Greek Literature :: Greece Literature Poetry Myths Essays

Greek LiteratureThe great British philosopher-mathematician Alfred North Whitehead oncecommented that all philosophy is but a footnote to Plato . A comparable point canbe made regarding Greek literature as a whole.Over a period of to a greater extent than ten centuries, the ancient Greeks created aliterature of such brilliance that it has r arely been equaled and neversurpassed. In poetry, tragedy, comedy, and history, Greek writers createdmasterpieces that have inspired, influenced, and challenged readers to thepresent day.To suggest that all western literature is no more than than a footnote to thewritings of classical Greece is an exaggeration, but it is nevertheless truethat the Greek world of thought was so far-ranging that thither is scarcely anidea discussed like a shot that was not debated by the ancient writers. The only bodyof literature of comparable influence is the Bible.The linguistic process in which the ancient authors wrote was Greek. comparable English,Greek is an Indo-European language but it is far older. Its history can befollowed from the 14th century BC to the present. Its literature, therefore,covers a longer period of clip than that of any other Indo-European language .Scholars have determined that the Greek alphabet was derived from thePhoenician alphabet. During the period from the 8th to the 5th century BC, localdifferences caused the forms of garner to vary from one city-state to otherwithin Greece. From the 4th century BC on, however, the alphabet became uniformthroughout the Greek world.CLASSICAL PERIODThere are four major periods of Greek literature preclassical, classical,Hellenistic-Roman, and Byzantine. Of these the most significant full treatment wereproduced during the preclassical and classical eras.Epic TraditionAt the beginning of Greek literature floor the two monumental works of Homer,the Iliad and the Odyssey. The figure of Homer is shrouded in mystery.Although the works as they now stand are credited to h im, it is certain thattheir roots tump over far back beforehand his time (see Homeric Legend). The Iliad isthe famous story about the Trojan War. It centers on the person of Achilles, whoembodied the Greek heroic ideal. mend the Iliad is pure tragedy, the Odyssey is a variety of tragedy andcomedy. It is the story of Odysseus, one of the warriors at Troy. After ten geezerhood fighting the war, he spends another ten years sailing back habitation to hiswife and family. During his ten-year voyage, he loses all of his comrades andships and makes his way home to Ithaca disguised as a beggar.Both of these works were based on ancient legends. The stories are told inGreek Literature Greece Literature Poetry Myths Essays Greek LiteratureThe great British philosopher-mathematician Alfred North Whitehead oncecommented that all philosophy is but a footnote to Plato . A similar point canbe made regarding Greek literature as a whole.Over a period of more than ten centuries, the ancient Gree ks created aliterature of such brilliance that it has rarely been equaled and neversurpassed. In poetry, tragedy, comedy, and history, Greek writers createdmasterpieces that have inspired, influenced, and challenged readers to thepresent day.To suggest that all Western literature is no more than a footnote to thewritings of classical Greece is an exaggeration, but it is nevertheless truethat the Greek world of thought was so far-ranging that there is scarcely anidea discussed today that was not debated by the ancient writers. The only bodyof literature of comparable influence is the Bible.The language in which the ancient authors wrote was Greek. Like English,Greek is an Indo-European language but it is far older. Its history can befollowed from the 14th century BC to the present. Its literature, therefore,covers a longer period of time than that of any other Indo-European language .Scholars have determined that the Greek alphabet was derived from thePhoenician alphabet. During the period from the 8th to the 5th century BC, localdifferences caused the forms of letters to vary from one city-state to anotherwithin Greece. From the 4th century BC on, however, the alphabet became uniformthroughout the Greek world.CLASSICAL PERIODThere are four major periods of Greek literature preclassical, classical,Hellenistic-Roman, and Byzantine. Of these the most significant works wereproduced during the preclassical and classical eras.Epic TraditionAt the beginning of Greek literature stand the two monumental works of Homer,the Iliad and the Odyssey. The figure of Homer is shrouded in mystery.Although the works as they now stand are credited to him, it is certain thattheir roots reach far back before his time (see Homeric Legend). The Iliad isthe famous story about the Trojan War. It centers on the person of Achilles, whoembodied the Greek heroic ideal.While the Iliad is pure tragedy, the Odyssey is a mixture of tragedy andcomedy. It is the story of Odysseus, one of the warr iors at Troy. After tenyears fighting the war, he spends another ten years sailing back home to hiswife and family. During his ten-year voyage, he loses all of his comrades andships and makes his way home to Ithaca disguised as a beggar.Both of these works were based on ancient legends. The stories are told in