Blog 1: The Oresteia
The Oresteia is a Greek tragedy consisting of three intertwining plays; “Agamemnon,” “The Libation Bearers,” and finally “The Eumenides.” Within all of these plays are a very strong prevalence of varying themes. However, in the last play, “The Eumenides,” I find two of the themes that are portrayed to be very interesting. The author, Aeschylus, heavily depicts the themes of gender roles and the strength of family bonds within this play. As previously mentioned, the author demonstrates the theme of gender roles within “The Eumenides” play. This can especially be seen through the way Apollo speaks of women. He states, “The woman you call the mother of the child is not the parent, just a nurse to the seed, the new-sown seed that grows and swells inside her. The man is the source of life - the one who mounts” (Aeschylus 260). This illustrates that Apollo, and most likely all men, believe that women are just there to keep the baby alive. A mother is not actually one of the parents, but just a “nurse.” Thus, illustrating the gender roles between man and woman in “The Eumenides.” While I, and as I’m sure other modern readers and thinkers, find the Greek’s idea of a woman at the time to be very degrading, Athena does not. She asserts, “No mother gave me birth. I honour the male, in all things but marriage. Yes, with all my heart I am my Father’s child” (Aeschylus 264). After reading this, I was somewhat shocked to know that Athena full-heartedly agrees with Apollo and subsequently lets Orestes, a murder, walk free. Another theme that is prevalent throughout the play is that of family bonds. This can be seen through Orestes and his killing of his mother. He states, “But I came back, my years of exile weathered - killed the one who bore me, I won’t deny it, killed her in revenge. I loved my father, fiercely” (Aeschylus 252). Orestes goes on to assert, “I killed her. There’s no denying that… and to this hour I have no regrets” (Aeschylus 256-257). These quotes show how hurt Orestes was that his mother killed his father, Agamemnon, so much so that he felt he needed to seek revenge and kill his mother as payback. Thus, demonstrating the theme of strong family bonds within the play. Aeschylus, et al. The Oresteia: Agamemnon; The Libation Bearers; The Eumenides. Reprint, Penguin Classics, 1984. |
Blog 2: Cassandra
German author Christa Wolf took on a new way of looking at a classic Greek character Cassandra. In Wolf’s novel “Cassandra” and mostly in her essays thereafter, she explores the way in which a female bond plays a role in the story as well as the mistreatment of females by their more powerful male counterparts. As previously mentioned, the author displays a strong sense of feminism in her novel. The author writes in one of her essays of how she first became “connected” with Cassandra saying, “Cassandra. I saw her at once. She, the captive, took me captive; herself made an object by others, she took possession of me” (Cassandra 144). In this section of her essay, we can see the true bond between the author and the prophet. Wolf says it herself that Cassandra captivated her. I think this is one of the reasons why she chose to write this story through the eyes of Cassandra. Another reason, and maybe an even stronger one, that the author, Chirsta Wolf, decided to write this story was to showcase the way in which men objectify women and Cassandra’s push-back, if you will, against the patriarchy. Wolf writes in her essay of the lines, “Be silent! We know that you understand the art of prophecy. But we need no prophecy, not here!” She says,” But no: the patriotic old men forbid the unauthorized foreign woman to speak” (Cassandra 147). One last quote that shows the mistreatment of women is when she writes of Aeschylus saying, “No female contemporary of Aeschylus could have spoken her last words, because of course no woman even had a seat or a voice in the theater, not to mention in any other public institution” (Cassandra 154). After reading this, especially as a modern day woman, it was shocking to me that women didn’t even have the right to speak in public institutions. This just really hones in Wolf’s intentions to show how ill-treated women were. Wolf, Christa. Cassandra. Edizioni e/o, 2011. |
Blog 3: House of Names
Author Colm Tóibín writes of the classic Greek characters Clytemnestra, Electra, and Orestes. He writes of their different points of views in three separate sections of the novel. While the stories Tóibín portrayed in this piece were very interesting, the element that grabbed my attention was the author's use of imagery and the way he described events with such detail. As the reader, we can truly begin to see this at the very beginning of the book in Clytemnestra’s section. The author writes, “I have been acquainted with the smell of death… So much has slipped away, but the smell of death lingers. Maybe the smell has entered my body and been welcomed there like an old friend come to visit… It is my constant companion” (Tóibín 3). After reading this small section of the book, readers can already begin to understand how lonely Clytemnestra feels. In the way that she is describing the very smell of death and how she has welcomed it into her body, it is slowly becoming her only companion. Tóibín goes on later to write of how Clytemnestra would “haunt” the halls of the palace while the guards posted outside her door were asleep. The author writes, “The only sounds I heard were men snoring in one of the rooms in the distance. I liked the sound because it meant that the noise I made was nothing… After a week or more, I risked traveling into the bowels of this building” (Tóibín 44). These few sentences struck me again with the imagery that the author portrays of Clytemnestra’s characters traveling through the palace. Once again, with the fact she is alone in the dark corridors of the palace but also in the way that Tóibín writes of how Clytemnestra is describing it. He uses the words “bowels” and “building.” These words instantly made me think as though she is distancing herself from that place, instead of saying “house” she describes it just as a “building.” Thus, the author using imagery and descriptive language expertly in his work House of Names. Tóibín, Colm. “House of Names.” Scribiner. 2017. p. 3. p. 44. |
Blog 4: The Lost Books of the Odyssey
Author Zacahry Mason “is a computer scientist and the New York Times bestselling author of'' The Lost Books of the Odyssey” (Macmillan). In this work, Mason retells the story of the hero Odysseus in the way of short narratives, almost like chapters of a novel (GoodReads). Throughout “The Lost Books of the Odyssey,” Mason displays the use of multiple themes, however, the theme that stood out to me the most was bravery shown by Odysseus. The author executes this theme with a magnitude of imagery throughout the entirety of his work. To begin, Zachary Mason illustrates the theme of bravery particularly well in the “Death and the King” section of the book. Mason writes of Odysseus waking from a dream saying, “he swore never to be afraid of mortal men or of the gods or even of death… He acquired the habit of smothering his fear” (Mason 111). This quote, in my opinion, really resonates with the theme of bravery because we can see Odysseus swearing to not be afraid of pretty much anything, as he puts it, not even death itself. Another section of the book in which the author asserts the theme of bravery is in “Sirens.” Here we can see Oysseus saying, that Circe had told him that the song of sirens was “irresistible… and that no one who heard it went unscathed, as was attested by the bones of their admirers tumbling back and forth in the tide-pools around their reef.” He goes on to say that he was never someone to back down from a challenge and he wanted to hear them for himself (Mason 81). This section very clearly illustrates how determined Odysseus was to walk into the face of danger, even after hearing the fate of others who have listened to the sirens’ song. Thus, Mason implicating the theme of bravery within Odysseus. Good Reads. The Lost Books of the Odyssey. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2199365.The_Lost_Books_of_the_Odyssey Macmillan Publishers. Zachary Mason: About the Author. https://us.macmillan.com/author/zacharymason Mason, Zachary. “Sirens.” “Death and the King.” The Lost Books of the Odyssey. 2007. p. 111 & 81. |
Blog 5: Circe
Madeline Miller, author of the novel “Circe,” is a very well-educated author. With “a BA and MA from Brown University,” she is most well known for her adaptations of classical tales to peak the interest of a more modern audience (Madeline Miller). Within her novel, “Circe” Miller did just that, especially with the themes she brought forth in the story. One of these themes that stuck out to me the most was that of her family’s evilness. From the very beginning of the novel, readers can see just how brutal Circe’s family can be. We can see this especially when her mother and father speak of her at her birth. Miller writes, “When I was born, the name for what I was did not exist. They called me nymph… Least of the lesser goddesses.” Circe’s parents go on to speak of just how much they disliked the way she looked saying, “Her hair is streaked like a lynx. And her chin. There is a sharpness to it that is less than pleasing.” Her mother, Perse, then turns to her father, Helios, and says, “Come… Let us make a better one” (Miller 3-6). After reading these few beginning pages I was a little shocked at just how cruel Circe’s own parents were speaking about her and especially knowing that she was just a baby at the time! Thus, Miller displaying the theme of Circe’s evil family. Another instance in which readers can see the maliciousness of the protagonists’ family is when Circe asks of her brother Prometheus’ state, as he had been imprisoned. After she asks this simple question her family attacks her saying, “Father cannot even give her away. Believe me he’s tried” and, “She’s just a freak. She’s hiding something” (Miller 26). These lines again, shocking to me seeing the complete and utter disregard Circe’s family has for her and her feelings. However, Miller once again artfully depicts the pure evilness of Circe’s family. |
Blog 6: The Penelopiad
Margaret Atwood is a very well-known and lucrative author throughout North America. Her most widely successful work, in my opinion, is that of “The Handmaid’s Tale” which I feel as though everyone has at least heard of if not read/watched the series (Britannica). Another popular work of the authors is “The Penelopiad” in which readers can experience a retelling of Homer’s classic “The Odyssey” through the point of view of Penelope and her 12 maids (LitCharts). It seems that the wildly talented author focuses on the theme of violence and brutality towards women and we can especially see this theme in her work “The Penelopiad.” In a shocking section of the novel readers can learn of how Penelope speaks of her maids and how she treats them with Atwood writing, “I never would have hurt them, not of my own accord… I told my twelve young maids - the loveliest, the most beguiling - to hang around the suitors and spy on them… This plan came to grief. Several of the girls were unfortunately raped, others were seduced, or were hard pressed and decided that it was better to give in than to resist” (Atwood 115). After reading this I was truly confused as to why Penelope would say that she cared about these girls and then send them straight into harm's way. And then speak of them being raped as it being “unfortunate” and not something that is horrifically life altering. She might as well have said “oops, didn’t mean for that to happen.” This quote clearly shows Atowood portraying the them of violence against women not only by the obivious of a man against a woman but also in the fact of a woman being violent and brutal towards another woman. I say this because she purposefully chose the most young and beautiful of her maids and sent them to spy on the suitors. Penelope very clearly had ulterior motives for her maids in this section. |