The Iliad vs. The Burial at Thebes From literature to philosophy to art

Homer b. sometime around 800 b.c.e.? creator of epic poetry wrote The Iliad and The Odyssey we know NOTHING of him

The Iliad Agamemnon and the Greeks are beginning their 10 th year of fighting the Trojans Achilles, the best fighter, will not enter the battle because of his rage toward Agamemnon through the intervention of the Gods, the Greeks eventually begin to overpower the Trojans culmination of the battle occurs when Achilles defeats Hector we are foretold of events to come, e.g. Achilles’ death the poem focuses on great heroic battle

Tensions and Themes Rage Heroic Acts Duty and Honor Ideal representation of Greek manhood Intervention of the Gods Guide to proper behavior

Sophocles b. 496 b.c.e. d. 406 b.c.e. most prolific Greek tragedians, wrote 125 plays only 7 of these plays survive

The Burial at Thebes written around 442 b.c.e. simple plot line of conflict between Creon and his niece Antigone Antigone, name means “born to oppose” in Greek against the law of Creon, she buries her brother she is sentenced to death for the crime she hangs herself Creon’s son and wife kill themselves in response to Antigone’s death What happens to Creon at the end? –he gives up the throne after “seeing the light”

Tensions and Themes tyranny vs. democracy –Creon vs. Haemon who might the Athenian people have sided with? fate –Oedipus as source of destiny The Gods and Heroes –What role do they play? –Who are they?

Greek Philosophy Sophists –offered wisdom to students –emphasis on development of practical skills like public speaking –committed to humanistic values –“man is the measure of all things” –human beings have the power to make judgments about themselves and their world –helped to free the human spirit to become more creative –tendency toward skepticism – undermined traditional values of the power of the Gods

Socrates ( b.c.e.) –opposed Sophists –also focused on human problems and empowerment of humans to make moral choices –belief in an enduring moral and intellectual order in the universe –the psyche is the most important thing –it must be nurtured by knowledge –one gains knowledge through stimulating conversations, debates, and abstract thinking –he was seen as a heretic and a corruptor and was sentenced to death after Athens falls to the Spartans in 404 b.c.e. –died by ingesting hemlock

How does Philosophy relate to The Iliad and The Burial at Thebes? The Iliad –traditionally philosophical text –uses the Gods as the controllers of human fate –Achilles = hero b/c he is godlike The Burial at Thebes –Sophist or Socratic? –role of the Gods? –what defines a hero?

How does Art figure into this?