Preview

Folly Of Hubris In Edith Hamilton's Mythology

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
476 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Folly Of Hubris In Edith Hamilton's Mythology
Folly of Hubris

In Edith Hamilton's Mythology, many mortals make the mistake of thinking themsleves equal or greater than the gods. Thinking "thoughts to dangerous to man" is the crime the gods hate the most. This stunt is called the folly of hubris. The folly of hubirs is will certainly be punnished for their arrogance. Bellerophon, Salmoneous, and Niobe all commited this crime and were most certainly punnished.

Bellerophon lived a heroic and happy life until he angered the gods. "His eager ambition along with his great success led him to think 'thoughts too great for men,' the thing of all others the gods objected to." (Hamilton 190). Bellerophon believed he could take his place with the gods, so he tried to ride Pegasus up to Mount Olympus. Pegasus threw Bellerophon off, for he knew better than that. The gods hated Bellerophon and he avoided human contact. He spent the rest of his life wandering, hating himself.
…show more content…
The chariot he had made was assembled in a way so that whenever it moved there was a loud banging sound. "He drove it furiously through the town, scattering at the same time firebrands and shouting to the people to worship him beacause he was Zeus the Thunderer" (439). Instantly Salmoneus was struck by a flash of lightening and the sound of thunder. He was killed and fell from the

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Lugones make the argument, we are all affected by arrogant perception. She defines arrogant perception as being, “systematically organized to break the spirit of all women and of most men.”. Lugones then critiques a passage from Marilyn…

    • 757 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Siop Lesson Plan

    • 1838 Words
    • 8 Pages

    |Myth, Greek Mythology, Zeus, Kronos, Poseidon, Oracle, Mount Olympus |12 copies of The Lightning Thief book, Computer, projector, pictures |…

    • 1838 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Greek mythology shows that ancient Greek gods took terrible revenge on those who opposed or displeased them. When Tantalus, son of Zeus, displeased the gods, he was condemned to float for eternity in a beautifully lake. If he bent to drink from the clear, sparkling water, it recedes from him, if he reached for the luscious grapes hanging overhead. They stayed just out of reach. Sisyphus displeased the gods by telling their secrets he was taught the meaning of frustration. His task for all the years of eternity were to roll a huge, heavy rock up a steep hill. When he had almost reached the top, the rock would invariably break loose and roll to the bottom, poor Sisyphus had to start again. Arachne bragged that she could weave more skillfully…

    • 167 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Odysseus king of Ithaca. Once an arrogant man, was lost at sea for 20+ years. This was because of his thoughts towards the gods. Odysseus a mere mortal thought that he could do anything without the gods help. But some people think that Odysseus throughout the course of the epic. Has he? YES! He has changed throughout the epic Odysseus’ thought about the gods and eventually his ego changed. We start to see the better in Odysseus when.…

    • 224 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    How is the allegory of the cave in Platos Republic a good example of hubris; and how is hubris portrayed in Livys, Thucydides, and Euripides respective works of literature?Hubris is an important term when it comes to classical literature especially to the Greeks, but also to the Romans. Hubris is excessive pride, often to the point where one is hurt in one way or another by it. Hubris is in the cave allegory from Platos Republic, but also in parts of Euripides The Bacchae, Livys The Early History of Rome, and in Thucydides On Justice Power and Human Nature, and hubris is never viewed by either society as a positive, and the results of each story prove just that.…

    • 1296 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Hubris; a definition of excessive pride, which is what Antigone and King Creon both shared. The difference between King Creon and…

    • 633 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Hubris In Oedipus The King

    • 1852 Words
    • 8 Pages

    The conflicts that are created as a result are evidenced both through the original definition of hubris and the more recently developed definition. First, the original meaning relates to aggressive or violent behavior, as shown in the stories of both the Greek Icarus and the Roman King Oedipus; second, the later meaning couples pride with humility, as shown through the myths of the Greek Narcissus and Niobe, in addition to the Roman King Oedipus. Over time, these two definitions develop separately and come to work hand in hand to describe the full extent of hubris in ancient mythology. Regardless of whether the actions lead directly to the downfall, or the gods lend a hand in punishing overconfidence, the hamartia of hubris presents a consistent warning to the audience of the fatal effects of…

    • 1852 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the tale “The ring of Gyges” the shepherd Gyges finds a magical ring within unusual bronze horse. Using this ring, he entices the queen and they collaborate to murder the king and takes control of the kingdom. Given his tale, Glaucon come to a conclusion that if similar rings were to be given to unjust man and a just man, then both of them would behave unjustly. Therefore this proves that people act justly only as an obligation by nature and he claims that all living beings aspire more than what they are actually due. This story remains vital to the society today because it covers what we can expect humans to do with authority over others. I do concur with this simile because, for instance, in politics, we give authority to others, expecting that they will do what is right. We better then, watch out because anyone who acquires power without accountability is culpable to use it unjustly. This portrays a negative image in our society as it is a vice for persons to act unjustly to others and can only…

    • 891 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Creons Fateful Flaw

    • 865 Words
    • 4 Pages

    A young woman who is strong, fearless and has self-confidence loses her parents as a result of fate and is now being raised by an uncle who aims to uphold the laws of men rather than fear divine intervention from the gods. In championing the laws of the gods above the laws of the state, she breaks the law and risks her life to honor her family. This young woman is Antigone. The citizens of Thebes agree with Antigone that she made the right decision except for one person, her uncle, Creon. In Sophocles’ famous play Antigone, Creon, the king of Thebes, suffers from greater hubris than Antigone because he is selfish, stubborn and domineering.…

    • 865 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the story Antigone by Sophcoles, Creon was mistaken of not burying Polynieces because he thought that he was right by creating his own law. However, when Antigone tries to bury polynieces, a dust storm comes and hides her from the guards. It shows that gods are on her side and the dust storm symbolizes that gods are on Antigone's side because gods believe what Antigone have done is right, burying Polynieces is gods law .Creon initially rejecting the prophet's advice to yield , subsequently conceded to the wise prophet's advice, but it was too late. Antigone had hung herself, Haemon had died of his own sword , and Eurydice, his wife had killed herself out of grief. In attempting to prevent disorder. A destroyed man realizing his errors.Creons tragic downfall was the result of his pride, he was consequently forced to live through the plague that he has caused.This example shows that having too much pride is being afraid of something u will lose, because anything could happen to you and you can get punished by the god.…

    • 610 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Who Is Creon A Tragic Hero

    • 1194 Words
    • 5 Pages

    “To err from the right path is common to man.” (Sophocles) Generally speaking, a Greek tragic story is a term used to describe a character and their fall from greatness, where one who is intrinsically virtuous, ends up losing everything they have due to a fatal mistake. In Sophocles Antigone, the classic hero may be described as having the tragic Greek heroic personality, containing traits such as arête (excellence), hubris (excessive pride), ate (blind recklessness), and nemesis (disastrous retribution). Though most mythological heroes contain these qualities on the surface, in Sophocles’ Antigone, the author chose to develop his heroic personalities, rather than leaving them simply present. In doing so, Sophocles developed the character Creon,…

    • 1194 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Pegasus in Modern Culture

    • 1008 Words
    • 5 Pages

    In Greek mythology, Pegasus was the son of Poseidon and Medusa, having sprung from the blood of Medusa as it dropped into the sea after her head was severed by Perseus. He was captured by Bellerophon at the water of his fountain and was ridden by him when he killed Chimera. Bellerophon showed disrespect to the Gods as he attempted to ride Pegasus to Mount Olympus and Zeus sent an insect to sting Pegasus and Bellerophon was thrown back. Pegasus found sanctuary on the sacred mountain, where he carried Zeus' thunderbolts and was ridden by Eos, the goddess of dawn. Under his feet sprang the sacred springs of the Muses on Mount Helicon.…

    • 1008 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Oedipus Rex Vs Creon

    • 680 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Hubris is fully depicted in both Oedipus Rex and Antigone. “Now twice you have spat out infamy. You’ll pay for it!” (Oedipus Rex 20) Oedipus shows his pride in his disregard for the warnings given to him. “You two, Ismene, snake in my ordered house, sucking my blood stealthily – and all the time I never knew that these two sisters were aiming at my throne!” (Antigone 785) Creon cannot accept that he could possible be wrong, and instead, blames Ismene and Antigone for the…

    • 680 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Lowell Mills

    • 654 Words
    • 3 Pages

    In Thomas Dublin’s article, “Women, Work, and Protest in the Early Lowell Mills,” he talks about the conditions of factories. He describes the work and the personal problems that women endured working in factories during the Industrial Revolution. Lowell was originally a rural area. “In 1820, there had been no city at all-only a dozen family farms along the Merrimack River in East Chelmsford.” (Dublin 264). A year later, a group of Boston capitalists brought began to build a major textile factory. Two years later, the factory opened, it mostly employed mostly women from the rural area. The women at the mills protested the unfair conditions at the mill many times.…

    • 654 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Arête can be viewed as a captivating quality that can light a fire of patriotism under the hearts of many, while hubris can destroy the reputation of a person and destroy the determination of a rising power. As seen in the Iliad, arête is the main social value of Greek life and is the first spark of patriotism for a civilization that is only beginning. In the Iliad, the rage of Achilles is a perfect example of hubris in early Greek civilization. When Achilles says, “I will not return until Trojans set fire to the ships” (Homer 9.667-78), Achilles is making an attempt to take what he has not yet earned. His aristos has gone to his head and he is no longer thinking of the excellence he might be earning in battle, but the power he could gain over another person or group.…

    • 618 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays