2-Greece(1)希腊文化

Sophocles (496 --- 406 B.C.) Works: Oedipus the King, Electra《厄勒克特拉》, and Antigone《安提戈涅》. Contribution: he added a third actor and decreased the size of the chorus. Sophodcles has had a strong impact on European literature. Some of his plots were taken over and adoped by later writers. The Austrian psychiatrist Sigmund Freud‗s term ―the Oedipus complex‖ was also derived from Sophocles‗s play.
The Map of Ancient Greece
B. Social and Political Structure
a. Politics: Athens was a democracy Democracy means ―exercise of power by the whole people.‖ But ―the whole people‖ the Greeks meant only the adult male citizens. b. Economy: the economy of Athens rested on an immense amount of slave labour. Farm, workshop, mine There was harsh exploitation in Greek society c. Sports: Greeks loved sports A big festival on Olympus Mount once every 4 year ---- Olympic Games Modern Olympic Games revived in 1896 顾拜旦(法)
Euripides (484 --- 406 B.C.) Works: Andromache《安德洛玛刻》, Medea《美狄亚》, anBiblioteka Baidu Trojan Women
b. Comedy
Aristophanes (about 450 -- 380 B.C.) Works: Frogs, Clouds, Wasps and Birds These plays are loose in plot and satirical in tone.
F. History
Herodotus (484 --- 430 B.C.) ―Father of History, he wrote about the wars between Greeks and Persians. His history, full of anecdotes and digressions and lively dialogue, is wonderfully readable. He kept alive many traditional stories, which were not always accurate. His object in writing was ―that the great and wonderful deeds done by Greeks and Persians should not lack renown.
D. Lyric Poetry
Sappho (about 612—580 B.C.) woman poet She is noted for her love poems of passionate intensity, some of which are addressed to women. She was considered the most important lyric poet of ancient Greece. Many Greek and Latin writers know nearly all her poems by heart. But in the 10th century the Christian church burned her works. Only fragments remain. Two samples (1) I could not hope (2) In gold sandals To touch the sky Dawn like a thief With my two arms Fell upon me Pindar (about 518—438 B.C.) He is best known for his odes celebrating the victories at the athletic games, such as the 14 Olympian odes. Pindar also had imitators, such as the 17th-century English poet John Dryden.
C. Homer ( probably lived around 700 B.C.)
Two epics: Iliad Odysseus They are about great men and wars of a remoter age, probably in the period 1200—1100 B.C
E. Drama
Origin: perform plays at religious festivals. Develop: in the 5th century B.C. a powerful drama developed
States: open-air theatres, audience sat on stone benches and looked down at the stage from three sides, actors wore masks
a.Tragedy
Aeschylus (525 — 456 B.C.) Works: Prometheus Bound, Persians, and Agamemnon In these plays there are only two actors and a chorus. Yet they manage to stir and move the audience deeply by showing heroes and heroines in complicated human situations, out of which there is no escape but death. The play are written in verse. Aeschylus is noted for his vivid character portrayal and majestic poetry
G. Philosophy and Science
The ancient Greeks were curious about many things, including what made the universe. They had the spirit of free enquiry and were quite ready to drop established ideas, to speculate, to use their imagination and to form their own conclusions. They were also not afraid to speak their minds. Pythagoras (about 580 --- 500 B.C.) had the idea that all things were number. Heracleitue (about 540 --- 480 B.C.) believed fire to be the primary element of the universe He also said: You cannot step twice into the same river. The sun is new everyday Democritus (about 460 --- 370 B.C.) speculated about the atomic structure of matter. He was one of the earliest exponents of the atomic theory.
Thucydides (about 460 --- 404 B.C.) Younger than Herodotus, he is more accurate as an historian. He traced events to their causes and brought out their effects. He was never dull, but wrote with imagination and power. He was called ―the greatest historian that ever lived‖ by Macaulay (an eminent historian)
An Introduction to European Culture
Division I : Greek Culture
A. The Historical Context
a. The earliest civilization to appear around Greece was the Minoan civilization in Crete, which lasted approximately from 2700 (Early Minoan) BC to 1450 BC, and on the Early Helladic period on the Greek mainland from ca. 2800 BC to 2100 BC. Mycenaean Greece, also known as Bronze Age Greece, is the Late Helladic Bronze Age civilization of Ancient Greece. It lasted from around 1600 BC to 1100 BC. b. 1200 B.C. the war of Troy a war was fought between Greece and Troy, ending in the destruction of Troy. c. 5th century B.C. Greek culture reached a high point of development. --successful repulse of the Persian invasion --- the establishment of democracy --- the flourishing of science, philosophy, literature, art and historical writing in Athens The century closed with civil war between Athens and Sparta d. In the second half of the 4th century B.C. all Greece was brought under the rule of Alexander, king of Macedon Greek culture was spread. In 146 B.C. the Romans conquered Greece