what other roles did it fulfil in the Roman Empire. “Roman culture, including Roman mythology, often borrows elements from other cultures such as the Etruscans and the Greeks”. “The Romans borrowed elements of religion, government, and lifestyle”. (http://www.mhhe.com/mayfieldpub/mythology/instructors_resources/harrispt1ch18.pdf).
The elite social group used myth as a ranking of status to show their knowledge of the past and to how well educated they were. Lavish house parties were a regular part of the elite’s life, and they use their wealth to demonstrate their knowledge of myth to entertain guests, bringing theatre into the home. In primary source 2.19 a dinner party hosted by Trimalchio was a lavish over the top event in which to show off his wealth and knowledge of ancient myth. He had many decorative items with illustrated
It is difficult to say anything with much certainty about the early days of Roman religion, in part because later Romans viewed the recording of history itself to be closely related to religious practice and mythology. Furthermore, according to Rüpke, part of the reason why the Romans lacked the variety of colorful myths possessed by the Greeks is that a significant amount of their understanding of how the world came to be and their place in it comes from their telling of the history of their city (222). For example, the story of Romulus and Remus reads like one of the Greek myths about the gods more that it does history,
Nero and Tiberius were two leaders who were liked by the public. Both starting their reigns young, Nero and Tiberius accomplished many things. Gaining the public’s eye, Nero gave Claudius a lavish funeral and personally delivered the oration in person. He founded a colony at Antium consisting of praetorian veterans, he gave the public an immense variety of entertainments, and even introduced his own style of architecture. These accomplishments all played a role in how the public adored him. Giving the public positive ideas will gain their trust, but unfortunately, he does not keep their trust. As Nero became older, his accomplishments became less and less, he began turning into someone who was in it for the money. His turning point was when he bankrupted Rome, once this happened Nero was neither trusted or liked.
Myth is a body of story that matters—the patterns present in mythology run deeply in the human psyche
The Ancient Greeks believed in many gods and heroes during their time. Each one had a sole purpose in a mortal’s lifetime. Greek mythology had a huge impact on religion in Ancient Greece. The Greeks performed rituals in order to honor their gods. Mythology affected the Ancient Greeks in many ways. The origins of mythology, the influences of mythology through a human’s lifetime and lessons taught in the ancient myths will be examined.
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
A myth is a conventional or ancient chronicle, normally regarding some existence or brave man or event, which can or cannot be a determinable foundation of reality or a standard description, mainly one that is related with God and Goddess’ or demigods and describes some implementation, ceremony, or event of the natural world. In an Australian modern context a myth is created based on peoples perception, their attitude towards stereotypes and how they reacted to other peoples view and form there own. A lot of myths that are created whether it be in a modern context or in past lives can now be denoted as false just due to the fact that there is so much scientific research now that can do this. A Social
Nero’s rise to power was a “long road full of treachery.” (T.V.) It was also full of change such as his name he was not always know as Nero his name was Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus until his dad had died and his mom married her widowed uncle, who was the emperor of the time, and they changed it to Nero Claudius Divi Claudius Filius Caesar Agustus Germanicus. Later she convinced him to name Nero heir to the throne and allow him take his daughter Octavia as his wife. His adopted brother was reaching age to take the throne but he mysteriously died, “Many suspect that Nero poisoned him.” (biograpy.com, 2017) So, as one can see Nero was a very shady character who would stop at nothing to seize and hold the throne.
The authors provide background to explain why the kind of leaders were being portrayed during that time. They also explain how the people idolized these traits in stories because it was rare to see and read.
“Without a knowledge of mythology much of the elegant literature of our own language cannot be understood and appreciated”2. Ancient mythology is heavily embedded into our modern culture and forms of entertainment. Movies about heroism, tragedy and futuristic societies are, more or less, adaptation of old stories extracted from various poetry, literature, and narratives. Some inspirations come from religious books, Shakespearean works and cultural myths. Disney movies, enjoyed by children and adults alike, is a prime example of how antiquity permeates through modern media. The classic 1994 animated musical1, The Lion King, reflects integration of works such as: William Shakespeare's Hamlet, and stories from the Bible. The movie is analyzed
In examining the histories presented by Livy and Tacitus, it is crucial to take into account the agendas of the respective authors. While both set out to portray as accurate of a historical representation as possible, it is evident that both renowned historians and rhetoricians intended to deliver several significant messages regarding their thoughts on Rome. Both authors do, indeed, acknowledge the greatness of Rome and champion the core of Roman values; however, Livy and Tacitus tactfully elaborate on different troubles that face the Roman Empire. The histories put forth by these great men aim to present the past as an aid to promote
Myths had a impertinent role in Greek civilization. For the sake of this rhetorical analysis a myth is a story featuring an epic hero typically a demigod who endures a journey with interpersonal and external conflicts further amplified by supernatural adversaries with powers intent on destroying or weakening them. Often these epic heroes reflect or touch on the struggles of humanity, and explain natural phenomena in quest. Evidently implied, Greek Heroes are the unrivaled embodiment of pathos,ethos,and logos the greek ideals of impulsivity (pathos), image (ethos), and rationality (logos) or the three modes of argument. Greek leaders supposedly were balanced in all three modes of human argument discerning howbeit necessary to use one's emotions, logic, or credibility to resolve issues and convey messages. Upon close inspection of Homer's Iliad, I choose to believe it was the power of myth and the ideal of the Epic Hero that created the criteria for Greek Leadership.
The history of Greek mythology is an extravagant chronicle of tales of heroism, tragedy, and tradition. The Greeks had an extreme talent with fine arts, and these abilities are strongly reflected in their
Myths are stories describing the activities of the gods and larger than life humans, which were manipulated for different functions to highlight different values and ideologies resulting in different versions. I agree with the statement and will argue that Roman foundation myths and Hippolytus myth were used by ancient societies to bind its members into a cohesive unit. This essay will explore the ways in which myths brought members of an ancient society together by instilling and reinforcing civic identity and pride, explore how the role of myths defined, unified and divided Roman society, and discuss how myths were used to reinforce social conventions whilst allowing exploration of social tensions and issues. I will be referring to the primary
myths were sacred in the Greek culture and it helped people figure out how everything was
Mythos, the Greek word for myth means story, appertain to colorful tales that enlightens about the origins of humans and the universe. Myths, as amazing as it sounds, is also a cause for birth of new religions, where and how they originated. Many cultures have myths about how the gods and goddesses came to be, even elucidating the origin of humanity and its traditions. Even ideas about how this world of ours came to existence have many myths, creation myths behind it, disparate in every culture and society, which demonstrates a view on its role in the world. Mythology is simply the study of the myth. There are many psychological theories and meanings that explicate mythology. The most recurrent belief about the psychological value of myth is that myths emblematize contrasting elements of our own psyches or souls. The psychoanalytical frames of reference on myths have indisputably been ineluctable. Myths were and still are progressively seen as expressions of desideratum in the human psyche. But the big question is, what is the beneficence of mythology towards the amelioration of society? If there are myths to decipher or exhibit certain things, character or situations, there also are science and technology, which accommodate every explanation needed to understand each of those things. Many go to science for such interpretation, which conveys the impression of taking care of the signification behind all those natural phenomena,