Heroes, Gods, And Monsters Of Greek Myths

Culture can play a major role in influencing the way that people live and grow. Throughout their lives, people will develop a sense of self and identity based on the religion, teachings, and beliefs of people around them. The Greeks, for example, wanted to share the lessons that they had learned from past experiences and managed to express them in various ways. Writers, like Aesop, eventually started to write fables, which all end with important lessons that teach children to distinguish right from wrong. Similarly, Bernard Evslin’s Heroes, Gods, and Monsters of the Greek Myths comprises of many elaborate, dramatic stories about powerful gods and ignorant humans, which help express different themes. These Greek myths are relevant to people’s
lives today because they convey timeless lessons which serve as moral guides.
Characters in Greek myths who defy certain ethical codes are punished, which teaches modern-day readers that negative consequences follow inappropriate actions. Phaethon, for example, puts himself in a dangerous situation when he decides to test his father’s limits simply to prove to Epaphus he is worthy of driving Apollo’s chariot. At the end, Phaethon’s death demonstrates that an excessive amount of pride can lead to destruction. In the story, after Phaethon is able to convince Apollo to let him drive his chariot, he ignores Apollo’s warnings and reminds himself that Epaphus will not be able to “see the coach or the horses,” (73) and that “he will laugh at me and tell me I’m lying,” (73) before dipping down to the village and burning down the entire town. Because Phaethon stubbornly refuses to let go of his pride, he loses his life and teaches readers a hard lesson about the consequences of pride that people can apply to their lives today. Similarly, Psyche lets other people’s words get to her head and loses the love of her life because of it. In fact, the tragedy of Eros and Psyche illustrates that no relationship can last without trust. When Psyche’s sisters start to jealously question the relationship
between her and Eros, she begins to doubt her husband's loyalty and spies on him against his wishes because “she felt that if she could only see him her doubts would be resolved” (102-103). Eros refuses to let Psyche see him at first to see how much he could trust her, but she fails his test, and for this reason, she faces the consequences; her story demonstrates that one must earn the trust of another, which is another valuable lesson to learn. Both Phaethon’s story and Eros and Psyche’s story teach valuable lessons through the negative consequences that the characters must face for acting inappropriately. As a matter of fact, Greek myths often emphasize the punishments certain characters face in order to teach modern-day readers that there are negative consequences when they do not act according to proper social standards. In Greek myths, those who follow accepted social norms are rewarded and serve as models of proper conduct.
Perseus, for one, proves to be an honorable individual and is an ideal model of Greek heroism. In his story, Perseus is able to reunite his family and achieve true greatness because he values loyalty and keeping true to his word above all else. When Perseus discovers Polydectes plan to get rid of him and forcefully marry his mother, he uses Medusa’s head to turn him into stone but does not forget to go “to the temple of Athene and the temple of Hermes to thank them for what they had done” (134) even though it is also the night of his wedding. Because Perseus does not allow his achievements get to his head and remembers to thank those who help him, he is greatly rewarded; this story demonstrates to readers that those who aim to achieve without manipulation or ulterior motives will likely reach their goals. Similarly, Athene also proves to be an honorable individual when she attempts to win Atticus over peacefully rather with anger, like Poseidon does. In fact, Athene’s victory over Poseidon demonstrates to readers that good will always rule over evil. According to the myth, when Poseidon throws down his trident to try and claim Atticus, the people become afraid because he has “a habit of seizing all the youth of a town when he was in the mood,” (16) but they are far more accepting of Athene who plants “an olive tree by the side of the spring” (16) as symbol of peace.
Although both these Gods hold the same amount of power, Athene’s moral intentions set her apart, which is how she wins over the people; the outcome of the situation teaches readers that manipulation and evoking fear into others will not lead to spectacular endings but keeping peace and staying loyal may. Though most Greek myths do not end happily because of the main character’s flaws, both Perseus and Athene are rewarded for following social standards and serve as outstanding role models for modern-day readers. In order to teach readers to distinguish right from wrong, each myth ends with a lesson, and those who follow accepted social standards will earn their keep. The myths comprised in Bernard Evslin’s Heroes, Gods, and Monsters of the Greek Myths end with important lessons that can help modern-day readers learn to distinguish between right and wrong. In order to teach readers that there are negative consequences for their improper behavior, Greek myths will often end with a harsh lesson for the main character to learn. However, in contrast, characters who prove themselves worthy of recognition for keeping true to their upstanding morals will achieve their goals. Similarly, the Greeks wrote fables to teach children various sorts of lessons and provide readers with an opportunity to reflect on their own morals after reading. Though Greek myths may appear to be nothing more than outdated stories, these tales offer valuable life lessons to learn along with the entertainment that comes with reading them.