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
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
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.