The Relevancy of Greek Tragedies to the 21st Century
Aimee Katherine Watts
Nicole Nagell
English 9
1 December 2012
The Relevancy of Greek Tragedies to the 21st Century
The origin of the word tragedy, tragidia, translates as “goat-song”. Historians believe that “goat-song” is linked with two religious celebrations from Ancient Greece. These celebrations – the Lenaea ceremony and the Great Dionysia ceremony – worshipped the wine and goat god, Dionysus. In these celebrations, multiple plays would be showcased, these often-tragic skits acting as “songs” to celebrate the “goat” god, Dionysus. These stories, known as Greek Tragedies, were often about important, noble people that experienced a tragic downfall due to the Gods, fate and their own hamartia. Because of their specific structures, and age, Greek Tragedies are facing doubts about their relevancy to the 21st century. These stories, however, do remain pertinent to today due to the timeless, complex concepts woven into their plots.
The age and structure of Greek tragedies are the main cause of these doubts. The surviving plays are more than 2,600 years old, and thus the content is very Ancient-Greece specific; the Greek gods have involvement in the stories and technology does not. The stories are clearly dated, the situations rarely resembling more recent literature. The lack of relatable, recent scenarios, therefore, is one of the cited reasons for doubt. However, there is one clear counterargument to this - the main characters. The plays always feature humans, or gods with human nature, and that is what makes all the tragedies relatable to today. Yes, the people are dressed differently, speak differently and live differently from the 21st century population. But nonetheless, they are people, people that struggle with their flawed nature, struggle with the intangible concepts in life. These struggles, these observations of human nature make the Greek tragedies timeless and highly relevant. The other cause of doubt is the structure of Greek tragedies – the hamartia, the anagnorisis, the peripeteia and the catharsis – that is rarely seen in other types of literature. The overall organization of Greek tragedies are outdated and no longer used, causing the said plays to be considered useless and irrelevant to the modern world of literature. This argument, however, is discriminative and anti-diversity. The idea that literature with different structures should be rendered irrelevant would degrade the works of Shakespeare, Anne Frank, Joyce Kilmer, Gertrude Stein among other writers who chose unusual formats for expressing their ideas. Different styles of writing should not be dismissed, but appreciated and valued, making this reason for doubt invalid. The idea of irrelevancy is faulty as Greek tragedies are extremely relevant to huge elements – wars, literature and morals – of the 21st century.
A particularly strong tie between Greek tragedies and the 21st Century is war. The many recent examples of warfare, like the civil wars of Libya and Syria, and the international war in Afghanistan, have strong conceptual ties with Greek tragedies. Aeschylus’ The Persians is an excellent example of this emotional link. The story is about a group of Persian elders waiting for news about the war raging on, Persians versus Greeks. The mother of the Persian war leader has a dream predicting her son’s defeat, and can do little more than wait and hope for her child’s safe return. This terror and anxiety that she experiences is not unlike the feelings of the families waiting for their loved ones to return from Afghanistan. The messenger in The Persians is also linked to today. His role of disclosing the awful news to the elders – that the Persians had brutally lost – is similar to that of today’s media. The heavy weight associated with delivering terrible news is one journalists often experience, and this feeling is indirectly discussed in a story written 2,600 years ago, exemplifying the relevancy and timelessness of Greek literature. Another Greek Tragedy, The Trojan Women by Euripides, is also relevant to the consequences of modern warfare. This story primarily focuses on the Trojan women after the Greeks have won the Trojan War. The women are overcome with grief for their dead husbands, fathers, sons as well as their fate - the future of the females lie in either slavery, forced marriage or execution. Soldiers and civilians in war-wrought areas today face similar fear and grief. Another conceptual idea, hope, is woven into The Trojan Women. The dethroned queen of Troy, Hecuba, maintains that there is hope in the face of misery, stating, “None ever experience the same unchanging luck.” Despite knowing of her husband’s death and her grandson’s coming execution, she maintains that there is hope for her and the other lost women of Troy. Queen Hecuba’s little spark of hope has been found in modern times, alighting the Arab Spring revolutions, the Syria conflict and of course the rebel’s successful civil war in Libya. Greek tragedies, despite being written so long ago, clearly have relevant emotional links to today’s wars.
The Greek tragedies are also relevant to the 21st century due to their conceptual ties with modern and important literature. The main themes discussed in the tragedies have stood the test of time and remain present in more recent stories such as Harry Potter, 1984 and Hamlet. Sophocles’ Electra has the theme of justice vs. expediency, which is repeated 2,600 years later in the beloved, internationally acclaimed Harry Potter series. Dumbledore, the protagonist’s mentor, phrased this timeless theme perfectly – “We must all face the choice between what is right and what is easy.” (Rowling, 540) Both protagonists, despite the time difference, face the difficult choice of doing what is morally right and what is easy. The common theme and struggle makes the tragedy relevant and connected to this piece of contemporary literature. 1984, by George Orwell, is also connected to Sophocles’ Antigone due to their common theme of citizenship. In both stories, the responsibilities of citizens are woven into the plot and make the audience wonder – to what extent do we commit ourselves to the government and to the law? Antigone, the protagonist, struggles to understand whether she should act on her own morals or on the law’s, whether she should put the government above her own family. Winston Smith, 1984’s protagonist, similarly wrestles with how much power the government ought to have, and whether he should submit everything – even the love of his life – to them. The issue of a citizen’s responsibilities, and the extent of power the government and the law ought to have are still issues that remain since Ancient Greece. The intangible concept of revenge, and its effects on people, similarly link Hamlet with the first two parts of Aeschylus’ Oresteian Trilogy. In Hamlet, the prince’s desire to avenge his father result in the death of the entire royal family, including the love of his life and his mother. In Agamemnon, Queen Clytemnestra’s wish for revenge is fulfilled when she kills her husband. In The Libation Bearers, her act of retribution causes her son and daughter to seek revenge, doing so by killing her. Both stories exemplify the consequences of retribution on human psychology and relationships. The connection between modern and important literature and Greek tragedies is irrefutable, and further links Ancient Greek tragedies to today.
Greek tragedies are linked to the 21st century in many ways, but one of its strongest connections is with today’s morals. Ideas like the evolving justice system and kindness vs. practicality have been woven into Greek tragedies, and both are elements that remain today. Aeschylus’ Oresteian Trilogy, for example, has firm connections with justice, and the execution of it. The first two parts of the trilogy feature the crude, old justice system of “an eye for an eye”, which usually resulted in arguments over disputed motives and results. The trilogy ends with a structured trial incredibly similar to the modern model, with a 12-man jury, a persecutor, a defender and witnesses. Our real history also tells of struggles with inept justice systems, and attempts to perfect it. Even today, the system remains imperfect as we continue to write and rewrite laws, make exceptions and attempt enforce fairness. Our gradual progress to form the perfect justice system is clearly depicted in the Oresteian Trilogy, despite being written so long ago. This connection between today and the Greek tragedy is clear, and both exemplify the struggles for executing our morals. Kindness, and the extent of it, is also a moral-based issue that caused struggle then and continues to cause struggle now. Oedipus in Colonus and the modern issue of granting asylum are two specific examples of this struggle. In Sophocles’ Oedipus in Colonus, the protagonist is in exile from his own city. He firstly seeks a home in Colonus, but the authorities turn him away as he is the accursed Oedipus, believing his mere presence could bring the wrath of the gods on Colonus. Next, Oedipus goes to Athens and appeals to the King, Theseus, for asylum. The kind King assures him that Athens could be his final resting place, granting him asylum despite the risks of doing so, despite Oedipus’ past. The battle between kindness and practicality continue on today, particularly in the issue of granting asylum. Julian Assange, the man responsible for WikiLeaks earlier this year, has faced political threats from America, Britain and Sweden. The Ecuadorian embassy, despite knowing that the act could damage them diplomatically, granted Assange asylum. This specific modern example of kindness versus practicality is just one of many, further linking Greek literature to today. The moral-based issues discussed in Greek tragedies are firmly linked to today’s ethical dilemmas.
Greek tragedies, despite their age and unusual structure, remain relevant to today. The themes discussed in the stories relate to our wars, our literature and our morals. Worried families and journalists can relate to The Persians, while war victims can link with The Trojan Women. Recent or important literature remains strongly connected to Greek tragedy with the shared, timeless themes of justice vs. expediency, citizenship and revenge. Justice, kindness, and the execution of the two are struggles that join stories like Oedipus in Colonus and The Oresteian Trilogy to today’s ethical dilemmas. In short, the intangible concepts that the Ancient Greek and today’s citizens struggle with make Greek tragedies highly relevant to the 21st century.
Works Consulted
Adetunji, Jo, and Lizzy Davies. "Julian Assange Granted Asylum by Ecuador."
The Guardian. Guardian News and Media, 16 Aug. 2012. Web. 29 Nov. 2012. <http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2012/aug/16/julian-assange-ecuador-embassy-asylum-live>.
Adney, Karley, and Holly Hassel. Critical companion to J. K. Rowling:
a literary reference to her life and work. New York: Facts On File, 2011. Print.
"BBC NEWS | South Asia | Q&A: Isaf troops in Afghanistan." BBC News - Home. Web.
29 Nov. 2012. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7228649.stm>
"BBC News - Arab uprising: Country by country - Syria." BBC - Homepage. Web.
28 Nov. 2012. <http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-12482309>.
"BBC News - Libya country profile - Overview." BBC - Homepage. Web.
28 Nov. 2012. <http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-13754897>.
Burt, Daniel S. The literary 100: a ranking of the most influential novelists, playwrights,
and poets of all time. Rev. ed. New York, NY: Facts on File, 2009. Print.
"Conventions of Greek Literature." Bloom's Literary Reference Online.
Facts on File Inc., Web. 15 Nov. 2012. <http://www.fofweb.com/Lit/Lower
Frame.asp?SID=5>.
Cook, James Wyatt. "Tragedy in Greece and Rome." Encyclopedia of Ancient Literature.
New York: 2008. Print.
Gray-Blanc, Elena. Poetry Resource. Los Angeles: DemiDec, 2012. Print.
Muir, Jim. "BBC News - Analysis: Syria's complex and bloody crisis." BBC - Homepage.
Web. 1 Dec. 2012. <http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-16978238>.
Orwell, George. 1984. New York: Chelsea House, 1987. Print.
Quinn, Edward. "tragedy." Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts on File, Inc., Web. 1
Dec. 2012. <http://www.fofweb.com/Lit/MainDetailPrint.asp?iPin=Gfflithem0841
Rowling, J. K.. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. New York: Arthur A. Levine Books,
2000. Print.
"Sophocles Study Guide: the Theban Plays." Free Study Guides for Shakespeare and Other
Authors. Web. 1 Dec. 2012. <http://www.cummingsstudyguides.net/Guides6/antigone
.html#Top>
"SparkNotes: Agamemnon: Overall Summary." SparkNotes: Today's Most Popular Study
Guides. Web. 1 Dec. 2012. <http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/agamemnon/summary.
html>
"SparkNotes: Electra: Themes, Motifs, and Symbols." SparkNotes: Today's Most Popular
Study Guides. Web. 1 Dec. 2012. <http://www.sparknotes.com/drama/electra/the
mes.html>
"SparkNotes: Hamlet: Plot Overview." SparkNotes: Today's Most Popular Study Guides.
Web. 1 Dec. 2012. <http://www.sparknotes.com/shakespeare/hamlet/summary.html
"SparkNotes: The Libation Bearers: Plot Overview." SparkNotes: Today's Most Popular
Study Guides. Web. 1 Dec. 2012. <http://www.sparknotes.com/drama/libation
bearers/summary.html>
"The Trojan Women: a Study Guide." Free Study Guides for Shakespeare and Other
Authors. Web. 1 Dec. 2012.
Nicole Nagell
English 9
1 December 2012
The Relevancy of Greek Tragedies to the 21st Century
The origin of the word tragedy, tragidia, translates as “goat-song”. Historians believe that “goat-song” is linked with two religious celebrations from Ancient Greece. These celebrations – the Lenaea ceremony and the Great Dionysia ceremony – worshipped the wine and goat god, Dionysus. In these celebrations, multiple plays would be showcased, these often-tragic skits acting as “songs” to celebrate the “goat” god, Dionysus. These stories, known as Greek Tragedies, were often about important, noble people that experienced a tragic downfall due to the Gods, fate and their own hamartia. Because of their specific structures, and age, Greek Tragedies are facing doubts about their relevancy to the 21st century. These stories, however, do remain pertinent to today due to the timeless, complex concepts woven into their plots.
The age and structure of Greek tragedies are the main cause of these doubts. The surviving plays are more than 2,600 years old, and thus the content is very Ancient-Greece specific; the Greek gods have involvement in the stories and technology does not. The stories are clearly dated, the situations rarely resembling more recent literature. The lack of relatable, recent scenarios, therefore, is one of the cited reasons for doubt. However, there is one clear counterargument to this - the main characters. The plays always feature humans, or gods with human nature, and that is what makes all the tragedies relatable to today. Yes, the people are dressed differently, speak differently and live differently from the 21st century population. But nonetheless, they are people, people that struggle with their flawed nature, struggle with the intangible concepts in life. These struggles, these observations of human nature make the Greek tragedies timeless and highly relevant. The other cause of doubt is the structure of Greek tragedies – the hamartia, the anagnorisis, the peripeteia and the catharsis – that is rarely seen in other types of literature. The overall organization of Greek tragedies are outdated and no longer used, causing the said plays to be considered useless and irrelevant to the modern world of literature. This argument, however, is discriminative and anti-diversity. The idea that literature with different structures should be rendered irrelevant would degrade the works of Shakespeare, Anne Frank, Joyce Kilmer, Gertrude Stein among other writers who chose unusual formats for expressing their ideas. Different styles of writing should not be dismissed, but appreciated and valued, making this reason for doubt invalid. The idea of irrelevancy is faulty as Greek tragedies are extremely relevant to huge elements – wars, literature and morals – of the 21st century.
A particularly strong tie between Greek tragedies and the 21st Century is war. The many recent examples of warfare, like the civil wars of Libya and Syria, and the international war in Afghanistan, have strong conceptual ties with Greek tragedies. Aeschylus’ The Persians is an excellent example of this emotional link. The story is about a group of Persian elders waiting for news about the war raging on, Persians versus Greeks. The mother of the Persian war leader has a dream predicting her son’s defeat, and can do little more than wait and hope for her child’s safe return. This terror and anxiety that she experiences is not unlike the feelings of the families waiting for their loved ones to return from Afghanistan. The messenger in The Persians is also linked to today. His role of disclosing the awful news to the elders – that the Persians had brutally lost – is similar to that of today’s media. The heavy weight associated with delivering terrible news is one journalists often experience, and this feeling is indirectly discussed in a story written 2,600 years ago, exemplifying the relevancy and timelessness of Greek literature. Another Greek Tragedy, The Trojan Women by Euripides, is also relevant to the consequences of modern warfare. This story primarily focuses on the Trojan women after the Greeks have won the Trojan War. The women are overcome with grief for their dead husbands, fathers, sons as well as their fate - the future of the females lie in either slavery, forced marriage or execution. Soldiers and civilians in war-wrought areas today face similar fear and grief. Another conceptual idea, hope, is woven into The Trojan Women. The dethroned queen of Troy, Hecuba, maintains that there is hope in the face of misery, stating, “None ever experience the same unchanging luck.” Despite knowing of her husband’s death and her grandson’s coming execution, she maintains that there is hope for her and the other lost women of Troy. Queen Hecuba’s little spark of hope has been found in modern times, alighting the Arab Spring revolutions, the Syria conflict and of course the rebel’s successful civil war in Libya. Greek tragedies, despite being written so long ago, clearly have relevant emotional links to today’s wars.
The Greek tragedies are also relevant to the 21st century due to their conceptual ties with modern and important literature. The main themes discussed in the tragedies have stood the test of time and remain present in more recent stories such as Harry Potter, 1984 and Hamlet. Sophocles’ Electra has the theme of justice vs. expediency, which is repeated 2,600 years later in the beloved, internationally acclaimed Harry Potter series. Dumbledore, the protagonist’s mentor, phrased this timeless theme perfectly – “We must all face the choice between what is right and what is easy.” (Rowling, 540) Both protagonists, despite the time difference, face the difficult choice of doing what is morally right and what is easy. The common theme and struggle makes the tragedy relevant and connected to this piece of contemporary literature. 1984, by George Orwell, is also connected to Sophocles’ Antigone due to their common theme of citizenship. In both stories, the responsibilities of citizens are woven into the plot and make the audience wonder – to what extent do we commit ourselves to the government and to the law? Antigone, the protagonist, struggles to understand whether she should act on her own morals or on the law’s, whether she should put the government above her own family. Winston Smith, 1984’s protagonist, similarly wrestles with how much power the government ought to have, and whether he should submit everything – even the love of his life – to them. The issue of a citizen’s responsibilities, and the extent of power the government and the law ought to have are still issues that remain since Ancient Greece. The intangible concept of revenge, and its effects on people, similarly link Hamlet with the first two parts of Aeschylus’ Oresteian Trilogy. In Hamlet, the prince’s desire to avenge his father result in the death of the entire royal family, including the love of his life and his mother. In Agamemnon, Queen Clytemnestra’s wish for revenge is fulfilled when she kills her husband. In The Libation Bearers, her act of retribution causes her son and daughter to seek revenge, doing so by killing her. Both stories exemplify the consequences of retribution on human psychology and relationships. The connection between modern and important literature and Greek tragedies is irrefutable, and further links Ancient Greek tragedies to today.
Greek tragedies are linked to the 21st century in many ways, but one of its strongest connections is with today’s morals. Ideas like the evolving justice system and kindness vs. practicality have been woven into Greek tragedies, and both are elements that remain today. Aeschylus’ Oresteian Trilogy, for example, has firm connections with justice, and the execution of it. The first two parts of the trilogy feature the crude, old justice system of “an eye for an eye”, which usually resulted in arguments over disputed motives and results. The trilogy ends with a structured trial incredibly similar to the modern model, with a 12-man jury, a persecutor, a defender and witnesses. Our real history also tells of struggles with inept justice systems, and attempts to perfect it. Even today, the system remains imperfect as we continue to write and rewrite laws, make exceptions and attempt enforce fairness. Our gradual progress to form the perfect justice system is clearly depicted in the Oresteian Trilogy, despite being written so long ago. This connection between today and the Greek tragedy is clear, and both exemplify the struggles for executing our morals. Kindness, and the extent of it, is also a moral-based issue that caused struggle then and continues to cause struggle now. Oedipus in Colonus and the modern issue of granting asylum are two specific examples of this struggle. In Sophocles’ Oedipus in Colonus, the protagonist is in exile from his own city. He firstly seeks a home in Colonus, but the authorities turn him away as he is the accursed Oedipus, believing his mere presence could bring the wrath of the gods on Colonus. Next, Oedipus goes to Athens and appeals to the King, Theseus, for asylum. The kind King assures him that Athens could be his final resting place, granting him asylum despite the risks of doing so, despite Oedipus’ past. The battle between kindness and practicality continue on today, particularly in the issue of granting asylum. Julian Assange, the man responsible for WikiLeaks earlier this year, has faced political threats from America, Britain and Sweden. The Ecuadorian embassy, despite knowing that the act could damage them diplomatically, granted Assange asylum. This specific modern example of kindness versus practicality is just one of many, further linking Greek literature to today. The moral-based issues discussed in Greek tragedies are firmly linked to today’s ethical dilemmas.
Greek tragedies, despite their age and unusual structure, remain relevant to today. The themes discussed in the stories relate to our wars, our literature and our morals. Worried families and journalists can relate to The Persians, while war victims can link with The Trojan Women. Recent or important literature remains strongly connected to Greek tragedy with the shared, timeless themes of justice vs. expediency, citizenship and revenge. Justice, kindness, and the execution of the two are struggles that join stories like Oedipus in Colonus and The Oresteian Trilogy to today’s ethical dilemmas. In short, the intangible concepts that the Ancient Greek and today’s citizens struggle with make Greek tragedies highly relevant to the 21st century.
Works Consulted
Adetunji, Jo, and Lizzy Davies. "Julian Assange Granted Asylum by Ecuador."
The Guardian. Guardian News and Media, 16 Aug. 2012. Web. 29 Nov. 2012. <http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2012/aug/16/julian-assange-ecuador-embassy-asylum-live>.
Adney, Karley, and Holly Hassel. Critical companion to J. K. Rowling:
a literary reference to her life and work. New York: Facts On File, 2011. Print.
"BBC NEWS | South Asia | Q&A: Isaf troops in Afghanistan." BBC News - Home. Web.
29 Nov. 2012. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7228649.stm>
"BBC News - Arab uprising: Country by country - Syria." BBC - Homepage. Web.
28 Nov. 2012. <http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-12482309>.
"BBC News - Libya country profile - Overview." BBC - Homepage. Web.
28 Nov. 2012. <http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-13754897>.
Burt, Daniel S. The literary 100: a ranking of the most influential novelists, playwrights,
and poets of all time. Rev. ed. New York, NY: Facts on File, 2009. Print.
"Conventions of Greek Literature." Bloom's Literary Reference Online.
Facts on File Inc., Web. 15 Nov. 2012. <http://www.fofweb.com/Lit/Lower
Frame.asp?SID=5>.
Cook, James Wyatt. "Tragedy in Greece and Rome." Encyclopedia of Ancient Literature.
New York: 2008. Print.
Gray-Blanc, Elena. Poetry Resource. Los Angeles: DemiDec, 2012. Print.
Muir, Jim. "BBC News - Analysis: Syria's complex and bloody crisis." BBC - Homepage.
Web. 1 Dec. 2012. <http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-16978238>.
Orwell, George. 1984. New York: Chelsea House, 1987. Print.
Quinn, Edward. "tragedy." Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts on File, Inc., Web. 1
Dec. 2012. <http://www.fofweb.com/Lit/MainDetailPrint.asp?iPin=Gfflithem0841
Rowling, J. K.. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. New York: Arthur A. Levine Books,
2000. Print.
"Sophocles Study Guide: the Theban Plays." Free Study Guides for Shakespeare and Other
Authors. Web. 1 Dec. 2012. <http://www.cummingsstudyguides.net/Guides6/antigone
.html#Top>
"SparkNotes: Agamemnon: Overall Summary." SparkNotes: Today's Most Popular Study
Guides. Web. 1 Dec. 2012. <http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/agamemnon/summary.
html>
"SparkNotes: Electra: Themes, Motifs, and Symbols." SparkNotes: Today's Most Popular
Study Guides. Web. 1 Dec. 2012. <http://www.sparknotes.com/drama/electra/the
mes.html>
"SparkNotes: Hamlet: Plot Overview." SparkNotes: Today's Most Popular Study Guides.
Web. 1 Dec. 2012. <http://www.sparknotes.com/shakespeare/hamlet/summary.html
"SparkNotes: The Libation Bearers: Plot Overview." SparkNotes: Today's Most Popular
Study Guides. Web. 1 Dec. 2012. <http://www.sparknotes.com/drama/libation
bearers/summary.html>
"The Trojan Women: a Study Guide." Free Study Guides for Shakespeare and Other
Authors. Web. 1 Dec. 2012.