The Gods Vs Man Essay Research Paper

The Gods Vs. Man Essay, Research Paper

The Gods vs. Man

God. That one word has a lot of weight to it, doesn’t it. It had even more

significance to the Greeks. It was something they feared and respected. Throughout

history men have always wanted to be like the gods. It is something that is seen over and

over, man’s universal struggle to be like the gods. Is it man’s fault that he wants to be

like the gods. Or is it the gods’ fault. The story Oedipus Rex by Sophocles shows that

man’s arrogance and fallible personality is the cause of this struggle for superiority. The

Greeks dealt the most with gods, melding their daily lives with religion.

The Greeks have had multiple Gods over much of their history. The Greeks had

one of the most complex and extensive systems of religion and polytheism in the history

of man. They also had a very extensive hierarchy of Gods. Its origin begins with the

Chaos and a number of other Gods. There were 19 of them and they were called the

Titans. They were the creators and first rulers of the world. The Titans later went to war

with the Olympians and lost and were imprisoned in the center of the earth. There were

also lesser Gods and noble characters. There were 32 lesser Gods that were various

offshoots of the major twelve Olympians. They were given all types of minor jobs and

responsibilities in helping to keep the world organized and running. There were also

noble characters in mythology, who were classified into heroes and creatures. There

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were fourteen heroes who completed many legendary tasks. Many were well known such

as Hercules, Perseus, Jason, Odysseus and many others. There were also fourteen

creatures that had many various roles, from killing people and animals to helping the

Gods. Most were also well known like Medusa, Cyclops, Sirens, and others.

More recently, during the time period of Sophocles, the Greeks believed in and

listened to the Olympians. There were twelve of these major Gods. These Gods directly

influenced the lives of the people of this time. They ruled all parts of people’s lives and

were the gods that the people prayed to and listened to. The following passage explains

the position of the gods:

Gaea created life, but that was life, which was reigned by a brute force. There was no prize for honesty, nor punishment for crime. Guided by their natural aspiration towards the order and ordered society wise men created immortal gods, who governed people’s lives, seeing and hearing everything, and enforcing the laws. The fear of such mighty gods forced the people to place them as far as possible, but also in beautiful settings in order to please them. So, the gods were placed at Mount Olympus and organized as a hierarchical society in which the “jet-set” consisted of twelve Olympian gods: Zeus, the supreme god, Hera, his lawful wife, Poseidon, Hades, Hestia, Aphrodite, Hermes, Athena, Hephaestus, Ares, Artemis and Apollo. Mount Olympus is placed on the borders of Macedonia and Thessaly. In the central place at Olympus there was Zeus’s palace with palaces of other great gods in the vicinity, and palaces of the less important gods further away. The gates of this city of gods were opening in the dawn and closing in the dusk. 1.

In Oedipus Rex there are three of these main gods, that figure in the story. The

first was Apollo, the son of Zeus and Leto. He was the god of music, playing a golden

lyre. He was the god of the archer, far shooting with a silver bow and the god of healing

who taught man medicine. He was the god of light and truth, who can not speak a lie.

One of Apollo’s more important daily tasks was to harness his chariot with four horses

and drive the Sun across the sky. He was famous for his oracle at Delphi. People traveled

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to it from all over the Greek world to divine the future. Apollo was probably the most

important god in this play as he does the most to help Oedipus. In the beginning it is he

who tells Oedipus how to rid the city of Thebes of the plague, and he also tries to warn

both Oedipus and Laios of their fates, both of whom do not listen. The second god is

Athena, the daughter of Zeus. She was fierce and brave in battle but only fights to

protect the state and home from outside enemies. She was the goddess of the city,

handicrafts, and agriculture. She invented the bridle, which permitted man to tame horses,

the trumpet, the flute, the pot, the rake, the plow, the yoke, the ship, and the chariot. She

was the embodiment of wisdom, reason, and purity. Her favorite city was Athens and she

was a virgin goddess. It was to her that Oedipus prayed for the wisdom to do what is

right and to help him solve the puzzles. The third main god in the play was Artemis,

the daughter of Zeus and Leto. She was also the twin sister of Apollo. She was the

lady of the wild things. She was the huntsman of the gods. She was the protector of the

young. Like Apollo, she hunted with silver arrows. She became associated with the

moon. She was a virgin goddess, and the goddess of chasti

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