9/29 Marie de France (#5a)

From the middle ages emerges an interesting library of work. An age also known as “an age of faith” and “an age of chivalry” (1143). This time period stretching from approximately 500 to 1500, produced such work as “Beowulf,” “The Divine Comedy” and Marie De France’s lays (1144). Marie De France’s lays have been described as being “romances, novelistic narratives” filled with stories of “adventure and—above all—love” (1316). Two of Marie De France’s most interesting lays are Lanval for its Biblical parallels and Lau ̈stic for its good use of symbolism.

Lanval & Joseph

Lanval and the Queen share some parallels to the biblical story of Joseph and Potiphar’s wife. Both Lanval and Joseph deny the company of a lady who is throwing herself at her desired man. Both the men, Lanval and Joseph, use the excuse that they do not want to dishonor their Lords by entertaining the lady who is thrusting herself at them. Lanval tells the Queen he can not be with her because he has “long served the king” and he does not wish to “betray” the kings faith in him (1320). Similarly, Joseph tells Potiphar’s wife his “master has withheld nothing from me except you,” and he did not wish to “sin against God” by taking her company (Gen 39:9). Either, Lanval or Joseph are able to discouraged the women being pushed on them, and both men suffer for their good intentions of resisting a woman.

Salvation

The stories parallelism ends at this point, where the men must find redemption from the situations they find themselves in. Lanval’ salvation comes in the form of his “beloved” (1323). This is a noteworthy point in the story for a woman is redeeming a man. While it is less significant now, it would have been more alarming to have a woman play the role of savior for a man in that time period. For this reason it could be said this is a feminist piece.

Extra Credit

Three symbols are incorporated in to Lau ̈stic. First, the nightingale represents the young wife’s “yearning to escape” and to be with her lover (1317). Second, the adjoining houses represents the closeness of the two, Lau ̈stic and her lover. The narrator describes the arrangement of their homes by saying “there was no barrier or division” (1324). Finally, the jeweled casket represents Lau ̈stic’s love being put to death. The casket acts as the sort of casket that is to be buried at a funeral.

From the two stories, Lanval and Lau ̈stic it is obvious the Middle Ages had some of the most fanciful ideas of love. In Lanval, the hero can not stand to be away from his lover form any small period of time. While Lanval believes he will never see his lover again, it is stated that its a “wonder he did not kill himself” (1321). In Lau ̈stic, the passionate love the couple share consists of shouting at one another through each lovers window and chucking gifts through one another’s windows. The love struck couple so greatly enjoy yelling from window to window “since they were denied anything more” (1324). These ridiculous displays of affection quickly gain acceptance during the telling of their stories. The frequent nature of such love neutralizes the ridiculousness and this display of love becomes common place.

9/24 Confessions (#4b)

Aurelius Augustine who lived from 354-430 A.D. left a great record of himself and his struggle to find God. In Augustine’s work “Confessions” he describes ,among other things, the sins he struggled with and his conversion that marked his complete surrenderance of himself to God.

Sin

When Augustine described his sin he described the action itself as well as the sins affect on his life.

First, Augustine described being young and with friends stealing peaches. Augustine explained that he did not steal out of necessity, because he had his own peaches that were superior to the ones he had stolen. Instead, he stole for the pleasure that came directly from the act of sinning.

Second, Augustine described the fulfillment of his lustful desires. Augustine tells us in many more words that he committed these sins because he was engulfed in the beauty and pleasures of this world. While Augustine knows these to be true beauties and pleasures they are astronomically smaller when compared to that which
God provides.

He knew his sins were driving him from God. Through much of this time in his life Augustine believes God left him alone till he could see how a life without God appears. The first sin’s pleasure was not satisfying enough. He knew his hunger for life could not be complete filled with the pleasure from sin. Augustines second sin hurt him greatly. After braking a relationship with a women, for he had another promised to him this heart ached. Augustine describes the pain of his heart as “broken and wounded” (n. page).

Augustine had an interesting prospective when talking about sin, morality, and God. Augustine hated his sin. He was disgusted with it because he knew God was disgusted with it. Augustine sought to rid himself of sin, for he knew it did not please God and he wanted to please God above all else. Other ancient world narratives tell about abstaining from sin so that their gods do not destroy him and these other gods have no interest in love ,but also love themselves as people do. Augustine’s morality was set by God. Other religions of the time had many gods and often conflicting morality. Finally, Augustine love his God immensely. He knew that God had his best interest at heart. Other writers of the ancient world obeyed their gods out of fear alone. While Augustine feared God, he also wanted a personal relationship with God that would please God.

Conversion

Before Augustine’s conversion their were many hindrances that came in the form of wrong thinking and ideas. One of these is the idea that the beauties and pleasure of this world could sustain him. Later, he would find that this could not be further from the truth. Another hindrance is that Augustine thought he was not in need of a God. He was his own God and continued to seek the pleasures of this world. Later, he would find how small these pleasures were in comparison to what God had in store for him.

Augustine’s experience are in no way unique. While his store is not going to match anyones else's exactly. Augustine like all, began as a sinner. Unfulfilled and conflicted he wanted more. When he found God he found purpose and meaning. Not until he surrendered all of himself to God did he find peace in life. This pattern parallels a large number of unbeliever’s and convert’s in the contemporary world to day.

9/22 Hesiod's Theogony (#4a)

The Greeks Olympic gods have been the object of study and story telling for centuries. The tangled family tree that the gods share can be quite confusing. It was Homer and Hesiod that gave there people many stories of their gods, describing the heritage and much of the conflict the Olympian family faced. Hesiod’s work the “Theogony” traces the lineage of the gods Chaos and Gaia to their descendants through Zeus. The “Theogony” can help to understand the Greek myths and many Greek Values.

Myths

The Myths in the “Theogony” can explain much about the Greek gods. First, the myths show that the Gods are hungry for power. Hesiod informs that Kronos would swallow his children so that they might not over take him one day, Kronos himself having seized power from his father after he “hacked off his father’s genitals” (180 - 81). A second lesson that can be learned from the myths is that the goddesses can not be trusted. This is evident because it was Gala, Kronos’ mother who “devised a crafty and evil scheme” that led to Kronos’ rebellion against his father. Another example of an untrustworthy goddess is when Rhea wife of Kronos, deceived her husband. Kronos had been innocently swallowing his children ,but now was given a “huge stone wrapped in swaddling clothes” from his wife (486). Kronos through the stone in his stomach like he would any other child not knowing he had been deceived.

The Greeks Olympic gods have been the object of study and story telling for centuries. The tangled family tree that the gods share can be quite confusing. It was Homer and Hesiod that gave there people many stories of their gods, describing the heritage and much of the conflict the Olympian family faced. Hesiod’s work the “Theogony” traces the lineage of the gods Chaos and Gaia to their descendants through Zeus. The “Theogony” can help to understand the Greek myths and many Greek Values.

Greed Values

The values and character qualities of ,or lack there of , the “Theogony” are reflected repeatedly in Greek literature. In “Lysistrata” the theme of deceitful scheming women is vital to the story. In “Antigone” Creon displays a familiar lack of compassion and love toward women and their wishes. When a character exercises one of their unmoral qualities they never benefit in the long run. Kronos destroying his father only to meet a similar fate by one of his own sons is one poetic instance of a negative ramification for an unmoral action.

Extra Credit

The theme of a overthrowing a father is a common motif among Greek literature. It is likely so common for one of two reasons. The first explanation is the authors were using their writing as wish or fantasy fulfillment. It could be the authors were alluding to an oppressive government, leader or master that they or their audience endured and wished of overthrowing. The second explanation is the authors wrote about what they saw. Perhaps it was common for a son to overthrow his father or leader. So, the theme inevitably found its way on to pages of plays and books of that period.

9/17 The Republic (#3b)

Plato was one of the greatest philosophers of our world. This ability to complicate what could be considered a perfectly simple idea to the point of intangibility was noteworthy. In the same way Plato could take an extremely intangible idea and with poetic allegory explain himself in a firm concrete way. One place this can be observed is in his work “The Republic.”

The Divided Line & the Sun

In “The Republic” Plato uses the sun to represent a power greater than truth, allowing truth to be illuminated by its light, which allows the “knower” to “draw his ability to know” (819). Since this is a noble act, helping the knower, the sun can be considered ” character of the good” (819). Plato makes it very clear that the light that illuminates truth is like the sun, but is not the sun. For the cause of light, the sun, is the “cause of knowledge and truth” and “itself surpasses them in beauty” (819).

Plato continues with his illustrations describing how the light from the sun is used to illuminate different forms in our world. Often the form that the light shines upon cannot be viewed directly. So to understand that form its shadow must be observed and an assumption can be made about that form. The assumption can be used to make other assumptions about other forms that cannot be view directly. To categorize those forms that can be understood or viewed directly and those forms who can only have assumptions made of them, Plato uses a segmented line. In “The Republic,” the segmented line is a strong tool for Plato’s explanations of the knower’s ability to use the sun to understand the forms of the world.

Allegory of the Cave

Another great allegory is that of the cave. Its full explanation is to long for this medium. If, you choose not to look directly at it you will be left to try to make assumptions about it by the shadow that will be described now.

The cave is the world that mankind could be living in ignorance. Mankind would only see shadows and would assume that these shadows are the forms, when in fact that they are just shadows of the true forms. Plato continues to explain that if a person should escape the cave and see the forms that had casted the shadows of his world, he would be blinded and want, at first, to flee and return to the comfort of the familiar shadows. Later, that person would do anything to not return to the cave, understanding how small and fake the cave was. Should the person return to the cave they would, at first, be blind in the dark and mocked by the ignorant life long cave dwellers. The returned individual would try to explain there is a complete unseen world out there and all that you see now in here is merely a small shadow of the world. The other life long cave dwellers would think this person was mad and would be likely to kill the crazy talker. Plato finishes by saying only God could know if this is the case in the world we live in.

9/15 Lysistrata (#3a)

Stereotypes
There are an abundance of female stereotypes, no more or less than men. Some of the stereotypes for women are less than accurate others borderline truth. Feminine stereotypes can include mischief, less responsible, a lesser intelligence and the desire to manipulate men through whatever means available.

Aristophanes also addresses many female stereotypes in his play Lysistrata. Stereotypes he included as accurate were a woman’s desire for mischief and the will and ability to manipulate men and their husbands.
First, if running away from home, neglecting their family and their husbands could be considered mischief than the plague most definitely encourages the idea of mischief seeking women. For this is exactly what the women do in Aristophanes play.
Second, this behavior ties directly into the second stereotype encouraged by Aristophanes play, that is manipulating men. By running away and neglecting their families and refusing to lie with their husbands the women of Aristophanes play intend to force the men to give up their war and seek peace.

In addition, Lysistrata addresses and contradicts many other female stereotypes first mentioned. Two of these stereotypes that are contradicted include the idea that women are less responsible and the idea that women have less intelligence.
First, women’s responsibility is addressed by Kaonike. When Lysistrata explains it is up to the women to find the “ salvation of all Greece” and end the war (723). Kaonike Less assured replies “that’s hardly reassuring!” having little faith in her and other women’s ability (723). Kaonike is proven wrong when Lysistrata’s plan for the women to end war succeeds, proving their ability to hold responsibility.
Second, the notion that women have less intelligence. This idea is debunked in the play When their intentions succeed And culminates when Lysistrata proclaims she is proud to work with a group of women that have “got intelligence and heart” as well as “patriotic and smarts” (736).

Sadly Aristophanes’ play did not have the overwhelming impact he likely desired.
If his desire was to win the rights of women it was not accomplished in his day. Later, it could be said that Lysistrata influenced ideas about women’s rights but it would be a long time in coming.
If, it was Aristophanes desire to end the war and draw leaders to seek peace then he failed as well. For the war dragged on for seven more years until Athens fell.

A Women in Power
Lysistrata displayed many masculine traits among them strong will and great leadership. It is not my intention to say these are not feminine attributes ,but for the sake of conversation let me continue.
First, Lysistrata displays a strong will. Lysistrata is determined and bent on her goal of ending war. She will do anything to meet her goal.
Second, Lysistrata has a strong ability to lead a group of people. Not only is she able to rally a group together ,but she is able to motivate them. When the group begins to falter or stray from its goal she is able to hold the line and encourage others, leading by example.

Personal Response
My response to the play, first, consisted of a blank stare, a open mouth and often hard laughter. Now I know where MTV gets its influences from... Greek comedies. I enjoyed the play very much finding it entertaining and illuminating. I had no idea the Greeks spoke like this. I had been familiar with the violent and gruesome language of the “Iliad” ,but was not aware of their perverse and hilarious
dirty mouths.

When responding to the play my second thought was, the women of the play, with the exception of Lysistrata, tended to have no confidence in themselves. The lack of confidence is a less impressive attribute. It is likely that’s since men thought so little of women, women likely thought less of themselves. I would liked to speak to a woman of that time and heard her reaction to play, if it was liberating, motivating or an unrealistic fantasy.

Finally, I found Lysistrata herself to be an interesting character to say the least. Her strong will and blunt speech was very entertaining. Her metaphors that compared women’s labor and responsibilities too decision-making and ruling were interesting.

9/8 Antigone (#2a)

“Antigone” a work by Sophocles, challenges a person to choose sides on an issue that is far from black-and-white.

In this story Antigone and Creon are arguing on the rights and terms of made-up gods. They could be compared to children fighting over the rules of a game that they created, when the rules are in conflict with one another. At that point it’s just about which rules you choose to follow.

Antigone wishes to bury her brother and give him his last rights. She feels obligated to do so from fear of the gods. Antigone argues that Creon’s law, to lead the body above ground, is Creon’s and not the gods (499). She knows in her heart that it is better to die in this world being hated by men and live in the underworld justified. She demonstrates this position while speaking with Ismene saying she would rather die than “dishonor the laws the gods hold in honor” (line 92).

Creon orders that Antigone’s brother lie above ground in dishonor, for her brother dishonored the kingdom, its gods and people. His opinion is obvious when he states the gods hate this man because he came to ”burn their temples … fling their laws to the winds” ( lines 323-26).

Sophocles rides the fence through most of the story. Sophocles’ position may be revealed when he has the chorus describe Antigone as the “last root” of Oedipus that is to be cut down by a “bloody knife swung by the gods of death by senseless words” (lines 674-7). Since the words are “senseless” it seems to be that the death is needless or unjust. Later, Sophocles has the chorus sing “where’s the glory, killing the dead twice over?” (line 1141). This line could be interpreted as saying once an enemy has fallen there is no glory in dishonoring the body. Following these interpretations of the chorus show that Sophocles sided with Antigone. This opinion is further supported by the harsh fate Creon meets after Antigone’s death. A fate so harsh Creon pleads for death himself(line 1433).

Creon is firm in his decision to sentence Antigone to death. His reasoning is a woman has no place in the world if she is to dishonor a man or her husband. This opinion is evident when he says if your wife should wrong you “let her find a husband down among the dead” (line 730).

One of the values reflected in the harsh and quick decision to execute Antigone is the lower class of women. This value is also displayed when Ismene tells Antigone “[r]emember we are women, we’re not to contend with men” (lines 74-5).

Even though Anthony’s decision led to her death, it does not appear as though she regretted it. “The Norton Anthology Western literature” proposed that in her final moments Antigone let go of her belief that she was right in the eyes of the gods, but was firm and her decision because she was so devoted to her brother.

9/3 Iliad Extra (#1b)

From this epic, “The Iliad”, a couple Greek values can be observed. First, sacrificing to gods was a common practice. An example of this is when Zeus himself admires Hector for his consistent sacrifices. Second, the Greeks guy you’d a proper burial. Hector’s father was willing to risk his life to receive his sons dead body from the enemy. Only a proper burial would complete the mourning process.

9/3 Iliad (#1b)

In homer’s “The Iliad” character qualities of the gods and humans are well portrayed. The differences in character qualities between the two are slight.

Just because the gods are immortal does not mean that they are moral or all knowing.

An example is when “all the gods looked on” acting as an audience and humans acted as athletes in a competition (line 189). As Achilles chases after Hector it is described as a race “champion horses wheeling round the course” (line 184). Zeus debates aloud while watching Achilles chased down Hector to kill him, wondering if he should intervene and save Hector. Zeus explains Hector burnt “many an ox’s thigh” to Zeus in worship, but it is not enough for Zeus to decide to safe Hector (line 193). After being convinced by Athena, Zeus allows her to descend and help Achilles strike Hector down.

Athena has her own agenda, different then Zeus’ and Zeus does not choose to save a strong follower of his own. Zeus and Athena’s actions are two examples of the gods more human, selfish and immoral behavior.

An example of conflict between the gods and men can be seen between Apollo and Achilles. Apollo is a little smarter than Achilles tricking him by pulling his a tension away from the wall and the Trojans Achilles should have been fighting. Apollo waves Achilles mistake in his face by taunting “[d]on’t you care about fighting the Trojans anymore?” (line 14-15).

The only true difference humans have from the gods is there mortality. Death brings fear to humans and creates a dependence on the gods who have more power over death than the humans. An example of this was already mentioned, when Hector fled from Achilles, who is in fact half God himself. It is Hectors fear of death that makes him flee. All Hector can do is hope Pairs and Apollo save or at least avenge his death. For Hector knows his fate is not under his control.

Achilles is a very interesting character for his half god and half human status. Achilles was not simply a good or bad character but a complex person. He displayed characteristics like hatred and aggression. An example is when Hector requests that the champion of their battle would not defile the other’s body. Achilles replies in anger saying no such agreement could be made. After killing Hector, Achilles is able to soften his heart having completed his goal and finding vengeance. Here Achilles displays virtues like honor and respect. These virtues can be seen when Hector’s father comes to treat the body of Hector. Achilles not only returns the body, but returns it clothed in nice robes, also serveong Hector’s father of meal.

9/1 Oedipus (#1a)

Sophocles’ reveal much about Greek beliefs, role gods the gods and the hero through Oedipus.

Among Greek's beliefs is that of polytheism. It is easy of observe the belieg in a maltitude of gods in Oedipus' tale. A second belief shown through Oedipus was that of destiny. No matter what Oedipus did the gods knew he would fulfill this fate.

Roles of the gods were well described through Oedipus’ stores as well. One role is the role of adviser. When Oedipus needs advice he asks Apollo. Another role gods play is givers of good fortune or comfort. At one point a chorus pleads to Zeus, Apollo and Artemis asking for relief from the death and misery, saying, “I beg you… I cry to you”(line 231, 236). A third role is that of prophet. Oedipus is haunted by a prophecy that he would kill his father.

Oedipus is a great example of a Greek hero. Starting from a mysterious beginning, he is not sure who his true biological parents are. Such a beginning is common and consistent with that of a hero. A priest explains, “A god was with you” when praising Oedipus for his great deeds (line 47). It was common for gods to help heroes through their quest. Oedipus at one time proclaims, “I fight for the god” when making a speech (line 279). Oedipus claim emphasizes his relationship with different gods, which is also a common quality of a hero. All of these characteristics describe the Greek Hero that Oedipus surely was.