How Does Greek Mythology Inform Modern Culture

Tony Morales Classics 40 18 March 2015 Glory and Story: How Greek Mythology Informs Modern Culture

“Excellence is not an action. It is a virtue.” Says Aristotle. In a way, as an action, excellence would seem episodic, occasional, or lucky. As a virtue, excellence would appear to be serial, rehearsed, or practiced. In both contexts, just as ancient Greek philosophy made different, lasting conceptual designs about the idea and ideal of “aristein” or to be the best of yourself and/or the better of your peers, so did classical Greek mythology make diverse, lasting impacts about superior character in the modern cultural imagination.
Especially so in the arts, such as lyric and epic poetry. Greek mythology was and continues to
As a way of shaping behavior, conduct, and ritual, mythology, as Oxford Classics professor, Helen Morales suggests that it
“could and did function as an agent of ideology”(Morales 63). This technique, as mastered and understood by ancient writers such as, Ovid, Plato, Aristotle himself, and others has trickled down through Western culture; Medieval and Renaissance poets such as William
Shakespeare and John Milton infused many of the classical mythological forms and concepts to reinforce their historical interpretations of mundane and the divine. For us in our modern,
American times, classical figures are the mythic themes that reinforce our blockbuster films, our name­brand commerce, and our sports community. Ancient ideals educate our modern ideas. When discussing the term, “myth” we can notice strong parallels in our

contemporary distinction between the words “fact” and “fiction”. In her text,
Classical

Mythology: A Very Short Introduction, Professor Morales elucidates this when she writes “Our word ‘myth’ derives from the Greek word muthos, which means something like ‘story’, in contrast with logos, which means ‘truthful account’” (Morales, 57). For the Greeks as for
Some critics argue that this sentiment culturally applies to Westerners in general and
Americans in particular. Enchanted by his own reflection, Narcissus is perhaps a prime thematic example of classical mythology’s relatability to our modern narcissism.

Americans have a consumer economy which influences a consumer culture. If

one could suggest a “consumer religion”, one might equate divine words with brand names.
Classical mythology, for all of its high­brow sensibility, forms the basis a multitude of
American consumer brands and their advertising campaigns. We almost treat our most treasured brands as commercial gods. We do not term this understanding as “mythology” for the possible reason that our consumer religion maintains an “unspoken theology”. We place a daily, secular faith in the brands, names, and labels we trust.
Nike, Ajax, Venus.
It is a modern extension of ancient awareness. As Morales helps to explain further, “for them [the Greeks and Romans], gods and heroes were part of everyday life. And not just in religious life. Also in politics, law, entertainment, philosophy, and science…they were less likely to be aware