The Oresteia talks about many different topics. One of those being revenge. In the book, we see many scenes where people plot and do revenge, but why do they?
One main reason people chose revenge in the book was because their family member was killed. As we see in the Oresteia, after Clytemnestra killed her husband for killing their daughter, her son later comes and kills her for killing his father. So overall, revenge is common in this story. Another time we see revenge being taken is when Zeus kills his father to be higher in the social hierarchy. Speaking of social hierarchy, that was another common reason for revenge or killing someone back in ancient Greek times. To be in a higher social hierarchy was like going straight from kindergarten to college. Obviously, you would rather be in college than kindergarten, right? So, you can see where Zeus came from. Overall, we see many instances of revenge. This book has taught me a lot and I would recommend it to any advanced reader. My favorite play in the Oresteia was play 2, when we saw the most revenge. This was a terrific book to learn about ancient Greeks and what they watched as plays and shows. As the only surviving Greek trilogy today I loved reading it, and the book was a great resource. What some people never thought of was the fact that revenge did have some negative impacts on it. For example, we see in the Oresteia that every time someone is killed it leads to another killing! Take Clytemnestra's family for example, one death after another lead to another and so on. So, in the end revenge was never good for the Greeks. What I would say is that revenge is an endless cycle and clearly not a successful way to handle their problems.
Aeschylus is saying revenge is common and that revenge equals justice. He is against revenge. He tried to express the feelings of Orestes and his regrets of having killed his mother. the regret led to his own suicide.
One main reason people chose revenge in the book was because their family member was killed. As we see in the Oresteia, after Clytemnestra killed her husband for killing their daughter, her son later comes and kills her for killing his father. So overall, revenge is common in this story. Another time we see revenge being taken is when Zeus kills his father to be higher in the social hierarchy. Speaking of social hierarchy, that was another common reason for revenge or killing someone back in ancient Greek times. To be in a higher social hierarchy was like going straight from kindergarten to college. Obviously, you would rather be in college than kindergarten, right? So, you can see where Zeus came from. Overall, we see many instances of revenge. This book has taught me a lot and I would recommend it to any advanced reader. My favorite play in the Oresteia was play 2, when we saw the most revenge. This was a terrific book to learn about ancient Greeks and what they watched as plays and shows. As the only surviving Greek trilogy today I loved reading it, and the book was a great resource. What some people never thought of was the fact that revenge did have some negative impacts on it. For example, we see in the Oresteia that every time someone is killed it leads to another killing! Take Clytemnestra's family for example, one death after another lead to another and so on. So, in the end revenge was never good for the Greeks. What I would say is that revenge is an endless cycle and clearly not a successful way to handle their problems.
Aeschylus is saying revenge is common and that revenge equals justice. He is against revenge. He tried to express the feelings of Orestes and his regrets of having killed his mother. the regret led to his own suicide.
Blog #2
In the book Cassandra, there is one special scene that stood out to me. The author Christa Wolf could relate to this scene from Cassandra. As you may have noticed near the end of the book, Christa Wolf tells readers she felt like she should die at one point. What happened was Cassandra was given the chance to die, but even though she knew she would die eventually anyways she said no. She chose to live instead of dying. I would too, wouldn’t you? What Cassandra lived for was her 2 children. She would not want them to grow up with no mother. I also believe she would not have wanted them to see her dead.
When Cassandra decides to defy her father's words on page 127 in the novel, we then see her mother, Hecuba, grabbed Cassandra's arm tightly. So, what that would tell me is that her mother was either trying to save her from what would happen to her next or she wanted her to stop acting out immediately. When Cassandra was then taken away by her father's men, Wolf described the conditions Cassandra would have been living in at that period if she were rude or outspoken. The conditions were unreal compared to today's jail cells. Cassandra's character describes mice that took her food and a snake that crawled over her at night.
(click here to see example)
https://www.google.com/search?q=ancient+greek+jail&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwi0oseK9JfzAhVlEFkFHfqGAUEQ_AUoAXoECAEQAw&biw=1366&bih=649&dpr=1&safe=active&ssui=on#imgrc=WnPuIMOOJAlS1M
This is an example of the “jail cells” Cassandra was in. She describes those underground though.
Casandra was overall tired of her life and wanted a break from reality for a little bit. She wanted to stand up for her own rights and those of other women, but she did not know what they were. She is so used to listening to men, obeying the men, respect the men. So, when she tried to stick up for herself, she could not, simply because she did not know how. Back in Cassandra's time, women were always taught to serve men and tend to their needs, but that has changed since then. In 2021, these standards are completely unrealistic, due to women's rights. Now in today's world things are not perfect for women, but we have come a long way from where we were. Today's girls are taught to stand up for yourself and what is right, and we are taught to learn from our mistakes and not to obey anyone but ourselves. Which brings us back to why she chose not to die. Although she wanted to live for her kids' sake, I find that she did not want those men who treated her poorly in life to win. If she had chosen to die, she would have let those people who treated her poorly know that they won by hurting her so badly she could no longer take it. So, she lived on, to take back what was hers.
In the book Cassandra, there is one special scene that stood out to me. The author Christa Wolf could relate to this scene from Cassandra. As you may have noticed near the end of the book, Christa Wolf tells readers she felt like she should die at one point. What happened was Cassandra was given the chance to die, but even though she knew she would die eventually anyways she said no. She chose to live instead of dying. I would too, wouldn’t you? What Cassandra lived for was her 2 children. She would not want them to grow up with no mother. I also believe she would not have wanted them to see her dead.
When Cassandra decides to defy her father's words on page 127 in the novel, we then see her mother, Hecuba, grabbed Cassandra's arm tightly. So, what that would tell me is that her mother was either trying to save her from what would happen to her next or she wanted her to stop acting out immediately. When Cassandra was then taken away by her father's men, Wolf described the conditions Cassandra would have been living in at that period if she were rude or outspoken. The conditions were unreal compared to today's jail cells. Cassandra's character describes mice that took her food and a snake that crawled over her at night.
(click here to see example)
https://www.google.com/search?q=ancient+greek+jail&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwi0oseK9JfzAhVlEFkFHfqGAUEQ_AUoAXoECAEQAw&biw=1366&bih=649&dpr=1&safe=active&ssui=on#imgrc=WnPuIMOOJAlS1M
This is an example of the “jail cells” Cassandra was in. She describes those underground though.
Casandra was overall tired of her life and wanted a break from reality for a little bit. She wanted to stand up for her own rights and those of other women, but she did not know what they were. She is so used to listening to men, obeying the men, respect the men. So, when she tried to stick up for herself, she could not, simply because she did not know how. Back in Cassandra's time, women were always taught to serve men and tend to their needs, but that has changed since then. In 2021, these standards are completely unrealistic, due to women's rights. Now in today's world things are not perfect for women, but we have come a long way from where we were. Today's girls are taught to stand up for yourself and what is right, and we are taught to learn from our mistakes and not to obey anyone but ourselves. Which brings us back to why she chose not to die. Although she wanted to live for her kids' sake, I find that she did not want those men who treated her poorly in life to win. If she had chosen to die, she would have let those people who treated her poorly know that they won by hurting her so badly she could no longer take it. So, she lived on, to take back what was hers.
Blog #3
In House of Names by Colm Tolbin we see yet another rewritten version of Clytemnestra's story. But what differs this one from the rest? Maybe it’s the format or the way Tolbin interpreted this Greek myth into his own, but I think that what makes this story different from the rest is the modernness that the story is told in. Throughout The Oresteia and Cassandra, I felt almost as if I was being barricaded from the true meaning of the story. But in Tolbins rewriting of this story I feel that I was able to capture what he meant and why he felt that way.
For example, in Tolbins excerpt speaking in Clytemnestra's point of view, he said “I planned to attack my husband when he returned.” ( Tolbin 10). This line is easy to read and clearly spoken, while in books like The Oresteia the words mean the same thing yet are meant for more advanced readers. In the book Cassandra by Christa Wolf, Cassandra says, “Besides that, she is racked with hatred.” (Wolf 9). This proves my point that the House of Names novel by Colm Tolbin is a more modernized version of the Greek myth.
Click here for pictures:
https://cbey.yale.edu/event/the-journey-toward-and-beyond-sustainability-how-two-distinct-business-paths-led-to-a-common
Like our lives, like when two people go to the same place such as school, you and that other person could be going to different directions but end up at the same location. In life, there are many ways to get to a certain destination. The different authors we have been reading have told the same story but each in their own way. Keep this in mind also as you start each day, you might be excited and ready to start your day with a great attitude, the other person may be scared, nervous, and have a bad attitude about the day. How each person continues their days effects other people around them. How Tolbins tell the story of Clytemnestra, I can understand more easily than how Wolf’s version of the story. They both tell the same story though, in a different style.
In House of Names by Colm Tolbin we see yet another rewritten version of Clytemnestra's story. But what differs this one from the rest? Maybe it’s the format or the way Tolbin interpreted this Greek myth into his own, but I think that what makes this story different from the rest is the modernness that the story is told in. Throughout The Oresteia and Cassandra, I felt almost as if I was being barricaded from the true meaning of the story. But in Tolbins rewriting of this story I feel that I was able to capture what he meant and why he felt that way.
For example, in Tolbins excerpt speaking in Clytemnestra's point of view, he said “I planned to attack my husband when he returned.” ( Tolbin 10). This line is easy to read and clearly spoken, while in books like The Oresteia the words mean the same thing yet are meant for more advanced readers. In the book Cassandra by Christa Wolf, Cassandra says, “Besides that, she is racked with hatred.” (Wolf 9). This proves my point that the House of Names novel by Colm Tolbin is a more modernized version of the Greek myth.
Click here for pictures:
https://cbey.yale.edu/event/the-journey-toward-and-beyond-sustainability-how-two-distinct-business-paths-led-to-a-common
Like our lives, like when two people go to the same place such as school, you and that other person could be going to different directions but end up at the same location. In life, there are many ways to get to a certain destination. The different authors we have been reading have told the same story but each in their own way. Keep this in mind also as you start each day, you might be excited and ready to start your day with a great attitude, the other person may be scared, nervous, and have a bad attitude about the day. How each person continues their days effects other people around them. How Tolbins tell the story of Clytemnestra, I can understand more easily than how Wolf’s version of the story. They both tell the same story though, in a different style.
Picture above
Blog #4
Throughout Lost Books of the Odyssey, I noticed many things. Some being about the characters, or even the imagery of the islands. But even of that, I was left with 1 question after seeing Odysseus's journey. What does it mean to come home?
Example of what is home...
First, we must figure out what home is. As you may have noticed from the few pictures and definitions from the link, home is a place of origin in most cases. To you, home may be where you are told to set the table or clean your room, but for me home is where you can rely on a nice warm meal or trust the fact that you are welcome and always will have a place to sleep at night. Well as we see in this critical novel, Odysseus has many fantasies of what he hopes will happen when he finally returns home from his 20-year journey. He imagines a warm welcome, and a nice welcoming scenario. What he finds is far from it; he finds that since he was gone for so long, his wife has remarried and moved on from him. After that he feels as if he has been betrayed by the person who was supposed to love him the most.
So that leads us to the result, what does it mean to come home? For Odysseus he just thought he was meant to see his family and have somewhere to relax and rejoice. We clearly see that was not his case. Now Odysseus must come home and continue to fight! How would you feel in his situation, what steps would you take to solve this catastrophe of a husband and wife? Would you want to remain friends with your ex-spouse or not? Would you just move instead of continuing in battle? As we further our journey into these next books ask yourself these questions to better understand the story from the main character's point of view.
So, to explore this never-ending question more deeply, let us find out why Zachary Mason wanted to talk about this touchy subject of the matter. What does it mean to come home, and why did Zachary Mason feel the need to add this to his novel? I believe it is because he wants to let people ask questions; let the reader figure out life. Without asking these questions himself, he lets us as the readers figure it out. Overall, I would recommend this novel to anyone who appreciates books that make you wonder and notice the questions. This novel offers many new ideas and concepts that are critical to the reader for overall understanding of basic relationships in life.
Blog # 5
The novel Circe written by Madeline Miller was an astonishing novel that brought up many theories in the eyes of the reader. One theory that stuck out to me was feminism. Now in Greek mythology feminism is not a usual thing. Typically, men get to be the heroes and women are left to do the cooking and cleaning. However, in this story, we see something different.
Circe is a witch, and she can make any human into anything. She chooses to use her powers to change men into pigs. I think that all her life she saw men as having too much control, too much power and she decided to take that to her own advantage. Now you might be wondering if she ever changed a woman into any crazy creature, the answer is no. Circe was sent away to an island when the gods found out about her power, and every time a man steps foot on that island, they never return home. On the other hand, she never changed a woman into a pig or gross animal.
So how is this classic novel an example of feminism? We'll look deeper. If you ever decide to read this book, you may notice many times when Circe sticks up for women all together. For one, she never chose to change a woman into any animal. She remained strong even after being sent off on her own to the island. She only turned men into the pigs that she felt they were. Circe sees men as pigs because they act that way and portray the role of a pig. Once she turns the men into the pigs, they regret the decisions they made and want to be human again, she is teaching them a lesson and giving them what she feels like is a taste of their own medicine. Have you ever read this book? What were your thoughts? Circe is a main character, yet such a minor character in her own book.
Blog #6
The Penelopiad was an enjoyable read in my opinion. But what was this book like in your point of view? Maybe it was great, like the best book you ever read? Perhaps it was the worst book you ever read, and you want to erase it right away from your memory. What I am trying to say is the factor of point of view is important in every way imaginable.
The Penelopiad is about the myth of Penelope and Odysseus. Her point of view of their story could have been entirely different from his retelling of it. The Penelopiad is the story of Odysseus from Penelope’s point of view. Much like the Odyssey, it is almost all about Odysseus. Contrary to the Odyssey, it is now from Penelope’s point of view. So, who is she to Odysseus? Penelope is Odysseus’s wife and the mother of their son, Telemachus. She has quite an interesting and important role in the family.
One may ask, “Why does her opinion even matter”? Well, I believe everyone has an opinion. Their opinion might be positive or negative, nice or mean; but everyone's opinion does matter, and everyone should be heard or at least get a chance to be heard. Without listening or really hearing each other, we would all be angry and feel disrespected all the time. So, that is no exception when it comes to Penelope's opinion. Let’s try to deeper understand what she is saying or trying to portray.
For starters, who is she talking about? She is talking about Odysseus. Why is she talking about him? Margret Atwood wanted a story about Penelope because there are not many times when she is mentioned in any of the Greek myth novels, she is a minor character and Margret wants more for her. Odysseus is her husband, so why not talk about him? It is like putting a hashtag on a post to get more views. She knew that so many people liked the story of Odysseus, so why not put him in this book? To sum it up and not give all the great details away, I would say that Penelope was just trying to get her opinion across about Odysseus. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes Greek mythology and Odysseus.
The Penelopiad was an enjoyable read in my opinion. But what was this book like in your point of view? Maybe it was great, like the best book you ever read? Perhaps it was the worst book you ever read, and you want to erase it right away from your memory. What I am trying to say is the factor of point of view is important in every way imaginable.
The Penelopiad is about the myth of Penelope and Odysseus. Her point of view of their story could have been entirely different from his retelling of it. The Penelopiad is the story of Odysseus from Penelope’s point of view. Much like the Odyssey, it is almost all about Odysseus. Contrary to the Odyssey, it is now from Penelope’s point of view. So, who is she to Odysseus? Penelope is Odysseus’s wife and the mother of their son, Telemachus. She has quite an interesting and important role in the family.
One may ask, “Why does her opinion even matter”? Well, I believe everyone has an opinion. Their opinion might be positive or negative, nice or mean; but everyone's opinion does matter, and everyone should be heard or at least get a chance to be heard. Without listening or really hearing each other, we would all be angry and feel disrespected all the time. So, that is no exception when it comes to Penelope's opinion. Let’s try to deeper understand what she is saying or trying to portray.
For starters, who is she talking about? She is talking about Odysseus. Why is she talking about him? Margret Atwood wanted a story about Penelope because there are not many times when she is mentioned in any of the Greek myth novels, she is a minor character and Margret wants more for her. Odysseus is her husband, so why not talk about him? It is like putting a hashtag on a post to get more views. She knew that so many people liked the story of Odysseus, so why not put him in this book? To sum it up and not give all the great details away, I would say that Penelope was just trying to get her opinion across about Odysseus. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes Greek mythology and Odysseus.
