Myths, Meaning and Movies

M.F.C 2122

Essay

Liam Whetstone

Control (2007) Directed by: Anton Corbijin

Staring: Sam Riley and Samantha Morton

Screenplay Written by: Matt Greenhalgh :

Based on the book (Touching from a Distance) by Debbie Curtis

(Format-1 Explore the Hero journey stages discussing all the required aspects (mythic themes, characters, film text, symbolism etc) as you relate them relate them to each individual stage of the model.)

(if we hope to live not just from moment to moment, but in true consciousness of our existence, then our greatest need and most difficult achievement is to find meaning in our lives. It is well known how many people have lost the will to live and have stopped trying, because such meaning has evaded them. ) (Bettelheim 1991, Penguin Edition p, 3)

The eponymous character the hero Ian Curtis whose journey will be explored in this essay is a search to find meaning in life as outlined by Bettelheim. Certain elements concerning the protagonist and the narrative do manage to comply with the theories used to chart this tale. Whereas other aspects are highly unorthodox and refuse to conform to such accepted notions. The model as outlined by Vogler is adapted to the narrative of the film, and the central characters psychological journey. In order to ascertain the meanings contained within this film attention will be given to the symbolism, whilst relevant myths will be contrasted at appropriate junctures. The two that are discussed in connection with Ian are the myths of Sisyphus and Narcissus. (May 1993 p.108-125 &144-147) provides a useful exploration of both these tragic myths. Rollo May states in his book The Cry for Myth that (myths are narrative patterns that give significance to our existence) (1993p15), and that (Myths are our way of finding this meaning and significance) (ibid) Rollo May’s point is reinforced by the central theme of the film.

Ian begins his journey in, his ordinary world Vogler explains that (The Ordinary world of most heroes is a static but unstable condition) (Vogler 2007p.99). This could defiantly be said for Ian’s. Although the opening scene of the film involves the hero seated in his bedroom the story really begins in the second scene of the film, prior to setting out on his Sisyphus like journey of futile labour into the underworld, as discussed by (Camus 2000 edition p 107). The film is in black and white this assists in emphasising its dark narcissistic undertones. The hero is seated in front of his bed; the room is very bare. This could be interpreted as a symbolic metaphor of the hero’s bleak outlook on life. The opening line in the film is “Existence what does it matter” a line from one of Ian’s lyrics. This indicates to the viewer that Ian is not happy.

Ian is not an archetypal hero but an anti hero. (See Vogler 2007, preface xxi and p 34. Vogler states that there are loner heroes and tragic heroes and Ian could be seen as either of these types. His story begins with his walking home after another day at school. The streets he is walking down on his way home appear to the audience as very bleak bleaker than his room. His world seems to be very ordinary. As he approaches his house some kids are playing with a football. They kick it to him but he refuses to kick it back. This is not out of meanness or ignorance it’s more to do with Ian’s general feeling of “what’s the point”. If he kicked the ball back to them they would only kick it back to him. The way this scene is cinematically structured emphases the monotony of Ian’s life which consists of going to school and coming home again. This monotony encourages him to eventually leave this ordinary world. His first call to adventure occurs when he is introduced to Debbie. One of his mates brings her to his room. His mundane life is made less ordinary when he meets her. The only things in his room are a table and his bed. This bleak environment in which Ian lives is a reflection of his depressed state of mind.

Sisyphus rolled the boulder up a hill only for it to roll back down so he could role it back up again. This could be a mind numbing experience. Or it could be possible that he enjoys routine, Ian does not seem to enjoy his routine. The myth of Sisyphus is as a metaphor for the fruitlessness of human life and human existence. As Ian Control’s hero undertakes a psychological journey in a vain search for meaning in his life, this myth ties in with the main theme of the film the vanity “pointlessness” of life. The idea of the ecclesiasts effect as outlined by Colin Wilson in Super Consciousness 2009,p 20)( It seemed to me that the prophet Ecclesiastes had recognised the truth about human existence when he said “Vanity of vanities all is vanity ). As Camus states that (we must imagine Sisyphus happy) In his discussion of the Myth of Sisyphus, ( 2000 Penguin Edition p111) this could be applied to Ian’s band mates, and Joy Division’s manager Rob Gretton. However constant routine has a torturous effect on Ian’s conscious. Although Ian despises routine he fails in his endeavours to escape repetition. Even though he is constantly trying to escape from his grey home town ofMacclesfield. However it should be noted that Ian is not exactly the same as Sisyphus.

Vogler states that (The Call to Adventure may summon a hero with temptation, such as the allure of an exotic travel poster or the sight of a potential lover. It could be the glint of gold, the rumour of treasure, the siren song of ambition) (2007p. 100) it could be argued that Ian experiences several calls to adventure. (Since many stories operate on more than one level, a story can have more than one Call to Adventure Vogler 2007 p103.). One possible call to adventure occurs when he sees the Sex Pistols performing With Debbie, who at this point in the narrative is his girlfriend.

In the scene after this gig he asks a local band if they are looking for a singer. It could also be argued that another call to adventure occurs earlier in the film, in a scene involving two of Ian’s friends visiting him in his bleak bedroom. The two people who visit him are his school mate and his girlfriend Debbie.

It is evident to the viewer that Ian is a very internal person. He seems to be going about his business without noticing his two visitors. However he does offer them a cigarette but he doesn’t look at them he sticks out his arm holding the cigarette packet whilst looking at himself in the mirror. Debbie and her current boyfriend decline the offer. Then Ian says “you can’t be in my gang if you don’t smoke”, Debbie responds by saying “I don’t, wont to be in you’re gang” Ian’s response to this is, ` neither do I`. This is a very significant conversation in the film as it indicates to the audience that Debbie is not too keen on Ian and as the early scenes unfold Ian seemingly forces Debbie into Marriage and motherhood without discussing these important decisions with her.

One significant discourse takes place at the end of the scene. Whilst she is on her way out of the room Debbie notices some writing on the table, there is a shot of some ring binders on Ian’s bedside table, later in the scene there is a medium close up of Debbie’s face as she asks Ian a question. Then the camera cuts to a medium close up of Ian’s face, whilst he is sat on the bed with a cigarette in his hand, as he responds. She asks Ian who the writer is and he replies `who do you think`. Then she leaves the room, and the scene ends. It is unclear to Ian what is true call to adventure is. He has an interest in music this is illustrated by the film when a David Bowie song is heard in the second scene Ian also has a photo ofBowie on his bedroom wall and attends gigs. Another thing that should be noted from this second scene is the shot of the ring binders on his bedside table and shelf they are labelled poetry and lyrics. This indicates that he is interested in poems. Eventually he becomes the lyricist and singer of Joy Division. The way the hero feels at the out set of the film is reflected in the myth of Sisyphus as he constantly roles that boulder up the hill only for it to roll back down again. Rollo May discusses the story of Sisyphus (1991 144-147).This story could be described as a metaphor for life as Ian sees it. He feels condemned to the monotony of Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday.

In the early scenes of the film there isn’t a clear refusal of any call to adventure, it could be argued that Ian should not have married Debbie in the first 13minuetes of the film. Vogler states that (When the Call is a temptation to evil or a summons to disaster the hero is wise to say no) (Vogler 2007p. 109).It could be argued that, Ian immediately accepts every call and begins several troublesome hero journeys. The first call to adventure that Ian accepts is his job working at the employment exchange.In an early scene involving a consultation with a client with downs syndrome, the audience gets the impression that this job helping people gives Ian a grounded sense of purpose. Ian’s behaviour gives the audience the impression that he is constantly on the look out for calls to adventure, things to give him a sense of fulfilment.

Ian then meets his mentor Rob Gretton, in a scene following the bands first gig(Meeting with the mentor is the stage of the hero journey in which the hero gains the supplies, knowledge and confidence needed to overcome fear and commence the adventure) (Vogler 2007,p 117.). After the performance Rob has a conversation with the band backstage. During this scene Rob offers to be the bands manager, and informs them that he would be able to book them gigs at significant venues. At the end of the scene he leaves his business card with the band and suggests that they telephone him.

(Vogler 2007 p. 128) states that (Internal events might trigger a threshold crossing as well heroes come to decision points where there very soles are at stake, where they must decide “Do I go on living my life as I always have, or will I risk everything in an effort to grow and change?”) Ian crosses his first threshold when he contacts his mentor Rob Gretton, the morning following their discussion. In this sequence Ian phones Rob and accepts his offer to be the bands manager, the heroes mentor seems satisfied with this. Then Ian’s hero journey as a rock star begins, with the bands first gig with Rob as their manager taking place in London. In this sequence there is no audience, yet another bleak setting that the hero finds himself in. Nearly every setting the hero is seen in is extremely bare Corbijn has chosen to place the protagonist in these bleak settings, this has symbolic significance as it indicates to the audience that Ian is an outsider, and has a significantly different mindset to the other characters. The lyric in the song the band are performing includes the line “yea we wasted our time”. It is in this scene that Ian is diagnosed with epilepsy. The band are driving back up to Macclesfield from London, their car is the on a disserted road. There is sequence in which Ian asks to borrow a sleeping bag from Bernard the two characters fight over the sleeping bag. The altercation ends with Ian having his first epileptic fit. A sequence follows this in which the band are waiting in a hospital, Rob the hero’s mentor informs the other band members that the doctors have diagnosed Ian with epilepsy. Epilepsy or the death sickness, as it was called in ancient Greece this was seen as a curse or a blessing from Apollo (http://ancienthistory.about.com/b/2006/11/24/morbus-comitialis-epilepsy.htm). In Ian’s case it certainly wasn’t a blessing.

Ian’s Threshold Guardian is Tony Wilson owner of record label factory who Joy Division eventually sign to, signing to a record label enables the protagonist to finally cross the second threshold that really puts the band into the music business. Vogler explains that (Successful heroes learn to recognise Threshold Guardians not as threatening enemies but as useful allies and early indicators that new power or success is coming) 2007p52).It is not clear who the films Herald character is, Shapeshifter, Shadow or Trickster characters are. However some of the supporting characters do display elements of two of these archetypes in their actions during the films narrative.

Ian then encounters his, Tests, Allies and Enemies Vogler states that (The most important function of this period of adjustment to the special world is testing) (2007.p. 136). His most difficult test is his struggle to deal with the effects of epilepsy. It could understandably be argued that Ian’s main Ally is Debbie his loving wife, devoted mother to Ian’s child Natalie she is literally left holding the baby every time Ian goes on tour.

Other allies that Ian encounters on his journey are his band mates. It could be argued that the hero’s most significant Antagonist is Annik who he meets whilst on tour in Europe. The mythic characters that she could be linked to are Nemesis (the retribution which falls on the justly disapproved) (Grant 1994 p68) and Medusa (Perseus passed through lands filled with the rigged shapes of animals and men, who had looked upon Medusa’s face and been turned to stone) (Grant 1994 p395). It could also be argued that Annik is the character who finally ruins Ian’s life and finally “turns him to stone”. There is one notable difference between Ian’s relationship with Annik and his relationship with his wife. Annik approaches Ian and almost forces him into a relationship she is the main cause of ordeal and disruption in Ian’s life.

In the first scene the couple have alone together. The audience gets the impression that Ian feels as though his marriage to Debbie was a mistake. This scene involves a conversation about Ian’s recent past with some minor references to the fact that Annik is not really a pres reporter; she works for the Belgian embassy. Annik asks Ian about his wife, and Ian responds in a very matter of fact tone of voice with little evident emotion “My marriage was a mistake”. Annik also asks Ian about Macclesfield his response is “Its grey its miserable, I’ve being trying to escape it my whole life” In this scene he seems contented to be spending time with this girl, but he does seem to be preoccupied with events from his recent past. The scene takes place in the room where the band are staying. The other members are sleeping on sofas in the room whilst the couple are sat on the sofa near the window on the back wall.

In a scene involving him apologising to Debbie at there home Ian informs her that he will end his relationship with Annik as he believes he should. In this scene Ian does seem very emotional, Debbie confronts him about Annik at first he doesn’t respond and Debbie becomes very anxious, When Ian refuses to respond Debbie leaves the house, then there is a medium shot of Ian leaning up against the wall crying. When Debbie re-enters the house he says “I Love you Debbie, I owe you everything” The audience gets the impression that he means this and to some extent it is true, In theory Ian does owe all his achievements to Debbie, his daughter, his house and the fact that she is the one who unselfishly supports him . Debbie could be linked to the mythic character Echo (She longed to address Narcissus, but when he called his companions, from whom he was separated, she could only repeat the ends of his sentences) (Grant 1989p 381). Debbie’s equivalent of this could be that she doesn’t question Ian’s decisions or try to persuade him to act in any particular way. She doesn’t directly confront Ian about being away from her most of the time with the band. Until she discovers Annik`s phone number written on the back of one of Ian’s records.

The film doesn’t really make it clear who Ian’s enemies are. It could be argued that he is his own worst enemy. As Ian’s epilepsy, is triggered when he takes some pills stolen from a pensioner’s house, with a school mate in an early scene. Actions and decisions such as this all culminate in Ian’s supreme ordeal. It should be pointed out that Ian does have a failed suicide attempt in an earlier scene (1:22:44). Alvarez attempted suicide in the same way as Ian. Alvarez survived his overdose of 45 sleeping pills and chose to continue his life after spending time recovering in hospital.(I have to admit that I am a failed suicide. It is a dismal confession to make since nothing, really would seem easier than to take your own life (Alvarez, 1979p, 291). Whereas Ian doesn’t seem to decide that he wants to live, after his suicide attempt. Ian takes an overdose of the pills that have been prescribed to prevent his epileptic attacks. Debbie phones for an ambulance, in the next scene Ian is laying in a hospital bed recovering, having the same experience that Alvarez had. However Ian reacted differently to this.

Ian’s band mates are not aware of his failed suicide attempt, in a scene at a gig just before the band go on stage they are sat in silence and Ian says “I was pised” in a reassuring tone of voice. His band mates were under the impression that Ian had to have is stomach pumped because he was drunk. Apart from these drugs having several side effects, they don’t help.

An inmost cave approached by Ian is of the Courtship and Obstacles variety (Vogler, 2007.p 144) (The approach can be an arena for elaborate courtship and rituals. A romance may develop here, bonding hero and beloved before they encounter the main ordeal) it occurs in the scene involving Ian internally debating whether to leave Annik or to stay with her and divorce Debbie. Who unfortunately is an obstacle to Ian if he is to completely commit himself to the band, he would have to completely exclude Debbie from his life. This scene is towards the end of the film and there is a voiceover of the letter written by Ian to Aniik. There is a sequence of shots of Ian walking down yet another disserted street. Also there is a bleak shot of a telegraph post during this voiceover sequence.

In the same way the band and Annik are obstacles’ obstructing Ian from committing to his wife Debbie. If Ian was to commit completely to the band and Annik or his wife, he must completely leave one of these two lives’ behind. However this decision is his alone, neither his wife nor girlfriend force him to choose one life or the other. But he feels as though he must choose one of these lives. However loosing either of these lives could have a negative effect on his state of mind. If he was to break up with Annik and leave the band He would be left with quite a mundane life. However if he divorced Debbie and, committed to the band and Annik he might have lost his child, ultimately this was an almost impossible decision for Ian to take.

Ian experiences several supreme ordeals; the first of these is struggling to cope with his epilepsy as it spirals out of control. (Vogler, 2007 .p. 166) States that (The Ordeal can be a crisis of the heart. In a story of romance it might be the moment of greatest intimacy, something we all desire yet fear) Another of Ian’s supreme ordeals is his struggle to choose between his wife and his lover. Things start to become too complicated as Ian begins to struggle with the decision of who he should really be with. Eventually he decides that both of these relationships were instigated on the basis of impulsive mistakes. The decision he took to get married in the second scene in the film makes his decision to be in a very casual relationship with Annik morally wrong.

However he did forge a solid relationship with both girls. It was simply because Ian as an individual has made two bad decisions which affect him significantly. This does not necessarily mean that they don’t affect his wife. Although Ian having a Girlfriend does deeply affect his wife Debbie it has a more profound effect on Ian, as he struggles to deicide how to take his life forward.

It could be argued that Ian’s road back begins in a scene in which he visits Rob Gretton with Annik has he has nowhere to stay he asks Rob if they can move in with him. It is in this scene that Debbie phones Rob to ask him where Ian is; during this telephone conversation Debbie informs Rob that she wants to divorce Ian. Rob puts the phone down and informs Ian. The camera cuts to a medium close up of Ian’s face; as he sighs and puts his head down. Having being kicked out of Robs house he moves in with his band mate Bernard Summer, During this scene Ian undergoes a hypnosis, all the supreme ordeals he has experienced in previous scenes flash through his mind as he sits in a chair this experience could have significantly influenced what Ian does in the penultimate scene. In a subsequent scene Ian goes back home to his parents house where he began his journey in the ordinary world in the second scene. In the later scene at his parent’s house he phones Bernard and informs him that he won’t be meeting him for a drink, Instead Ian decides to go home and meet his wife. In this scene, Ian intends to confront his wife in there home and plead with her not to divorce him. Debbie is not expecting to find Ian at home when she arrives home. When this confrontation is unsuccessful , Ian responds in an aggressive tone of voice “ get out I will be gone by the morning” Debbie believes that Ian means he will be gone from the house, as apposed to being gone from the world altogether, evidently upset Debbie leaves the house. With no conception of what Ian is about to do in the following sequence.

In the penultimate scene of the film Ian writes a note in the house he bought with his wife Debbie. He leaves the note on the mantle piece. There is a shot of Ian holding the noose in his hands. The viewer hears a creaking sound, then the screen cuts to black, and the audience hears the rope role up as Ian hangs himself. The camera then cuts to a wide shot of the disserted street outside as Debbie approaches the house in her car.

Corbijn has chosen to cut between the funeral and Debbie’s reaction to discovering, that her husband has committed suicide. The camera does not actually show this reaction to the audience. The cinematography puts the viewer in the position of outside spectator, when Debbie’s scream his heard, by the audience there is a wide shot of the house and the disserted street. This also indicates to the audience that this is a very real film. In reality there would have been no witness to Ian’s suicide. Corbijn conveys the distress of Ian’s widow and the grief of his friends and colleagues in a very natural way.

It is after Ian’s death that the people close to him began to understand the emotional and confusing feelings he experienced during his very short and tragic life. There is a sequence at the end of the film that involves his band mates sat in a pub in silent sadness and wonder. They don’t seem to have understood Ian’s struggle to cope with several supreme ordeals. Despite his lyrics being explicitly dark, “Look beyond the day in hand there’s nothing there at all”, the characters that are close to Ian don’t seem to have paid any attention to the significance of Ian’s lyrics.

In the final sequence of the film the camera tilts up to the clouds, and then white text appears on the screen “Ian Curtis died on the 18^th May 1980 he was 23”. The song playing in this final sequence is (Atmosphere).This is a very appropriate song to have on the closing credits of the film for its lyrical content “don’t walk away in silence”. The final scene of the film almost has a spiritual feel to it. The ashes from the chimney in the final shot of the film could be described as symbolic of Ian passing into memory. This sequence could be described as Ian’s resurrection.(However, all these doomed or tragic heroes are Resurrected in the sense that they usually live on in the memory of the survivors, those for whom they gave there lives. The audience survives, and remembers the lessons a tragic hero can teach us.) (Vogler, 2007.p. 197).The films depiction of Ian’s suicide could be linked to the final words of Dostoyevsky’s unnamed protagonist in the 2009 Penguin edition of Notes from Underground (p, 118) because in this scene Ian has decided to call a halt) Ultimately Ian fails to find any meaning in his life during his hero journey, and looses the will to live.

Word Count 4,278

Bibliography

Books

Myths Story structure and Myth in Film

Bettlehiem, B(1991).The Uses of Enchantment, Hammondsworth, Penguin

Begg, E.(1984) Myth and Today’s Consciousness London Coventure ltd

Bulfinch, T.(1981) The Myths of Greece and Rome London:Penguin

Campbell, J. (1993)The Hero With a Thousand Faces :LondonFontana Press

Campbell, J. (1998) The Masks of God. Occidental Mythology, Hammondsworth Penguin

Campbell, J.() The Flight of the Wild Gardener. Harper Perennial

Caspo,E. (2005) Theories of Mythology :LondonBlackwell

Coupe, L. (1997) Myth,London .Routledge

Ebert, J.D. (2005) Celluloid Heroes and Mechanical Dragons Cybereditions

Farrell,W.K (200) Literature and Film as Modern Mythology, Connecticut.Praeger

Grant, M. (1989) Myths of the Greeks and Romans: New York, Phoenix Press

Kane, S. (1994) Wisdom of the Mythtellers London Broadview Pres.

Kishner,J & B street eds (2004) The Astrology of Film:the Interface of movies ,Myth and Archetype.New York I Universe.

May, R.(1993) The Cry For Myth :London Souvenir Press

Vogler,C. (2007) The Writers JourneyLondon .Pan.

Voytilla, (1999), Myth and the Movies: Discovering the Mythic Structure of 50 Unforgettable film Sheridan Books, Michael Wise Productions,USA.

Novels and other books on the Subjects of

Narcissism, Nihilism and Existentialism

(Listed with the date and publisher the author of this essay owns a copy of)

Alvzrez,A,(1979)The Savage God Middlesex Penguin

Camus, A. (2000) The Myth of Sisyphus London Penguin Books

Curtis, D (2001) Touching from a Distance London, Faber and Faber

Dostoevsky, F.( 1970) The Brothers Karamazov New York Bantam Books

Dostoevsky, F (1996) The Idiot London Wordsworth Editions

Dostoevsky, F (2009) Notes from Underground London Penguin

Dostoevsky, F (2009) The Double London Penguin

Rimbaud, A. (2004) Selected Poems and Letters London Penguin

Wilson, C.(2001 edition) The Outsider London Phoenix ,Orion Books

Wilson,C.(2009) Super Consciousness: the Quest for the Peak Experience

Watkins London

Hesse,H.(2009 edition)Damian London Peter Owen Modern Classics Edition

Hesse,H(2008 edition)Narcissus and Goldmund London Peter owen Modern Classics Edition

Middles, M & Reade, L (2009 edition) The Life of Ian Curtis: Torn Apart London Omnibus Press

Films (considered for analysis)

Control (2005)UK

The Reader (2008)UK

Adam (2009) US

Dorian Grey (2009)UK

The Time Travellers’ wife (2009)US

The Pianist

The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas

No Country for Old Men

The Libertine

28 Days Later.

Websites

On the Hero Journey

http://www.mcli.dist.maricopa.edu/smc/journey/ref/summary.html

Date visited13/11/09

http://www.clickok.co.uk/index4.html

Date visited13/11/09

http://www.yourheroicjourney.com/Reading%20Room/ArticlesEssays/Articles%20and%20Essays–category.htm

Date visited13/11/09

http://library.thinkquest.org/19300/data/Odyssey/odysseus2.htm

Date visited13/11/09

http://www.apocprod.com/Pages/Hero/Take_the_Hero’s_Journey.htm

Date visited13/11/09

http://www.apocprod.com/Pages/Hero/Take_the_Hero’s_Journey.htm

Date visited13/11/09

http://www.shvoong.com/books/1593483-story-narcissus/

Date visited20/11/09

http://www.dionysuswinedistributors.com/pages/50/The-story-of-Dionysus/

Date Visited21/11/09

http://ancienthistory.about.com/b/2006/11/24/morbus-comitialis-epilepsy.htm

Date Visited20/11/09

http://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/Morbus+comitialis

Date Visited20/11/09

http://scribblersuniversity.ning.com/video/the-heros-journey-in-film-1

Date visited21/11/09

Appendix-1 taken from http://hubpages.com/hub/The-Story-of-Sisyphus

The Story of Sisyphus

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By St.James

Sisyphus was condemned…

to an eternity of rolling a boulder uphill then watching it roll back down again. Sisyphus was founder, as well as, king ofCorinth. He also was known for being a cunning dishonest person. His greatest triumph came at the end of his life, when Hades came to claim him personally for the kingdom of the dead. Hades brought along a pair of handcuffs, an obvious novelity in comparasion the rolling a bouder up hill for all enternity. Sisyphus pretended to express such an interest in the handcuffs that Hades pride got in the way. Basically Sisyphus had persuaded the god Hades to demonstrate their use – on Hades, himself.

And so, the high lord of the Underworld

, Hades was kept locked up in a closet at Sisyphus’s house for many days, which put the natural order of being seriously out of whack. Nobody could die. Something like a soldier might be gravely wounded in battle, but still show up at camp for dinner. Finally Hades was released and Sisyphus was ordered to report to the Underworld for his “eternal assignment”. But Sisyphus had yet another trick up his sleeve.

Sisyphus simply told his wife not to bury him and then complain to Persephone, Queen of the Dead, that he had not been given the proper funeral. As an unburied corpse he had no business on the far side of the river Styx. His wife hadn’t placed a coin under his tongue to secure passage with the ferryman. Surely Persephone could see that Sisyphus must be given leave to journey back topside and put things right.

The Queen of the Dead agreed, and Sisyphus made his way back to the sunshine, where he promptly forgot all about funerals and such drab affairs and lived on for another good bit of time. But even this cunning trickster could only postpone what is to come. Eventually he was hauled down to Hades, where his “indiscretions” caught up with him. For crimes and offenses against the gods – the specifics of which vary with each story – he was condemned to an eternity at hard labor. Truely frustrating labor. For he was given the task to roll a great boulder to the top of a hill. Only every time Sisyphus, through great exertion, toil and exhaustion, reached the summit, the damned boulder rolled back down again

Appendix-2 -http://www.shvoong.com/books/1593483-story-narcissus/

Greek legend explains the origins of the word ”echo” and the narcissus flower.Echo was a beautiful nymph ,who lived i the

woods and hills ,devoting her time to woodland sports .Yet for all her virtues,Echo had one failing .She was fond of talking ,and loved to have the last word on everything.
It so happened that Juno the Queen of the gods.was once seeking her husband ,whom she believed was amusing himself among the nymphs.It was Echo”s job to detain the angry goddess until the nymphs had escaped .When Juno discovered this ,she was furious and punished Echo.She said ,”You shall forfeit the use of that tongue with which you have cheated me ,except for that one purpose you are so fond of -replying .You shall have the last word ,but no power to speak first.”And so it happened that Echo came across a beautiful youth called Narcissus that Echo came across a beautiful youth called Narcissus whom she fell in love with almost instantly .Echo longed to talk to him but she had been cursed and could not .All she could do was hide from him and repeat the puzzled question he asked her as to who she was and why she was following him .
Finally ,Narcissus said ,”Let us join one another .”Echo had never meant any words more .She hastened to meet him ,only to be completely rebuffed.Heartbroken ,Echo hid herself in caves and among mountain cliffs,fading away with grief,until only her voice was left .It is said that this is the reason behind the voice that mountain tops -still replying to any one who calls to her and still keeping her old habit of having the last word.
One day,a girl who was rejected by Narcissus ,uttered a prayer that he might some time or another feel what it was to love and meet with no reciprocation .
This prayer was soon to be answered .Wandering through the woods on a hunt ,Narcissus came upon a clear pool .Thirsty ,he stooped down to drink and saw his own beautiful reflection .He stood gazing down at the image reflected in the clear waters and the longer he gazed ,the deeper in love he fell -with himself .
Yet no matter how hard he tried ,the image would always flee if he tried to touch it ,or come closer to it .Fascinated ,unable to tear himself away ,losing all thought of food or rest ,Narcissus spent all his time gazing at his own reflection .Gradually he lost all his colour ,his bigour and the beauty that had so charmed all the nymphs -including Echo.Gradually ,he pined away and died there by the clear water of the pool .The nymphs ,especially poor Echo ,were heartbroken upon his death .They prepared a funeral pile and would have burned his body ,but it was nowhere to be found .
In its place ,was a flower ,which bears the name and preserves the memory of Narcissus .His story is what lies behind the word ”narcissistic ”that is so commomly used in the English language today

Appendix-3 http://home.scarlet.be/mauk.haemers/collegium_religionis/dionysus.htm

Dionysus (Bacchus), God of Grapes
by P. Dionysius Mus

Dionysus (or Bacchus), god of wine, grape harvest and fermentation, god of flush and drunkenness, is seen as a later deity on MountOlympus. He is said to have driven out either Hermes or Hestia to take his place among the Twelve Olympian Deities. While the other deities use their myths and ceremonies to urge their believers to law-abidingness, Dionysus walked his own uninhibited but dangerous way.

Dionysus was the only Olympian who was told to have mortal parent. According to some myths Zeus was his father and the Theban princess Semele his mother. Semele was the daughter of Cadmus and Harmonia, and thus she fell even more into disgrace with Hera, because Zeus had loved her aunt, Europa. When Zeus fell in love with Semele and made her pregnant, Hera’s jealousy did not know any limits, as did her hatred. Her revenge was as terrible as it was crafty: disguised as Semele’s previous lover, she went to Semele and made her command to Zeus to prove that he was indeed a god, by appearing to her in all his majesty. Semele first let Zeus promise to do whatever she would ask, and then demanded him to show her his true form. No mortal being could possibly bear this sight, and a god could not break his promise. So Zeus appeared before Semele in all his majesty, and immediately she burnt to ashes. But her unborn child was saved: Zeus is said to have kept the foetus in his thigh until it could be born.

This story about the birth of Dionysus differs enormously with another version, where Zeus battles, together with the other Olympian deities, against the Titans. According to this story Dionysus was the son of Zeus and Persephone, and a jealous Hera demanded the Titans to attack the boy. They slashed him into pieces, but he recovered with the help of Zeus.

This motive of reincarnation also returns in another story, where Dionysus goes to the Underworld to bring his mother Semele back to life. Dionysus’ having powers in the Underworld has always appealed to mortals, so they told his followers they could look forward to a life full of drink and pleasure.

Concerning Dionysus’ education most myths seem to agree with each other: nymphs should have raised Dionysus and his divine powers grew when he became older. A nice story tells of the young Dionysus being kidnapped by pirates while he was sleeping, and they wanted to sell him as a slave. When he woke up he angrily stopped the boat he was kidnapped with, by surrounding the rigging with vine leaves. Next he transformed the whole crew into dolphins, and still they swim after and next to ships, hoping to get their human forms back.

In all stories about Dionysus one aspect always returns: his mysterious journey from the east. Because of those stories, scientists assume that he came to Greece from Thracia, or from Phrygia in Asia Minor, where his cult always had many followers. Leading an army of men, women, children, satyrs and maenads, he is said to have conquered all people on his journey only with peaceful means. The tribes his army passed were eager to get to know them, especially their delights of wine and fermentation. He also educated those people about agriculture and apiculture.

In art Dionysus is most of all a young, effeminate man. He has his youth and long hair in common with Apollo, but instead of Apollo’s golden locks, Dionysus has always dark hair and he is also a little fleshier. His depictions are less stately; most of all he is depicted nude, carried on the shoulders of his companions. Sometimes he is also depicted as a rather fat boy, with a bunch of grapes in his hand and a trumpet near his mouth.

Next to a god of drunkenness and pleasure, Dionysus was also an honourable fertility god, essential in the cycle of plant growth, in agriculture and arboriculture. Among his retinue were many spirits of land and forest. Pan, for example, was his servant and companion; Silenus, a wise demigod of the grasslands, was his teacher and dedicated counsellor; and in his ‘army’ marching west there were many spirits of nature from the most ancient classical mythologies.

Dionysus was known as a generous, good-natured deity, who rewarded services royally. He was also merciful. He married Ariadne, after he had brought her back to life (she had herself killed when her first husband Theseus left her on the island of Naxos). They had many children and in all stories Dionysus seems to be faithful, unlike other deities. On the other hand Dionysus would also punish terribly those who had offended him, or those who did not recognize his divinity. When king Lycurgus of Thracia banned the cult of Dionysus, forbade his citizens to build vineyards and tried to remove the deity and his followers from his kingdom, Dionysus drove him to madness. In his madness, Lycurgus killed his son Dryas and then chopped off his own legs because he took them for vine branches. At last Lycurgus was tortured to death by his people because an oracle had told them they would not drink wine as long as he
was alive.

The story of Pentheus, told in Euripides’ “Bacchantes”, may be even more cruel, also because he was Dionysus’ nephew. Pentheus, king of Thebe, declared the new, orgy-like rites of Dionysus scandalous, despite the many female followers among his own citizens. He forbade the rites, and when Dionysus came to Thebe to extend his cult, Pentheus tried to capture him. But not one prison, built by human hands, was strong enough, and Dionysus escaped and took his local followers with him to celebrate his liberation. Pentheus angrily commanded his soldiers to execute all followers, but they refused. Dionysus, angry about his nephew’s lack of respect, made him unbearably curious for the secret rites. The king watched from behind a tree how the women danced in ecstasy, but when they noticed him, they all ran up to him and tore him apart with their bare hands.

The idea that Dionysus had the power to bring mortals into ecstasy, was often rather terrifying when magistrates tried to maintain the public order. In Greek literature there have been many complaints about the pernicious influence of Dionysus’ orgies on public morality. In the second century BC the Bacchanals inRome took such enormous proportions, the Senate had to declare a prohibition on these rites. The cult of Dionysus seemed however indestructible; approximately one century after this prohibition, many mysterious and secret cults flourished again in public. Until Christianity as state religion stopped these rites definitively.

Appendix-4

Internet Research Task- 1

Six Different Sites Discussing the Hero Journey in Story and in Film

http://www.clickok.co.uk/index4.html

510+ stage Hero’s Journey, Monomyth, Screenplay, Story, Structure, Templates…

Advanced Productivity

Debunking Creativity Myths Creativity and Time Pressure Creative versus Critical Thinking Effective Brainstorming

lower case!

The Hero’s Journey pattern (also known as the Monomyth) is the template upon which the vast majority of successful stories and Hollywood blockbusters are based upon. Our detailed deconstruction of hundreds of successful stories and Hollywood blockbusters has revealed more than 510 stages of the Hero’s Journey that you need to know about…

“…so to roll out successful stories and screenplays, superimpose your situation over this 510+ stage structure.”

“…what you’re doing is using the structure to pull the hero through his (or her) journey…”

“…it is the pulling through the journey that induces the hero’s transformation……a story is transformation…”

“…by pulling your hero through this journey, you cause him (or her) to detach from the Ordinary World and Ordinary Self and attach to the New World and New Self. And then to detach from theNew Worldand New Self and become the Master of Two Worlds and Selves…”

“…this structure is the process of transformation. There is a psychological journey that is mirrored by a physical journey. That is why you often see darkness, rain, thunder and lightning during the stage of the Near Death Experience, for example. By pulling the hero through a physical experience, you are stimulating a psychological transformation. In the beginning the hero will be dressed one way, after being pushed through some stages of the journey, the psychological change will reflect in clothing, behaviour, attitudes and beliefs.”

“…it is the undergoing of the journey that provides the hero with the capacity to conquer those challenges that were previously unconquerable…”

Advantages of attaining a truly deep understanding of the Hero’s Journey, Transformation and Detachment and Attachment include…

You learn to write stories quickly and effectively. You don’t waste months trying to figure out what to do. If you work in TV, you’ll be asked to produce effective stories very quickly – within a week, for example. You get the ability to quickly produce many first draft screenplays and then decide which stories you like and which ones you want to work further with and which ones you want to sell.

A script editor or agent may say “we are seeking this type of story.” You will be able to quickly write it and sell them it. Or you may think that the next academy award winner is going to be “Slumdog Millionaire inSomalia.” You will be able to write the first draft of a story like that quickly.

Understanding this template is a priority for screen and story writers.

http://articles.smashits.com/articles/writing/173004/screenwritng-film-hero-s-journey-the-pull-backwards-and-forwards.html

Screen writing, Film, Hero’s Journey – The Pull Backwards and Forwards

Author:

Kal Bishop

The Hero’s Journey is the template upon which the vast majority of successful stories andHollywoodblockbusters are based upon. Understanding this template is a priority for story or screenwriters:

The Hero’s Journey:

• Attempts to tap into unconscious expectations the audience has regarding what a story is and how it should be told.

• Gives the writer more structural elements than simply three or four acts, plot points, mid point and so on.

• Interpreted metaphorically, laterally and symbolically, allows an infinite number of varied stories to be created.

The Hero’s Journey is also a study of repeating patterns in successful stories and screenplays. It is compelling that screenwriters have a higher probability of producing quality work when they mirror the recurring patterns found in successful screenplays.

The Hero’s Journey is also a study of conventions. Before screenwriters can decide whether to accept or reject the conventions, they must appreciate their purpose and value.

Consider this:

• Titanic (1997) grossed over $600,000,000 – uses the Hero’s Journey as a template.

• Star Wars (1977) grossed over $460,000,000 – uses the Hero’s Journey as a template.

• Shrek 2 (2004) grossed over $436,000,000 – uses the Hero’s Journey as a template.

• ET (1982) grossed over $434,000,000 – uses the Hero’s Journey as a template.

• Spiderman (2002) grossed over $432,000,000 – uses the Hero’s Journey as a template.

• Out ofAfrica(1985), Terms of Endearment (1983), Dances with Wolves (1990), Gladiator (2000) – All Academy Award Winners Best Film are based on the Hero’s Journey.

• Anti-hero stories (Raging Bull (1980), Goodfellas (1990) etc) are all based on the Hero’s Journey.

• Heroine’s Journey stories (Million Dollar Baby (2004), Out of Africa (1980) etc) are all based on the Hero’s Journey.

Celebrating the Success of the Trials

Post the Transformation (also known as the Road of Trials), the hero has to make a choice: to seize the Sword or not. The choice is made all the more difficult by various forces- the pull toward the Sword and forces dissuading the Seizure of it. Often the forces backward are more overpowering – making the push forward all the more difficult.

InElizabethtown(2005), Drew has a choice – to go for Claire or go back, to Ellen. This is represented by Drew having a simulatansous three-way conversation between Heather, Ellen and Claire.

In Spiderman 2 (2004), Peter wants to give up the curse (as he sees it) of being Spiderman. HisMentor(uncle, in a dream sequence) strongly dissuades him otherwise.

Learn more…

The Complete 188 stage Hero’s Journey and FREE 17 stage sample and other story structure templates can be found at http://managing-creativity.com/

You can also receive a regular, free newsletter by entering your email address at this site.

Kal Bishop, MBA

**********************************

You are free to reproduce this article as long as no changes are made and the author’s name and site URL are retained.

Kal Bishop is a management consultant based in London, UK. His specialities include Knowledge Management and Creativity and Innovation Management. He has consulted in the visual media and software industries and for clients such as Toshiba and Transport for London. He has led Improv, creativity and innovation workshops, exhibited artwork in San Francisco, Los Angelesand Londonand written a number of screenplays. He is a passionate traveller. He can be reached at http://managing-creativity.com/

http://library.thinkquest.org/03oct/00800/worksheet.htm

Analyst: ___________________________________________________________________________

Film: _____________________________________________________________________________

Date Viewed: _______________________________________________________________________

Stage in the Hero’s Journey	Film Component
Ordinary World The hero’s normal world before the story begins
Call to Adventure The hero is presented with a problem, challenge or adventure to undertake
Refusal of the Call The hero refuses the challenge or journey, usually out of fear
Meeting with theMentor The hero meets a mentor to gain confidence, advice or training to face the adventure
Crossing the First Threshold The hero crosses the gateway that separates the ordinary world from the special world

Tests, Allies, Enemies

The hero faces tests, meets allies, confronts enemies & learn the rules of the Special World.

Approach

The hero has hit setbacks during tests & may need to reorganize his helpers or rekindle morale with mentor’s rally cry. Stakes heightened.

Ordeal

The biggest life or death crisis – the hero faces his greatest fear & only through “death” can the hero be “reborn” experiencing even greater powers to see the journey to the end.

Reward

The hero has survived death, overcome his greatest fear and now earns the reward he sought.

The Road Back

The hero must recommit to completing the journey & travel the road back to the Ordinary World. The dramatic question is asked again.

Resurrection

Hero faces most dangerous meeting with death – this shows the hero can apply all the wisdom he’s brought back to the Ordinary World

Return with Elixir

The hero returns from the journey with the “elixir”, so everyone in the world can use to heal physical or emotional wounds.

archetypes in the Film

Archetype	Who plays this Archetype in the Film? How do you know?


The Hero Usually the main character – a person who needs to learn something in the story.
Mentor A wise person or animal who provides guidance to the hero – usually giving him magical gifts or advice for the journey ahead.
Trickster The “wise-fool” – someone who uses tricks and jokes to guide the hero
Shadow Represents our darkest desire, untapped resources, or rejected qualities (Darth Vader)
Shapeshifter A character who “changes appearance” to disrupt the adventure.
Herald Issues challenges and announces coming of significant change – gets the story rolling.
Threshold Guardian Protects the special world and its secrets from the hero – provides tests for hero to prove worth.

Myth and Stories

A blog about myth, writing, psyche, art, creativity, and sometimes, how cute my sons are.

Monday, December 01, 2008

Inanna and the Hero’s Journey

One of the primary focuses I had in my years of study at Pacifica was in deepening my understanding of the importance of story to humankind, and in adding meaning to the process of creating art, particularly the written word. The hero’s journey, as laid out by Joseph Campbell in his seminal work “The Hero with a Thousand Faces“, illustrates beautifully the process that any creative artist must go through in order to create art. Phil Cousineau talks about this quite eloquently in his new book “Stoking the Creative Fires“, and I would encourage anyone interested in the relationship between the creative process and the hero’s journey to check it out.
One of the primary issues that artists struggle with is, and should be, how to reach their audience in a meaningful way; how to be the book, or film, or performance that resonates, that touches the soul. It is the power of art to do this that sets the human race apart, and it is, in my opinion, the primary function of art. Carl Jung tells us that when the gods came down out of Mount Olympus, they moved into the body, at the level of the gut, the level of the third chakra. This is that place in the body that art that connects can be felt, that physiological reaction that the body has when art connects with soul. We’ve all had that experience of seeing a great film, a great performance, reading a great book where we feel the experience of it in our body, at that precise place that Jung describes.
So, the question is, how can an artist, in the process of creating her art, connect with that place? I believe the answer lies in the very descent that is described in the hero’s journey. The hero makes a descent into the underworld, and returns with a boon that he brings back to his community. The artist makes that descent into the pool of the collective unconscious, that place where stories live, and returns with a boon as well. It is that descent that sets his work apart, his willingness to make the descent is the key, the thing that separates the great artist apart from those whose work is easily set aside and forgotten. How does this work? I believe this can be illuminated in the story of Inanna.

to be continued…

http://mythicstories.blogspot.com/2008/12/inanna-and-heros-journey.html

in development… join now and watch us grow

The Hero’s Journey in Film

Added by Lia Keyes onNovember 25, 2009 at12:35pm
View Videos

The Hero’s Journey in Film

Ciaran | MySpace Video

One of the most well-loved and re-cycled story structures in the world, the Hero’s Journey can be interpreted a myriad different ways, yet no matter how the story is told, the emotional core resonates with us universally.

http://scribblersuniversity.ning.com/video/the-heros-journey-in-film-1

Internet Research Task- 2

Four Different Internet sites discussing the Work of Joseph Campbell

The hero is the man of self-achieved submission.

Joseph Campbell
The Hero with a Thousand Faces

Over one hundred years ago, on March 26th in 1904, Joseph John Campbell was born inWhite Plains,NY. Joe, as he came to be known, was the first child of a middle-class, Roman Catholic couple, Charles and Josephine Campbell.

Joe’s earliest years were largely unremarkable; but then, when he was seven years old, his father took him and his younger brother, Charlie, to see Buffalo Bill’s Wild West show. The evening was a high-point in Joe’s life; for, although the cowboys were clearly the show’s stars, as Joe would later write, he “became fascinated, seized, obsessed, by the figure of a naked American Indian with his ear to the ground, a bow and arrow in his hand, and a look of special knowledge in his eyes.”

It was Arthur Schopenhauer, the philosopher whose writings would later greatly influenceCampbell, who observed that

…the experiences and illuminations of childhood and early youth become in later life the types, standards and patterns of all subsequent knowledge and experience, or as it were, the categories according to which all later things are classified—not always consciously, however. And so it is that in our childhood years the foundation is laid of our later view of the world, and there with as well of its superficiality or depth: it will be in later years unfolded and fulfilled, not essentially changed.

And so it was with young Joseph Campbell. Even as he actively practiced (until well into his twenties) the faith of his forbears, he became consumed with Native American culture; and his worldview was arguably shaped by the dynamic tension between these two mythological perspectives. On the one hand, he was immersed in the rituals, symbols, and rich traditions of his Irish Catholic heritage; on the other, he was obsessed with primitive (or, as he later preferred, “primal”) people’s direct experience of what he came to describe as “the continuously created dynamic display of an absolutely transcendent, yet universally immanent, mysterium tremendum et fascinans, which is the ground at once of the whole spectacle and of oneself.” (Historical Atlas , I.1, p. 8)

By the age of ten, Joe had read every book on American Indians in the children’s section of his local library and was admitted to the adult stacks, where he eventually read the entire multi-volume Reports of the Bureau of American Ethnology. He worked on wampum belts, started his own “tribe” (named the “Lenni-Lenape” after the Delaware tribe who had originally inhabited the New York metropolitan area), and frequented the American Museum of Natural History, where he became fascinated with totem poles and masks, thus beginning a lifelong exploration of that museum’s vast collection.

After spending much of his thirteenth year recuperating from a respiratory illness, Joe briefly attendedIona, a private school inWestchesterNY, before his mother enrolled him atCanterbury, a Catholic residential school inNew Milford CT.His high school years were rich and rewarding, though marked by a major tragedy: in 1919, theCampbellhome was consumed by a fire that killed his grandmother and destroyed all of the family’s possessions.

Joe graduated from Canterbury in 1921, and the following September, entered Dartmouth College; but he was soon disillusioned with the social scene and disappointed by a lack of academic rigor, so he transferred to Columbia University, where he excelled: while specializing in medieval literature, he played in a jazz band, and became a star runner. In 1924, while on a steamship journey toEuropewith his family, Joe met and befriended Jiddu Krishnamurti, the young messiah-elect of the Theosophical Society, thus beginning a friendship that would be renewed intermittently over the next five years.

After earning a B.A. fromColumbia(1925), and receiving an M.A. (1927) for his work in Arthurian Studies, Joe was awarded a Proudfit Traveling Fellowship to continue his studies at theUniversityofParis(1927-28). Then, after he had received and rejected an offer to teach at his high school alma mater, his Fellowship was renewed, and he traveled toGermanyto resume his studies at theUniversityofMunich(1928-29).

It was during this period in Europe that Joe was first exposed to those modernist masters—notably, the sculptor Antoine Bourdelle, Pablo Picasso and Paul Klee, James Joyce and Thomas Mann, Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung—whose art and insights would greatly influence his own work. These encounters would eventually lead him to theorize that all myths are the creative products of the human psyche, that artists are a culture’s mythmakers, and that mythologies are creative manifestations of humankind’s universal need to explain psychological, social, cosmological, and spiritual realities.

When Joe returned from Europelate in August of 1929, he was at a crossroad, unable to decide what to do with his life. With the onset of the Great Depression, he found himself with no hope of obtaining a teaching job; and so he spent most of the next two years reconnecting with his family, reading, renewing old acquaintances, and writing copious entries in his journal. Then, late in 1931, after exploring and rejecting the possibility of a doctoral program or teaching job at Columbia, he decided, like countless young men before and since, to “hit the road,” to undertake a cross-country journey in which he hoped to experience “the soul of America” and, in the process, perhaps discover the purpose of his life. In January of 1932, when he was leaving Los Angeles, where he had been studying Russian in order to read War and Peace in the vernacular, he pondered his future in this journal entry:

I begin to think that I have a genius for working like an ox over totally irrelevant subjects. … I am filled with an excruciating sense of never having gotten anywhere—but when I sit down and try to discover where it is I want to get, I’m at a loss. … The thought of growing into a professor gives me the creeps. A lifetime to be spent trying to kid myself and my pupils into believing that the thing that we are looking for is in books! I don’t know where it is—but I feel just now pretty sure that it isn’t in books. — It isn’t in travel. — It isn’t inCalifornia. — It isn’t inNew York. … Where is it? And what is it, after all?

Thus one real result of my Los Angelesstay was the elimination of Anthropology from the running. I suddenly realized that all of my primitive and American Indian excitement might easily be incorporated in a literary career. — I am convinced now that no field but that of English literature would have permitted me the almost unlimited roaming about from this to that which I have been enjoying. A science would buckle me down—and would probably yield no more important fruit than literature may yield me! — If I want to justify my existence, and continue to be obsessed with the notion that I’ve got to do something for humanity — well, teaching ought to quell that obsession — and if I can ever get around to an intelligent view of matters, intelligent criticism of contemporary values ought to be useful to the world. This gets back again to Krishna’s dictum: The best way to help mankind is through the perfection of yourself.

His travels next carried him north to San Francisco, then back south to Pacific Grove, where he spent the better part of a year in the company of Carol and John Steinbeck and marine biologist Ed Ricketts. During this time, he wrestled with his writing, discovered the poems of Robinson Jeffers, first read Oswald Spengler’s Decline of the West, and wrote to some seventy colleges and universities in an unsuccessful attempt to secure employment. Finally, he was offered a teaching position at theCanterburySchool. He returned to the East Coast, where he endured an unhappy year as aCanterbury housemaster, the one bright moment being when he sold his first short story (“Strictly Platonic”) toLiberty magazine. Then, in 1933, he moved to a cottage without running water onMaverick Road inWoodstockNY, where he spent a year reading and writing. In 1934, he was offered and accepted a position in the literature department atSarahLawrenceCollege, a post he would retain for thirty-eight years.

In 1938 he married one of his students, Jean Erdman, who would become a major presence in the emerging field of modern dance, first, as a star dancer in Martha Graham’s fledgling troupe, and later, as dancer/choreographer of her own company.

Even as he continued his teaching career, Joe’s life continued to unfold serendipitously. In 1940, he was introduced to Swami Nikhilananda, who enlisted his help in producing a new translation of The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna (published, 1942). Subsequently, Nikhilananda introduced Joe to the Indologist Heinrich Zimmer, who introduced him to a member of the editorial board at the Bollingen Foundation. Bollingen, which had been founded by Paul and Mary Mellon to “develop scholarship and research in the liberal arts and sciences and other fields of cultural endeavor generally,” was embarking upon an ambitious publishing project, the Bollingen Series. Joe was invited to contribute an “Introduction and Commentary” to the first Bollingen publication, Where the Two Came to their Father: A Navaho War Ceremonial, text and paintings recorded by Maud Oakes, given by Jeff King (Bollingen Series, I: 1943).

When Zimmer died unexpectedly in 1943 at the age of fifty-two, his widow, Christiana, and Mary Mellon asked Joe to oversee the publication of his unfinished works. Joe would eventually edit and complete four volumes from Zimmer’s posthumous papers: Myths and Symbols in Indian Art and Civilization (Bollingen Series VI: 1946), The King and the Corpse (Bollingen Series XI: 1948), Philosophies of India (Bollingen Series XXVI: 1951), and a two-volume opus, The Art of Indian Asia (Bollingen Series XXXIX: 1955).

Joe, meanwhile, followed his initial Bollingen contribution with a “Folkloristic Commentary” to Grimm’s Fairy Tales (1944); he also co-authored (with Henry Morton Robinson) A Skeleton Key to Finnegans Wake (1944), the first major study of James Joyce’s notoriously complex novel.

His first, full-length, solo authorial endeavor, The Hero with a Thousand Faces (Bollingen Series XVII: 1949), was published to acclaim and brought him the first of numerous awards and honors—the National Institute of Arts and Letters Award for Contributions to Creative Literature. In this study of the myth of the hero, Campbell posits the existence of a Monomyth (a word he borrowed from James Joyce), a universal pattern that is the essence of, and common to, heroic tales in every culture. While outlining the basic stages of this mythic cycle, he also explores common variations in the hero’s journey, which, he argues, is an operative metaphor, not only for an individual, but for a culture as well. The Hero would prove to have a major influence on generations of creative artists—from the Abstract Expressionists in the 1950s to contemporary film-makers today—and would, in time, come to be acclaimed as a classic.

Joe would eventually author dozens of articles and numerous other books, including The Masks of God: Primitive Mythology (Vol. 1: 1959), Oriental Mythology (Vol. 2: 1962), Occidental Mythology (Vol. 3: 1964), and Creative Mythology (Vol. 4: 1968); The Flight of the Wild Gander: Explorations in the Mythological Dimension (1969); Myths to Live By (1972); The Mythic Image (1974); The Inner Reaches of Outer Space: Metaphor as Myth and as Religion (1986); and five books in his four-volume, multi-part, unfinished Historical Atlas of World Mythology (1983-87).

He was also a prolific editor. Over the years, he edited The Portable Arabian Nights (1952) and was general editor of the series Man and Myth (1953-1954), which included major works by Maya Deren (Divine Horsemen: the Living Gods of Haiti, 1953), Carl Kerenyi (The Gods of the Greeks, 1954), and Alan Watts (Myth and Ritual in Christianity, 1954). He also edited The Portable Jung (1972), as well as six volumes of Papers from the Eranos Yearbooks (Bollingen Series XXX): Spirit and Nature (1954), The Mysteries (1955), Man and Time (1957), Spiritual Disciplines (1960), Man and Transformation (1964), and The Mystic Vision (1969).

But his many publications notwithstanding, it was arguably as a public speaker that Joe had his greatest popular impact. From the time of his first public lecture in 1940—a talk at the Ramakrishna-Vivekananda Center entitled “Sri Ramakrishna’s Message to the West”—it was apparent that he was an erudite but accessible lecturer, a gifted storyteller, and a witty raconteur. In the ensuing years, he was asked more and more often to speak at different venues on various topics. In 1956, he was invited to speak at the State Department’s Foreign Service Institute; working without notes, he delivered two straight days of lectures. His talks were so well-received, he was invited back annually for the next seventeen years. In the mid-1950s, he also undertook a series of public lectures at the Cooper Union inNew York City; these talks drew an ever-larger, increasingly diverse audience, and soon became a regular event.

Joe first lectured at Esalen Institute in 1965. Each year thereafter, he returned toBig Surto share his latest thoughts, insights, and stories. And as the years passed, he came to look forward more and more to his annual sojourns to the place he called “paradise on thePacificCoast.” Although he retired from teaching at Sarah Lawrence in 1972 to devote himself to his writing, he continued to undertake two month-long lecture tours each year.

In 1985, Joe was awarded the National Arts Club Gold Medal of Honor in Literature. At the award ceremony, James Hillman remarked, “No one in our century—not Freud, not Thomas Mann, not Levi-Strauss—has so brought the mythical sense of the world and its eternal figures back into our everyday consciousness.”

Joseph Campbell died unexpectedly in 1987 after a brief struggle with cancer. In 1988, millions were introduced to his ideas by the broadcast on PBS of Joseph Campbell and The Power of Myth with Bill Moyers, six hours of an electrifying conversation that the two men had videotaped over the course of several years. When he died, Newsweek magazine noted that “Campbell has become one of the rarest of intellectuals in American life: a serious thinker who has been embraced by the popular culture.”

In his later years, Joe was fond of recalling on how Schopenhauer, in his essay On the Apparent Intention in the Fate of the Individual, wrote of the curious feeling one can have, of there being an author somewhere writing the novel of our lives, in such a way that through events that seem to us to be chance happenings there is actually a plot unfolding of which we have no knowledge.

Looking back over Joe’s life, one cannot help but feel that it proves the truth Schopenhauer’s observation.

Internet Research Task-3

Four different internet sites exploring Archetypes in Story

Including one on the work of C.G Jung

http://www.souljourney.net/archetypestudies/queen.html

In this section of the web site, I am offering the opportunity for you to learn about the influence of archetypes in our daily lives. This is the Archetypal Studies Introduction page and there are pages for each of the archetypes (so far we have the King and the Queen online). The study pages contain a story focusing on the archetype in its Shadow role, discussion questions for consideration and my own disucssion on the archetype.
Periodically, new stories will be added as well as a discussion area so you may communicate with others who are interested in exploring and examining the materials presented.

Archetypes

Every psyche is influenced by unconscious patterns or processes called archetypes. Two of the most dominant archetypes within us are the King and the Queen. These have to do with our social behavior and social issues of order, authority, leadership and morality. As with every archetype, the qualities of the King and Queen can be used for positive or negative affect. Negativity in the archetypes occurs through imbalance and extremism, i.e. when an archetype is either too active or too passive. When the King or Queen has a negative impact on us or others we speak of the influence of a Shadow King or Queen.

For further information on archetypes, read a section from Dr. Raffa’s book Dream Theatres of the Soul.

The King

The King is the part of us that attempts to establish lawful order and moral virtue by developing and asserting our individuality and authority. Our King makes clear distinctions between “right” and “wrong” and addresses social problems and issues with clear, discriminating thinking about moral ideals such as justice and freedom. It is King energy that devises, enacts, and enforces rules via a hierarchy of authority, whether in business, law, education, government, or the family, with the King, of course, being at the top of the heap. The two primary characteristics of the King are (1) mental discrimination and (2) hierarchical authority.

King Archetype and story “The Secret Wish”

The Queen

The Queen is the part of us that attempts to establish lawful order and moral virtue by focusing on relationships and by nurturing, encouraging, and protecting the individuality and authority of others. Our Queen addresses social problems and issues with warm, loving, merciful, and forgiving feelings toward otherness. The Queen is behind all practices or systems of shared authority including family and business partnerships, co-ops, communes, kibbutzim, rotating chairs in education, quality circles in business, and so on. The primary characteristics of the Queen are (1) benevolent feeling, or caring, and (2) shared authority.

Queen Archetype and story “The Good Father”

http://www.capt.org/discover-your-archetypes/about-archetypes.htm

Archetypes: Discovering Unconscious Patterns

“Why did I do that. again!?”
“Why do I keep ending up in the same situation?”
“Who is the perfect life partner for me?”
“What kind of job would I really like?”

At one time or another, we all ask ourselves questions like these.

Such questions are usually easier than their answers. We don’t always know why we do what we do. In the stories of our lives, we often find ourselves in roles we didn’t even realize we chose to play.

Psychologist Carl Jung, one of the great minds of the modern era, called these roles and characters archetypes. He proposed that people go through life drawing from a repertoire of instinctive roles: father, mother, child, lover, creator, warrior, caregiver, and an untold number of others. Jung claimed there are as many archetypes “as there are typical situations in life.”

Each of us is capable of playing any one of these countless characters at any time in the stories of our lives. Yet, out of the countless archetypal roles available, each of us uses a select few more frequently than others. These are called our “dominant archetypes.”

Often the characteristics of a dominant archetype fit a particular situation or challenge. But sometimes we’re like the proverbial hammer that sees only nails, applying the same solution even when the situation demands a different approach. We’re blind to other options lurking outside our usual attention, often operating unconsciously. In extreme cases, the resulting self-deception or lack of self-knowledge may be harmful—”there is no lunacy people under the domination of an archetype will not fall a prey to” (Jung, 1959).

Archetype assessment: Becoming conscious of their influence

Identifying which archetypes are influential in our lives can thus lead us to self-discovery, self-awareness, growth, and self-actualization. Consciously choosing the right archetype for each chapter in our life story can create a more fulfilling, successful life, where we use our archetypes instead of being controlled by them.

The Center for Applications of Psychological Type™, Inc. (CAPT®) offers two scientifically validated assessment instruments, available online, that measure archetypes and bring their unconscious influence to our awareness:

The Pearson-Marr Archetype Indicator®, or PMAI®, created by Carol Pearson, Ph.D., and Hugh Marr, Ph.D., is designed for use by individuals. Personal reports (automatically scored and delivered online) show the relative influence of twelve archetypal patterns in your life. Awareness allows you to intentionally write your life story to be the best it can be. The accompanying workbook guides you in consciously deciding which archetypes to use, when to use them, and which to develop.

Psychological type and archetypes

In addition to his work on archetypes, Carl Jung is also famous for his “typology” of personality. His concept of “psychological type” became the basis for the world’s most widely used personality assessment, the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator®, or MBTI® instrument.

For more information about the relationship and combined measurement of psychological type and archetypes, click here.

http://www.dramatica.com/theory/theory_book/dtb_ch_4.html

Dramatica Theory Book

Chapter 4: Objective Characters

table of contents | previous chapter | next chapter

Archetypal Characters: Introduction to Archetypes

Archetypes exist as a form of storytelling shorthand. Because they are instantly recognizable, an author may choose to use archetypal characters for a variety of reasons — because of limited storytelling time or space, to emphasize other aspects of story such as Plot or Theme, to play on audience familiarity, etc. The main advantage of Archetypes is their basic simplicity, although this can sometimes work as a disadvantage if the characters are not developed fully enough to make them seem real.

There are eight Archetypal Characters: Protagonist, Antagonist, Reason, Emotion, Sidekick, Skeptic, Guardian, and Contagonist. Several of these are familiar to most authors. Some are a bit more obscure. One is unique to Dramatica. We will introduce all eight, show how they interact, then explore each in greater detail.

Protagonist

Players and Characters?

In our earlier discussion of what sets the Subjective Characters apart from the Objective Characters, we described how authors frequently assign the roles of both Protagonist AND Main Character to the same player in the story.

The concept of “player” is found throughout Dramatica and differs from what we mean by “character.” Dramatica defines a character as a set of dramatic functions that must be portrayed in order to make the complete argument of a story. Several functions may be grouped together and assigned to a person, place, or thing who will represent them in the story. The group of functions defines the nature of the character. The personage representing the functions is a player.

In other words, a player is like a vessel into which a character (and therefore a set of character functions) is placed. If more than one Objective Character is placed into a single player, the player will appear to have multiple personalities. This is clearly seen in the dual characters contained in player, Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde, or the many personalities of Sybil.

Describing the Protagonist

No doubt the most well-known of all the Archetypal Characters is the Protagonist. As with all the Archetypal Characters, there is a specific “shopping list” or “recipe” of dramatic functions that describes the Protagonist. In this regard, the archetypal Protagonist is the chief proponent and principal driver of the effort to achieve the story’s goal.

At first, this description seems far too simple for even the most archetypal of Protagonists. This is because the Main Character is so often combined with the Protagonist when Archetypal Characters are used, that we seldom see a Protagonistic player representing the archetypal functions alone.

Still, pursuing the goal is the essential function of the Protagonist, and beginning here we can construct a network of relationships that describe the remaining archetypes.

(As a side note, the entire exploration of the Subjective Story is an independent job of the Main Character. For purposes of describing the Archetypal Protagonist, therefore, we will be considering only its role in the Objective Story Throughline as just another player on the field [albeit a crucial one]).

So, for our current needs, the Archetypal Protagonist can be considered the chief proponent and principal driver of the effort to achieve the story’s goal.

http://www.cgjungny.org/aboutus.html

About the C.G. Jung Foundation for Analytical Psychology

The C.G. Jung Foundation for Analytical Psychology, founded in 1962, is dedicated to helping men and women grow in conscious awareness of the psychological realities in themselves and society, find healing and meaning in their lives, reach greater depth in their relationships, and live in response to their discovered sense of purpose. The Foundation is located in its mid-Manhattan brownstone, which it shares with the other institutional members of theC.G.JungCenter.

We welcome the public to our extensive program of lectures, seminars, courses, symposia, and workshops. Our bookstore offers for sale a wide selection of books on analytical psychology and related subjects, and our journal Quadrant offers interesting and accessible articles and reviews on analytical psychology.

Board of Trustees
David Rottman, President • Jane Selinske, Vice President Edward H. Russell, Secretary • Rollin Bush, Treasurer
Julie M. Bondanza Haig Chahinian Harriet Gluckman Donald Grasing	John Marino Susan Plunket Douglas Tompkins Marie Varley
Janet M. Careswell, Executive Director jcareswell@cgjungny.org

›› View a sample article on Jungian Psychology ‹‹

Our activities include:

Presenting an educational program on various aspects of Jungian thought, from the fundamentals of analytical psychology to the processes of social and cultural unfolding.
Offering continuing education courses, workshops, discussion forums, and conferences.
Offering seminars for professionals in the field of mental health, in cooperation with the C.G. Jung Institute of New York.
Encouraging and disseminating research, discourse, and writing on analytical psychology, archetypal symbolism, and related areas of Jungian thought.
Publishing Quadrant: The Journal of the C.G. Jung Foundation for Analytical Psychology, and other materials such as tapes of lectures and symposia.
Providing a book service, encompassing a bookstore and a mail-order service.
Cooperating and collaborating with other Jungian organizations on projects of mutual importance.
Administering theC.G.JungCenterbuilding.

Internet Research Task-5

One site exploring the work of Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides

http://www.theatrehistory.com/ancient/euripides001.html

EURIPIDES AND HIS TRAGEDIES

This document was originally published in The Drama: Its History, Literature and Influence on Civilization, vol. 1. ed. Alfred Bates.London: Historical Publishing Company, 1906. pp. 158-166.

Purchase Books by Euripides

“The sure sign of the general decline of an art,” says Macaulay, “is the frequent occurence, not of deformity, but of misplaced beauty. In general tragedy is corrupted by eloquence.” This symptom is especially conspicuous in Euripides, who is constantly sacrificing propriety for rhetorical display; so that we are sometimes in doubt whether we are reading the lines of a poet or the speeches of an orator. Yet it is this very quality which has in all ages made him a much greater favorite than Aeschylus or Sophocles; it is this which made tragi-comedy so easy and natural under his treatment; which recommended him to Menander as the model for his new comedy, and to Quintilian as the model for oratory. In the middle ages he was far better known than his two great contemporaries; for this was an era when scholastic subtleties were mistaken for eloquence, minute distinctions for science, and verbal quibbles for proficiency in dramatic art. Pitiable also is his habit of punning, as in the Bacchae, where his Greek may be rendered, “Take heed lest Pentheus makes your mansion a pent-house of grief.” Even Shakespeare, the most incorrigible of punsters, has nothing worse than this. Yet Aeschylus is fully as bad, speaking for instance of Helen in his Agamemnon as “a hell to men, a hell to ships and a hell to cities.”

The Art of Euripides

The works of Euripides have been more variously judged than those of the other two great masters. His art, it has been said, is tamer than theirs, and his genius rhetorical rather than poetical, while the morality that he teaches belongs to theschoolofSophists. On the other hand his admirers claim that he is the most tragic of the Greek tragedians, the most pathetic of the Attic poets, the most humane in his social philosophy and the most skillful in psychological insight. Doubtless he owed to Socrates the philosophy interwoven in his tragedies, causing him to be named the “stage philosopher,” one haunted by the demon of Socrates. Though he did not live in the most stirring period of the nation’s life, he was, both in spirit and in choice of themes, intensely patriotic, and to him is due the spread of dramatic literature more than to any other of the ancient bards. Tragedy followed in his footsteps inGreeceandRome; comedy owed him much, even in the style of Aristophanes, who ridiculed him, and in Menander, who borrowed his sentiments. When the modern drama grafted the classical element on its crude growth, the plays of Euripides were, directly or indirectly, the most powerful influence in the establishment of a living connection between them.

WhenAtticawas given over to the invading army of Xerxes the women and children were transferred to theislandofSalamis, and here, according to Plutarch and Suidas, Euripides was born on the day of the great victory. In the table known as the Parian marble his birth is given as a few years earlier, and some have placed it on the day of the battle of the Euripus, from which was formed his patronymic. His father, Mnesarchus, was a man of means and respectability; but his mother was probably of lowly origin–a seller of herbs, if we can believe Aristophanes, who treats the matter as one of public notoriety.

The Career of Euripides

It is related that his father was promised by the oracle a son who, honored by all men, should win great reputation and bind his brows with consecrated wreaths. Hence he was trained for an athlete and won some prizes at the public games; he was also known as a painter; but it was as a dramatist that he was destined to achieve enduring fame. He was well educated, attending the lectures of Anaxagoras, Prodicus and Protagoras, to whom he probably owed many of his sophistical and rhetorical mannerisms. He was on terms of intimacy with Pericles and Socrates, both of whom were his fellow-pupils. While taking a lively interest in the questions of the day, he lived a retired and somewhat misanthropic life, happy in the possession of a valuable library, and passing most of his time in dramatic composition. As Philochorus relates, most of his tragedies were composed in a dark cave in the isle ofSalamis, which was an object of curiosity many years after his death.

Euripides was a voluminous writer, the number of his plays being variously stated at from seventy-five to ninety-two, including several satyric dramas. Of these nineteen have survived, with numerous fragments of others, though many of his best works have been lost and more have suffered from interpolations. He began his public career as a dramatist when twenty-four years of age, but was nearly twice as old when he gained his first decisive victory, winning the first prize only four times during his life and once after his death. Yet he was highly esteemed, not only inAthensbut throughout the Hellenic world, and as Plutarch tells us, some of the Athenian captives, after the disaster ofSyracuse, obtained their liberty by reciting passages from his dramas.

The last years of Euripides were passed in Magnesia and inMacedonia, where he was the guest of Archelaus, though the motive for his self-exile cannot be clearly ascertained. We know thatAthenswas not always the most favorable spot for eminent literary merit. The virulence of rivalry reigned unchecked in that fierce democracy, and the caprice of the petulant multitude would not afford the most satisfactory patronage to a high-minded and talented man. Report, too, insinuates that Euripides was unhappy in his own family. His first wife, Melito, he divorced for adultery; and in his second, Chaerila, he was not more fortunate. Envy and enmity among his fellow-citizens, infidelity and domestic vexations at home, would prove no small inducements for the poet to accept the invitation of Archelaus. InMacedoniahe is said to have written a play in honor of that monarch, and to have inscribed it with his patron’s name, who was so pleased with the manners and abilities of his guest as to appoint him one of his ministers. No further particulars are recorded of Euripides, except a few apocryphal letters, anecdotes and apophthegms. His death, which took place B.C. 406, if the popular account be true, was, like that of Aeschylus, in its nature extraordinary. Either from chance or malice, the aged dramatist was exposed to the attack of ferocious hounds, and by them so dreadfully mangled as to expire soon afterward, in his seventy-fifth year.

The Athenians entreated Archelaus to send the body to the poet’s native city for interment. The request was refused; and, with every demonstration of grief and respect, Euripides was buried atPella. A cenotaph, however, was erected to his memory atAthens.

Reputation

Euripides, in the estimation of the ancients, certainly held a rank much inferior to that of his two great rivals. The caustic wit of Aristophanes, whilst it fastens but slightly on the failings of the giant Aeschylus and keeps respectfully aloof from the calm dignity of Sophocles, assails with merciless malice every weak point in the genius, character and circumstances of Euripides. The comedian banters or reproaches him for lowering the dignity of tragedy, by exhibiting heroes as whining, tattered beggars; by introducing the vulgar affairs of ordinary life; by the sonorous platitudes of his choral odes; the voluptuous character of his music; the feebleness of his verses, and the loquacity of all his personages, however low their rank. He laughs at the monotonous construction of his clumsy prologues; he imputes to his dramas an immoral tendency, and to the poet himself contempt for the gods and a fondness for new-fangled doctrines. He jeers at his affectation of rhetoric and philosophy. In short he seems to regard Euripides with sovereign contempt, bordering upon disgust.

The attachment of Socrates and the admiration of Archelaus may perhaps serve as a counterpoise to the insinuations of Aristophanes against the personal character of Euripides. As to his poetic powers, there is a striking diversity of opinion between him and the later comedians, for Menander and Philemon held him in high esteem. Yet Aristotle, whilst allowing to Euripides a preëminence in the excitement of sorrowful emotion, censures the general arrangement of his pieces, the wanton degradation of his personages and the unconnected nature of his choruses. Longinus, like Aristotle, ascribes to Euripides a great power in working upon the feelings by depiction of love and madness, but he certainly did not entertain the highest opinion of the genius. He even classes him among those writers who, far from possessing originality of talent, strive to conceal the real meanness of their conceptions, and assume the appearance of sublimity by studied composition and labored language.

For the tragedians of later times Euripides was the absolute model and pattern, and equally so for the poets of the new comedy. Diphilus called him the “Golden Euripides,” and Philemon went so far as to say, with some extravagance, “If the dead, as some assert, have really consciousness, then would I hang myself to see Euripides.” He had warm admirers in Alexander the Great and the Stoic Chrysippus, who quoted him regularly in several of his works. Among the Romans, too, he was held in high esteem, serving as a model for tragedy, as did Menander and Phrynichus for comedy.

In his survey of the shades of departed poets, Dante makes no mention of Aeschylus or Sophocles, but classes Euripides and Agathon with the greatest of the Greeks. Those who are familiar with the literature of the middle ages can easily understand why the works of Euripides became so popular among the nations ofEurope. The pupil and friend of the most eminent of the sophists who succeeded the rhapsodes of the Homeric age, he was himself a sophist, supplanting with his precepts the rhapsodical element in the Hellenic drama. He also gave to his audience some of the physical doctrines of his master, Anaxagoras, going out of his way to show that the sun is nothing but a great ignited stone, that the overflow of the Nile is caused by the melting of the snow in Ætheopia, and that the æther or sky is an embodiment of the diety.

Euripides was the first one to introduce women on the stage, not as heroines but as they are in actual life. Yet he is often far from complimentary to the other sex, the result, probably, of his two unhappy marriages. Thus, for instance, after a burst of indignation before the nurse, who approaches him with overtures of love on behalf of Phædra, he makes Hippolytus express his opinion of womankind:

O Zeus, why hast thou brought into the world

To plague us such a tricksy thing as woman?

If thou didst wish to propagate mankind,

Couldst thou not find some better way than this?

We to the temples might have brought our price

In gold or weight of iron or of brass,

And purchased offspring, each to the amount

Of that which he has paid; and so have dwelt

In quiet homes unvexed of womankind.

Now, to import a plague into our homes,

First of our substance we make sacrifice,

And here at once we see what woman is.

The father that begot her gladly pays

A dowry that he might be rid of her,

While he may bring this slip of evil home.

Fond man adorns with costly ornament

A worthless idol, and his living wastes

To trick her out in costly finery.

Ha has no choice. Are his connections good,

To keep them he must keep a hated wife;

Are his connections bad, he can but weigh

Against that evil a good bedfellow.

His is the easiest lot who has to wife

A cipher, a good-natured simpleton;

Quick wits are hateful. Ne’er may wife of mine

Be wiser than consorts with womanhood.

In your quick-witted dames the power of love

More wickedness engenders; while the dull

Are by their dullness saved from going wrong.

This is sufficiently bitter, but nor more so than the words which Euripides is accustomed to use when speaking of women.

http://ancienthistory.about.com/od/poetsplaywrightswriters/a/Aeschyluswork.htm

Aeschylus

The Work of Aeschylus

From 1911 Edition of an Encyclopedia

Filed In:

Aeschylus – Greek Playwright Aeschylus

Clipart.com

AESCHYLUS (525-456 B.C.)

Work.

In passing from Aeschylus’ life to his work, we have obviously far more trustworthy data, in the seven extant plays (with the fragments of more than seventy others), and particularly in the invaluable help of Aristotle’s Poetics. The real importance of our poet in the development of the drama (see DRAMA: Greek) as compared with any of his three or four known predecessors–who are at best hardly more than names to us–is shown by the fact that Aristotle, in his brief review of the rise of tragedy (Poet. iv. 13), names no one before Aeschylus. He recognizes, it is true, a long process of growth, with several stages, from the dithyramb to the drama; and it is not difficult to see what these stages were. The first step was the addition to the old choric song of an interlude spoken, and in early days improvised, by the leader of the chorus (Poet. iv. 12). The next was the introduction of an actor (upokrites or “answerer”), to reply to the leader; and thus we get dialogue added to recitation. The “answerer” was at first the poet himself (Ar. Rhet. iii. 1). This change is traditionally attributed to Thespis (536 B.C.), who is, however, not mentioned by Aristotle. The mask, to enable the actor to assume different parts, by whomsoever invented, was in regular use before Aeschylus’ day. The third change was the enlarged range of subjects. The lyric dithyramb-tales were necessarily about Dionysus, and the interludes had, of course, to follow suit. Nothing in the world so tenaciously resists innovation as religious ceremony; and it is interesting to learn that the Athenian populace (then, as ever, eager for “some new thing”) nevertheless opposed at first the introduction of other tales. But the innovators won; or other-wise there would have been no Attic drama.

In this way, then, to the original lyric song and dances in honour of Dionysus was added a spoken (but still metrical) interlude by the chorus-leader, and later a dialogue with one actor (at first the poet), whom the mask enabled to appear in more than one part.

But everything points to the fact that in the development of the drama Aeschylus was the decisive innovator. The two things that were important, when the 5th century began, if tragedy was to realize its possibilities, were (1) the disentanglement of the dialogue from its position as an interlude in an artistic and religious pageant that was primarily lyric; and (2) its general elevation of tone. Aeschylus, as we know on the express authority of Aristotle (Poet. iv. 13), achieved the first by the introduction of the second actor; and though he did not begin the second, he gave it the decisive impulse and consummation by the overwhelming effect of his serious thought, the stately splendour of his style, his high dramatic purpose, and the artistic grandeur and impressiveness of the construction and presentment of his tragedies.

As to the importance of the second actor no argument is needed. The essence of a play is dialogue; and a colloquy between the coryphaeus and a messenger (or, by aid of the mask, a series of messengers), as must have been the case when Aeschylus began, is in reality not dialogue in the dramatic sense at all, but rather narrative. The discussion, the persuasion, the instruction, the pleading, the contention—in short, the interacting personal influences of different characters on each other–are indispensable to anything that can be called a play, as we understand the word; and, without two “personae dramatis” at the least, the drama in the strict sense is clearly impossible. The number of actors was afterwards increased; but to Aeschylus are due the perception and the adoption of the essential step; and therefore, as was said above, he deserves in a very real sense to be called the founder of Athenian tragedy.

Supplices

http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/Euripides

Euripides (Ancient Greek

Ancient Greek

Ancient Greek is the historical stage in the development of the Greek language spanning across the Archaic , Classical , and Hellenistic periods of ancient Greece and the ancient world. It is predated in the 2nd millennium BC by Mycenaean Greek…
: ) (ca. 480 BCE–406 BCE) was the last
of the three great tragedians

Tragedy

Tragedy is a form of art based on human suffering that, paradoxically, offers its audience pleasure…
of classical Athens

Classical Athens

The city of Athens during classical antiquity was a notable polis of Attica, Greece, leading the Delian League in the Peloponnesian War against Sparta and the Peloponnesian League. Athenian democracy was established in 508 BC under Cleisthenes following the tyranny of Hippias…
(the other two being Aeschylus

Aeschylus

Sophocles

Critias

Critias , born in Athens, son of Callaeschrus, was an uncle of Plato, and a leading member of the Thirty Tyrants, and one of the most violent. He was an associate of Socrates, a fact that did not endear Socrates to the Athenian public. He was noted in his day for his tragedies, elegies and prose…
. Eighteen or nineteen of Euripides’ plays have survived complete—there has been debate about his authorship of Rhesus

Rhesus (play)

Rhesus is a Athenian tragedy that belongs to the transmitted plays of Euripides. There has been debate about its authorship. It was understood to be by Euripides in the Hellenistic, Imperial, and Byzantine periods. In the 17th century, however, the play’s authenticity was challenged, first by…
, largely on stylistic grounds and ignoring classical evidence that the play was his. Fragments, some substantial, of most of the other plays also survive. More of his plays have survived than those of Aeschylus

Aeschylus

Sophocles

Euripides is known primarily for having reshaped the formal structure

Dramatic structure

Dramatic structure is the structure of a dramatic work such as a play or film. Many scholars have analyzed dramatic structure, beginning with Aristotle in his Poetics…
of Athenian tragedy

Tragedy

Tragedy is a form of art based on human suffering that, paradoxically, offers its audience pleasure…
by portraying strong female characters

Character (arts)

A character is the representation of a person in a narrative or dramatic work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr through its Latin transcription character, the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its…
and intelligent slaves

Slavery in Ancient Greece

Slavery was common practice and an integral component of ancient Greece throughout its history, as it was in other societies of the time including ancient Israel and early Christian societies. It is estimated that in Athens, the majority of citizens owned at least one slave…
and by satirizing many hero

Hero

A hero , in Greek mythology and folklore, was originally a demigod, their cult being one of the most distinctive features of ancient Greek religion…
es of Greek mythology

Greek mythology

Greek mythology is the body of myths and legends belonging to the ancient Greeks concerning their gods and heroes, the nature of the world, and the origins and significance of their own cult and ritual practices. They were a part of religion in ancient Greece…
. His plays seem modern by comparison with those of his contemporaries, focusing on the inner lives and motives of his characters in a way previously unknown to Greek audiences.

Life

According to legend, Euripides was born in Salamís

Salamis Island

Salamis , formerly known as Kulluri is the largest Greek island in the Saronic Gulf, about 1 nautical mile off-coast from Piraeus and about 16 km west of Athens. The chief city, Salamis or Salamina, lies in the west-facing core of the crescent on Salamis Bay, which opens into the Saronic…
on 23 September 480 BCE, the day of the Persian War

Greco-Persian Wars

For other Persian wars, see Roman-Persian Wars, Arab-Persian Wars, Persian Gulf Wars, and Military history of Iran.The Greco-Persian Wars , were a series of conflicts between the Persian Empire and city-states of the Hellenic world that started in 499 BC and lasted until 450 BC…
‘s greatest naval battle. Other sources estimate that he was born as early as 485 BCE.

His father’s name was either Mnesarchus or Mnesarchides and his mother’s name Cleito. Evidence suggests that the family was wealthy and influential. It is recorded that he served as a cup-bearer

Cup-bearer

A cup-bearer was an officer of high rank in royal courts, whose duty it was to serve the drinks at the royal table. On account of the constant fear of plots and intrigues, a person must be regarded as thoroughly trustworthy to hold this position. He must guard against poison in the king’s cup, and…
for Apollo

Apollo

In Greek and Roman mythology, Apollo , is one of the most important and many-sided of the Olympian deities…
‘s dancers, but he grew to question the religion he grew up with, exposed as he was to thinkers such as Protagoras

Protagoras

Protagoras was a pre-Socratic Greek philosopher and is numbered as one of the sophists by Plato. In his dialogue Protagoras, Plato credits him with having invented the role of the professional sophist or teacher of virtue…
, Socrates

Socrates

Socrates was a Classical Greek philosopher. Credited as one of the founders of Western philosophy, he is an enigmatic figure known only through the classical accounts of his students…
, and Anaxagoras

Anaxagoras

Anaxagoras was a Pre-Socratic Greek philosopher. Born in Clazomenae in Asia Minor, Anaxagoras was the first philosopher to bring philosophy from Ionia to Athens. He attempted to give a scientific account of eclipses, meteors, rainbows, and the sun, which he described as a fiery mass larger than…
.

He was married twice, to Choerile and Melito

Melito

Melito is of Italian derivation and could refer to one of four things:* Saint Melito of Sardis, a second century Christian bishop; or* Melito di Porto Salvo, Italy, a town in Calabria.* Melito di Napoli, Italy, a town in Naples…
, though sources disagree as to which woman he married first. He had three sons and it is rumored that he also had a daughter who was killed after a rabid

Rabies

Rabies is a viral neuroinvasive disease that causes acute encephalitis in warm-blooded animals. It is zoonotic , most commonly by a bite from an infected animal but occasionally by other forms of contact…
dog attacked her (some say this was merely a joke made by Aristophanes

Aristophanes

Aristophanes , son of Philippus, of the deme Cydathenaus, was a prolific and much acclaimed comic playwright of ancient Athens. Eleven of his forty plays have come down to us virtually complete…
, who often poked fun at Euripides). The record of Euripides’ public life, other than his involvement in dramatic competitions, is almost non-existent. The only reliable story of note is one by Aristotle

Aristotle

Aristotle was a Greek philosopher, a student of Plato and teacher of Alexander the Great. He wrote on many subjects, including physics, metaphysics, poetry, theater, music, logic, rhetoric, politics, government, ethics, biology, and zoology.Together with Plato and Socrates , Aristotle is one of…
about Euripides’ involvement in a dispute over a liturgy (an account that offers strong evidence that Euripides was a wealthy man). It has been said that he travelled to Syracuse

Syracuse, Italy

Syracuse is a historic city in southern Italy, the capital of the province of Syracuse. The city is famous for its rich Greek history, culture, amphitheatres, architecture and association to Archimedes, playing an important role in ancient times as one of the top powers of the Mediterranean world;…
, Sicily

Sicily

Sicily is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. It is an autonomous region of Italy. Several much smaller islands surrounding it are considered to be part of Sicily….
; that he engaged in various public or political activities during his lifetime; that he wrote his tragedies in a sanctuary, The Cave of Euripides

The Cave of Euripides

The Cave of Euripides is a ten-chamber cave in Peristeria on Salamis Island, Greece, and the subject of archaeological investigation. Its name comes from its long reputation as the place where the playwright Euripides came for sanctuary to write his tragedies….
on Salamis Island

Salamis Island

Classical Athens

Archelaus I of Macedon

Archelaus I was king of Macedon from 413 to 399 BC, following the death of Perdiccas II. The son of Perdiccas by a slave woman, Archelaus obtained the throne by murdering his uncle, his cousin, and his half-brother, the legitimate heir, but proved a capable and beneficent ruler, known for the…
and stayed with him in Macedon

Macedon

Macedonia or Macedon was an ancient kingdom, centered in the northeastern part of the Greek peninsula, bordered by Epirus to the west, Paionia to the north, the region of Thrace to the east and Thessaly to the south…
ia and allegedly died there in 408 B.C.; being accidentally attacked by the kings hunting dogs while walking in the woods. According to Pausanias

Pausanias (geographer)

Pausanias was a Greek traveller and geographer of the 2nd century AD, who lived in the times of Hadrian, Antoninus Pius and Marcus Aurelius. He is famous for his Description of Greece , a lengthy work that describes ancient Greece from firsthand observations, and is a crucial link between…
, Euripides was buried inMacedonia.

Plays

Euripides first competed in the City Dionysia

Dionysia

The Dionysia was a large religious festival in ancient Athens in honor of the god Dionysus, the central event of which was the performance of tragedies and, since 487 BC, comedies. It was the second-most important festival after the Panathenaia…
, the famous Athenian dramatic festival, in 455 BCE, one year after the death of Aeschylus

Aeschylus

Aeschylus was an ancient Greek playwright. He is often recognized as the father of tragedy, and is the earliest of the three Greek tragedians whose plays survive, the others being Sophocles and Euripides…
. He came third, reportedly because he refused to cater to the fancies of the judges. It was not until 441 BCE that he won first prize and over the course of his lifetime Euripides claimed only four victories. He also won a posthumous victory.

He was a frequent target of Aristophanes

Aristophanes

The Acharnians

The Acharnians is the third play – and the earliest of the eleven surviving plays – by the great Athenian playwright Aristophanes. It was produced in 425 BCE on behalf of the young dramatist by an associate, Callistratus, and it won first place at the Lenaia festival…
, Thesmophoriazusae

Thesmophoriazusae

Thesmophoriazusae is one of eleven surviving plays by the master of Old Comedy, the Athenian playwright Aristophanes. It was first produced in 411 BC, probably at the City Dionysia…
, and most memorably in The Frogs

The Frogs

The Frogs is a comedy written by the Ancient Greek playwright Aristophanes. It was performed at the Lenaia, one of the Festivals of Dionysus, in 405 BC, and received first place.-Plot:…
(where Dionysus

Dionysus

In classical mythology, Dionysus or Dionysos is the god of wine, the inspirer of ritual madness and ecstasy, and a major figure of Greek mythology, and one of the twelve Olympians, amongst whom Greek mythology treated him as a late arrival…
travels to Hades

Hades

Hades refers both to the ancient Greek underworld, the abode of Hades, and to the god of the underworld. Hades in Homer referred just to the god; the genitive , Haidou, was an elision to denote locality: “[the house/dominion] of Hades”…
to bring Euripides back from the dead; after a competition of poetry, the god opts to bring Aeschylus instead).

Euripides’ final competition in Athens was in 408 BCE; there is a story that he left Athens embittered over his defeats. He accepted an invitation by the king of Macedon in 408 or 407 BCE, and once there he wrote Archelaus in honour of his host. He is believed to have died there in winter 407/6 BCE; ancient biographers have told many stories about his death, but the simple truth was that it was probably his first exposure to the harsh Macedonia winter which killed him. The Bacchae

The Bacchae

The Bacchae is an ancient Greek tragedy by the Athenian playwright Euripides, during his final years in Macedon, at the court of Archelaus I of Macedon…
was performed after his death in 405 BCE and won first prize.

In comparison with Aeschylus (who won thirteen times) and Sophocles

Sophocles

Sophocles was the second of the three ancient Greek tragedians whose work has survived. His first plays were written later than those of Aeschylus and earlier than those of Euripides…
(who had eighteen victories) Euripides was the least honoured of the three—at least in his lifetime. Later in the 4th century BCE, Euripides’ plays became the most popular, largely because of the simplicity of their language. His works influenced New Comedy and Roman drama

Theatre of ancient Rome

This article is about theatrical performances in ancient Rome. For the building, see Roman theatre .The theatre of ancient Rome refers to dramatic performances performed in Rome and its dominions during classical antiquity….
, and were later idolized by the French classicists; his influence on drama extends to modern times.

Euripides’ greatest works include Alcestis

Alcestis (play)

Alcestis is an Athenian tragedy by the ancient Greek playwright Euripides. It was first produced at the City Dionysia festival in 438 BCE. Euripides presented it as the final part of a tetralogy of unconnected plays in the competition of tragedies, for which he won second prize; this arrangement…
, Medea

Medea (play)

Medea is an ancient Greek tragedy written by Euripides, based upon the myth of Jason and Medea and first produced in 431 BC. The plot centers on the barbarian protagonist as she finds her position in the Greek world threatened, and the revenge she takes against her husband Jason who has betrayed…
, Trojan Women, and The Bacchae

The Bacchae

The Bacchae is an ancient Greek tragedy by the Athenian playwright Euripides, during his final years in Macedon, at the court of Archelaus I of Macedon…
. Also considered notable is Cyclops

Cyclops (play)

The Cyclops is an Ancient Greek satyr play by Euripides, the only complete satyr play that has survived. It is a comical burlesque-like play on the same story depicted in book nine of The Odyssey by Homer.-Background:…
, the only complete satyr play

Satyr play

Satyr plays were an ancient Greek form of tragicomedy, similar to the modern-day burlesque style. They always featured a chorus of satyrs and were based in Greek mythology and contained themes of, among other things, drinking, overt sexuality , pranks and general merriment…
to have survived.

While the seven plays of Aeschylus and Sophocles that have survived were those considered their best, the manuscript containing Euripides’ plays was part of a multiple volume, alphabetically-arranged collection of Euripides’ works, rediscovered after lying in a monastic collection for approximately 800 years. The manuscript contains those plays whose (Greek) titles begin with the letters E to K. This accounts for the large number of extant plays of Euripides (among ancient dramatists, only Plautus

Plautus

Titus Maccius Plautus , commonly known as Plautus, was a Roman playwright of the Old Latin period. His comedies are among the earliest surviving intact works in Latin literature. He wrote Palliata comoedia, the genre devised by the innovator of Latin literature, Livius Andronicus…
has more surviving plays), the survival of a satyr play, and the absence of a trilogy. It is a testament to the quality of Euripides’ plays that, though their survival was dependent on the letter their title began with and not (as with Aeschylus and Sophocles) their quality, they are ranked alongside and often above the plays of Aeschylus and Sophocles.

In June 2005, classicists at Oxford University worked on a joint project with Brigham Young University

Brigham Young University

Brigham Young University , located in Provo, Utah, United States, is a private, coeducational research university owned by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints…
, using multi-spectral imaging technology to recover previously illegible writing (see References). Some of this work employed infrared

Infrared

Infrared radiation is electromagnetic radiation whose wavelength is longer than that of visible light , but shorter than that of terahertz radiation and microwaves…
technology—previously used for satellite

Satellite

In the context of spaceflight, a satellite is an object which has been placed into orbit by human endeavor. Such objects are sometimes called artificial satellites to distinguish them from natural satellites such as the Moon….
imaging—to detect previously unknown material by Euripides in fragments of the Oxyrhynchus papyri

Oxyrhynchus

Oxyrhynchus is a city in Upper Egypt, located about 160 km south-southwest of Cairo, in the governorate of Al Minya. It is also an archaeological site, considered one of the most important ever discovered…
, a collection of ancient manuscripts held by the university.

Commentary

Euripides focused on the realism of his characters

Character (arts)

Medea

Medea is a woman in Greek mythology. She was the daughter of King Aeëtes of Colchis, niece of Circe, granddaughter of the sun god Helios, and later wife to the hero Jason, with whom she had two children: Mermeros and Pheres. In Euripides’s play Medea, Jason leaves Medea when Creon, king of…
is a realistic woman with recognizable emotions and is not simply a villain. In Hippolytus

Hippolytus (play)

Hippolytus is an Ancient Greek tragedy by Euripides, based on the myth of Hippolytus, son of Theseus. The play was first produced for the City Dionysia of Athens in 428 BC and won first prize as part of a trilogy….
, Euripides writes in a particularly modern style, demonstrating how neither language nor sight aids in understanding in a civilization on its last leg. Euripides makes his point about vision both through the plot (Phaedra makes repeated references to her inability to see clearly and her wish to have her eyes covered), and through the sparseness of his staging, which lacked the dazzling elements that other plays often had. The same was true of his commentary on the use of language. The misuse of words played an important role in the storyline (Phaedra’s letter, the nurse’s betrayal of Phaedra’s secret, Hippolytus’ refusal to break his oath to save his own life, and his refusal to pay lip-service to Aphrodite), but in addition, the actual language of the play was often purposefully verbose and ungainly, again to show the ineffectual nature of language in comprehension in Euripides’ age.
According to Aristotle

Aristotle

Sophocles

Euripides’ realistic characterisation

Characterisation

Characterisation is the process of conveying information about characters in narrative or dramatic works of art or everyday conversation. Characters may be presented by means of description, through their actions, speech, or thoughts….
s were sometimes at the expense of a realistic plot; he sometimes relied upon the deus ex machina

Deus ex machina

A deus ex machina is a plot device in which a person or thing appears “out of the blue” to help a character to overcome a seemingly insolvable difficulty…
to resolve his plays, as in Ion and Electra. In the opinion of Aristotle

Aristotle

, writing his Poetics a century later, this is an inadequate way to end a play. Many classicists cite this as a reason why Euripides was less popular in

Internet Research Task-6

Two different sites exploring Personifications of Myth

Home

Nike of Samothrace
note there is no swoosh…

Many are familiar with the major deities and what they symbolized, and most of the gods represented concrete items [such as Helios the sun and Poseidon the sea]. I have compiled a list of gods and goddesses who personify more abstract concepts such as envy, affection, and wealth. Some may be unfamiliar because many are considered obscure; nonetheless, the Greeks did not minimize their importance. Space and time does not allow me a detailed description, which you can find elsewhere on the web, but you can familiarize yourself with who symbolized what. Writers, especially poets, may want to utilize this list for metaphors and allegories in their work.

If you can think of a god I have missed, please let me know.

Hypnos [sleep] and Thanatos [death] carrying off Trojan ally Sarpedon.

ALL RIGHT!
I received a lot of flack for not giving accompanying descriptions, so I’ve added brief tidbits on these gods and goddesses.

Listed alphabetically by deity…
Also, see if you can recognize any etymology in these names…

GOD:	REPRESENTS:
Aether	God representing pure [upper] air, son of Erebus and Nyx, and the brother of Hemera; the essence of the universe.
Ananke	Goddess of unalterable necessity who may have instructed the Fates.
Anteros	Brother of Eros and god of returned love; he punished those who defied and scorned love.
Apate	The goddess of deceit. benefactor of politicians….
Astraea	A daughter of Zeus and Themis and one of the goddesses of justice who resided among mortals.
Ate	Thought to be a daughter of Zeus and Eris, Zeus rejected her and hurled her to earth. She symbolizes moral blindness.
Auxesia	Goddess of growth.
Bia	Representation of force and daughter of Pallas andStyx.
Caerus	Bald god or goddess representing a favorable memories, which should be cherished.
Ceto	Mother of the Gorgons, she essentially is a goddess of danger [primarily of the sea].
Chaos	A primordial void, nothingness.[ i.e., my life… ] This god was asexual and had children himself, most notable Erebus and Nyx. The Latin poet Ovid gave “chaos” the meaning of unorder.
Cratos	Brother of Bia and representation of power.
Deimos	Along with Phobos, a son of Ares; god of terror and panic.
Enyo	Either the daughter or sister of Ares and personification of horror. She is known to linger on the battlefield during wars.
Epimethus	A Titan, brother fof Prometheus. His name means “afterthought”.
Erebus	Son of Chaos and brother of night, he is the personification of darkness.
Erinyes [Furies]	Born from the castrated Uranus’s genitals, 3 sisters, goddesses of vengence and revenge.

Tisiphone -the Avenging
Alecto – the Unceasing
Megaera – the Grudging

Eris

Companion to Ares and goddess of discord and strife.

Eros

The celebrated son of Ares and Aphrodite and god of erotic attraction and/or love.

Geras

Goddess of old age, she was the daughter of Nyx.

The Graces
[or Charities]

Daughters of Zeus and Eurynome and attendents to Aphrodite, they symbolized inspiration & charm, 3 in number:

Aglaea – splendor
Thalia – cheer
Euphrosyne – mirth

Harmonia

Daughter of Ares and Aphrodite, she married Cadmus and represented harmony [der!].

Hecate

The goddess of magic and witchcraft, though not evil as many would assume.

Hebe

Cupbearer of the gods and daughter of Zeus and Hera, she was youth. Her Roman counterpart, Juventas, does indeed mean “youth”.

Hemera

Representation of day, she was ironically the daughter of Nyx and Erebus.

Hesperos

The goddess of evening and wife of Atlas.

Hilaeira

Goddess of brightness.

Himerus

God of sexual desire.
oh yeah!

Horae

Daughters of Zeus and Themis, they personified the seasons [only 3 in Greek]. Since they associated with nature, they also represented order and stability.

Eunomia – good order
Dike – justice
Eirene – peace

Hubris

God personifying lack of restraint, dwelling mostly among mortals.
Mostly men are affected—I kid you not!

Hygeia

Goddess of health and often regarded as Asclepius’s daughter.

Hymen

Son of Aphrodite and Dionysus and patron of marriage.
Not what you thought, eh?

Hypnos

Appropriately, the son of Nyx and Erebus and god of sleep. His twin was Thanatos.
I definitely need a chat with him…

Leto

A Titaness, mother of the devine twins Apollo and Artemis, and goddess of fruitfulness [earthly].

Lyssa

“Frenzy”, she was summoned by Hera to afflict madness on Heracles, whereupon he killed his children and, according to Euripedes, his wifeMegara.

Metis

The daughter of Oceanos and Tethys and Zeus’s first choice as a wife. She represented counsel.

Mnemosyne

A daughter of Uranus and Gaea and the mother of the Muses, her name means “memory”.

Moirae

The Fates, 3 sisters who determine man’s life:

Clotho – the spinner
Lachesis – the allotter
Atropos – the inflexible

Momus

The sex of this god is unknown, some call Momus the daughter of night and others, such as Hesiod, say he was a son. Regardless, s/he represented mockery and sarcasm.
Hey, this should be my patron…!

Moros

Son of Erebus and Nyx and brother of Thanatos, Moros was appropriately the god of doom.

Muses

The daughters of Mnemosyne and Zeus, they were the arts:

Calliope – epic poetry
Clio – history
Erato – song & dance
Melpomene – tragic poetry
Urania – astronomy
Terpsichore – choral poetry
Polyhymnia – pantomime & geometry
Thalia – comedy
Euterpe – music, especially flute-playing

Nemesis

The goddess of retribution and righting what has been wronged. She is either the daughter of Nyx and Erebus or Zeus and Oceanus.

Nike

Victory, the daughter of Pallas and Styx.
No, not the goddess of Michael Jordan athleticware…

Nyx

Night personified, and most often the daughter of Chaos.

the Oneroi

Sons of Hypnos and gods of dreams:

Icelus – dreams of humans
Morpheus – shaping dreams
Phobetor – frightening dreams [of beasts]
Phantasos – apparitions

Paen

The god of healing, even for other deities.

Pandia

Goddess of extreme brightness [of light] and daughter of Zeus and Eos.

Peitho

Represented persuasion, often considered the daughter of Aphrodite and Hermes.

Penia

Goddess of poverty and wife of Porus.

Penthus

God of grief.

Pheme

Rumors personified as a goddess.

Philotes

Another daughter of Nyx and goddess of affection. Ironically, her sisters included Eris and Apate.

Phobos

A son of Ares and brother of Deimos, he personified fear.

Phoebe

The daughter of Gaia and Uranus, she represented light. Her name is often used as an epithet for Artemis since she was the mother of Leto.

Phospherus

The god of the morning [star].

Phthonus
no, that is not a typo
—that’s how you spell it!

The son of Dionysus and Nyx, he represented envy.

Plutus

Often described as the son of Demeter, he was the god of wealth.
Hrmph, I’ve never met this god…

Porus

A son of Metis and husband to Penia, he represented expendiency.

Pothos

A son of Aphrodite, he was the personification of desire.

Priapus

Male fertility, the son of Dionysus and Aphrodite.
uh, let’s say I will never post a picture of this god, basically a phallus!

Prometheus

One of the Titans whose name means “forethought”; one of the most written about characters in mythology.

Protogonus

A god representing the origins of existence.

Psyche [Latin]

Her story is often confused with Greek myth, though it is actually from Apuleius’s Golden Ass [No, not Rush Limbaugh or Bill Clinton!]. Her name means “soul” and is often regarded as such.

Thanatos

Brother of Hypnos and god of death.

Themis

The daughter of Gaia, her name means “steadfast” and is often considered to represent law and order.

Tyche

The daughter of Oceanus and goddess symbolizing fortune, chance, and prosperity.

Zalmoxis

A Thracian god, he somewhat sybolized immortality. He is often associated with Dionysus.

Zelus

The son ofStyxand Pallas who personified enthusiasm and zeal.

http://www.areopagus.net/persona.htm

Personifications

Zeus, Athena and Nike supporting Hellas, the personification of Greece

Aergia (laziness)

Nemesis stepping on Adikia (fragment of a sculpture) , Dion Archaeological Museum

Dike and Adikia (Justice and Injustice)

Adikia (Injustice )

Hermes and Agon

Agon (Contest, such as athletic)
Aidos (Shame)

Personifications: Nysa, Anatrofi, Nymphs, Tropheus, Ambrosia, Hermes and Dionysus, Nektar and Theogonia, Paphos Mosaics

Amphillogiai (‘Disputes’, Eris)
Amechania (Helpnessness)
Anangke ( Necessity)
Apate (Deceit)
Arete (Excellence, Valor)
Basileia ( Monarchy)
Boule (Council)

Kairos and Metanoia

Caerus , gr. Kairos

Personification of Crete Paphos Mosaics

Democracy glorifies Demos,AgoraMuseum,Athens

Demokratia (Democracy)
Demos (Population)

Pausanias: A portico is built behind with pictures of the gods called the Twelve. On the wall opposite are painted Theseus, Democracy and Demos. The picture represents Theseus as the one who gave the Athenians political equality.

Dike (Justice)

Personification of Dithyrambus

Dysnomia (lawlessness)

Eirene and Ploutos and a Greek Stamp dedicated to the United Nations and Peace.

Eirene (Peace)

Pausanias: After the statues of the eponymoi come statues of gods, Amphiaraus, and Eirene (Peace) carrying the boy Plutus (Wealth).

Erebos (Darkness, married with Nyx)
Eris (Discord and Strife, Companion of Ares)
Eukleia (Good Repute)
Eunomia (Good Orde, Horae)
Eutaxia (Good Order)
Geras (Old Age)

Geras, son of Nyx

Cadmus and Harmonia, Evelyn De Morgan

Harmonia (Harmony, daughter of Ares and Aphrodite!)

Hebe (Youth)
Hellas (Greece)
Hemera (Day, daughter of Nyx and Erebos and sister of Hypnos)
Horme (energetic activity and effort)

Hygeia (Health)
Homonoia (Concord)

Euphronios Krater, Hermes (Psychopompos) in the Middle with the twin brothers Thanatos and Hypnos (Death and Sleep) moving Sarpedon, the son of Zeus to Hades the world of the dead. Calyx-krater, ca. 515 BC; Archaic; red-figure, Metropolitan Museum of Art Signed by Euxitheos, as potter; Signed by Euphronios, as painter, Greek, Attic ( Etruscan Sculpture )

Hypnos (Sleep father of Icelus, Orpheus, Phobetor and Phantasos. A twin brother of Thanatos, son of Nyx and Erebos)

Cassiopeia Beauty Contest with the Personification of “Krisis” for Judgement

Zeus, Lyssa, Actaeon and Artemis

Lyssa (raving madness)
Mnemosyne (Memory)

I am – you see – the Nemesis of men, well winged, immortal, dwelling in the sky.

Nemesis (Retribution)

Pausanias: The dwelling houses are on the coast, but a little way inland is a sanctuary of Nemesis, the most implacable deity to men of violence. It is thought that the wrath of this goddess fell also upon the foreigners who landed atMarathon. For thinking in their pride that nothing stood in the way of their takingAthens, they were bringing a piece of Parian marble to make a trophy, convinced that their task was already finished. Of this marble Pheidias made a statue of Nemesis, and on the head of the goddess is a crown with deer and small images of Victory. In her left hand she holds an apple branch, in her right hand a cup on which are wrought Aethiopians….Neither this nor any other ancient statue of Nemesis has wings, for not even the holiest wooden images of the Smyrnaeans have them, but later artists, convinced that the goddess manifests herself most as a consequence of love, give wings to Nemesis as they do to Love.

Nike (Victory, daughter of Pallas and Styx. Nike’s other brothers and sisters are Cratos (Strength), Zelos (Zeal) and Bia (Force)).
Nyx (Night)
Oligarchia (Oligarchy)

Eros, Aphrodite and Peitho

Peitho (Persuasion, son of Aphrodite and Hermes)

The three loves (Himeros, Eros and Pothos), Penia and Peitho and Aphrodite

Penia (Poverty)
Penthus (Grief, gr. Penthos)
Philia (Friendship)
Phyle/Phylai (Tribe/s)
Phthonus (jealousy)

Poine (Ποινή), (retaliation) sometimes mentioned as one being, and sometimes in the plural. They belonged to the train of Dike, and are akin to the Erinnyes (Aeschyl. Choeph. 936, 947; Paus. 1.43.7.)

Pompe (Personification of festal Processions)
Poros (Expediency, husband of Penia)

Pothos Louvre Ma541

Pothos (Desire a son of Aphrodite)

Dionysus and Plutus (Ploutos), BM F68

Ploutos (Wealth)
Soteria (Salvation, Safety, Recovery) Temple in Patrae, Pausanias 7.21
Thanatos (Death, Twin brother of Hypnos)

Themis (Law)

Tyche, a drawing based on the work the Tyche of Antiochia of Eutychides of Sicyon. Copy from original of early third century BC, Vatican Museum, Rome. Source

Tyche (Good Fortune)
Zelos (Enthusiasm and zeal, son ofStyx and Pallas)

Dionysus with Komos and Tragedy

Personifications in the Apotheosis of Homer

Homer 28) crowned by the Macedonian Greek Kings of Egypt Arsinoe III and Ptolemy IV who represent the Chronos and Oikoumene (Time and World) (next to Homer Odyssey and the Illiad 26,27) . 15–-25) a crowded group of participants in the procession, who appear as personifications of History, Poetry, Tragedy and Comedy, Physis, Arete, Mneme, Pistis and Sophia. 25) the young boy is Mythos (Myth) and the girl 23) History. One source considers the persons behind History (23) moving to the right as tragedy, comedy, nature, integrity, memory, fidelity, and wisdom although 2 persons are then without identification. See the Apotheosis of Homer

Personification of the four Seasons, Paphos Mosaics, House of Dionysus

The four seasons	Summer from the four seasons
Winter from the four seasons	Autumn from the four seasons
Spring from the four seasons	Dionysus or Aion or the spirit of time

Samian decree ACMA 1333, Hera and Athena representing Samos and Athens

Herodotus Book 8:

To his declaration (Themistocles), “that the money must needs be paid, as the Athenians had brought with him two mighty gods— (Peitho)Persuasion and (Anangke)Necessity,” they made reply, that “Athens might well be a great and glorious city, since she was blest with such excellent gods; but they were wretchedly poor, stinted for land, and cursed with two unprofitable gods, who always dwelt with them and would never quit their island—to wit, (Penia) Poverty and (Amechania) Helplessness. These were the gods of the Andrians, and therefore they would not pay the money.

America Guided by Wisdom (after John James Barralet), 1815, etching and engraving: first state, Benjamin Tanner (1775-1848) ,YaleUniversityArtGallery (including Hermes)

“Personifications” in Art

Art and Literature. William Bouguereau
Mythology Images

All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License

Dictionary of Greek Mythology

http://www.mlahanas.de/Greeks/Mythology/Personifications.html

Liam Whetstone

Myth, Meaning and Movies Essay (2010)

Approach

Ordeal

Reward

The Road Back

Resurrection

Return with Elixir

The Hero

Mentor

Trickster

Shadow

Shapeshifter

Herald

Threshold Guardian

Myth and Stories

Monday, December 01, 2008

Inanna and the Hero’s Journey

The Hero’s Journey in Film

Archetype assessment: Becoming conscious of their influence

Psychological type and archetypes

Dramatica Theory Book

Archetypal Characters: Introduction to Archetypes

Protagonist

Players and Characters?

Describing the Protagonist

Aeschylus

The Work of Aeschylus

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Approach

Ordeal

Reward

The Road Back

Resurrection

Return with Elixir

The Hero

Mentor

Trickster

Shadow

Shapeshifter

Herald

Threshold Guardian

Myth and Stories

Monday, December 01, 2008

Inanna and the Hero’s Journey

The Hero’s Journey in Film

Archetype assessment: Becoming conscious of their influence

Psychological type and archetypes

Dramatica Theory Book

Archetypal Characters: Introduction to Archetypes

Protagonist

Players and Characters?

Describing the Protagonist

Aeschylus

The Work of Aeschylus

Filed In:

Life

Plays

Commentary

Personifications

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