The sons of Atreus marry the daughters of Zeus and Tantalus, Helen and Clytemnestra. Menelaus marries Helen and Agamemnon marries Clytemnestra. Agamemnon and Clytemnestra give birth to three children, Iphgenia Electra and Orestes. During that period of time Paris, the Trojan prince abducts Helen because he was astonished with her beauty. This action of Paris creates rivalry between the two cities and the Trojan War strikes in.
As the suitors are Odysseus’s mortal antagonists, Poseidon is his divine antagonist. He despises Odysseus for blinding his son, the Cyclops Polyphemus, and constantly hampers his journey home. Ironically, Poseidon is the patron of the seafaring Phaeacians, who ultimately help to return Odysseus to Ithaca. Calypso - The beautiful nymph who falls in love with Odysseus when he lands on her island-home of Ogygia. Calypso holds him prisoner there for seven years until Hermes, the messenger god, persuades her to let him go.
“When the king of Crete requested a gift from Poseidon, a fine bull to sacrifice, Poseidon generously sent him the very finest from his herd, so fine in fact that King Minos decided to keep it himself instead of sacrificing it. Poseidon was angry and caused the king’s wife to fall in love with the bull.” (Skidmore, Poseidon and Greek
Poseidon turns the Phaeacian ship into stone to punish the Phaeacians for their obligations of assisting travelers and wayfarers. This raises an exception to xenos, the Greek moral code of hospitality. Zeus, throughout the Odyssey enforces this moral code and punishes those who do not follow its provisions. In book 13 he goes against this, as he approves of Poseidon’s punishment of the Phaeacians, who anger Poseidon by practicing good xenos and helping all travelers, including Odysseus, return home. Zeus says- “Earth shaker, you with your massive power, why moaning so?
Zeus commanded that Prometheus reveal the name of the mother, but Prometheus wasn’t a snitch and instead chose to suffer the punishment. To punish mankind, Zeus demanded that the other gods make Pandora as a poisoned gift for man. Pandora was given several traits from the different gods: Hephaestus molded her out of clay; Athena clothed her; Aphrodite gave her beauty; Apollo gave her musical talent and a gift for healing; Poseidon gave her a pearl necklace and the ability to never drown and Zeus being the most canning of all made her idle, mischievous and foolish. Thus the name Pandora meaning (“all gifts”) The most significant of these gifts, however, was a pithas or storage jar given to Pandora by Zeus. Before Prometheus had been chained to the rock he had warned Epimetheus not to take any gifts from the gods.
The hero of Greece and son of Zeus, king of the gods, Heracles is one of the most popular of the Greek mythological heroes. Son of the mortal woman Alcmene and Zeus, he was conceived when Zeus took the form of Amphitryon in order to seduce Alcmene. From birth Heracles was the subject of Heras’ hatred. Hera the queen of the gods hated him as he was a constant reminder of yet another unfaithful act of Zeus. Her fury at Zeus over his infidelity for his many affairs caused much of the hardships Heracles faced through his life.
Davies’ dedicates a chapter on the myth of Gyges and Candaules to recognize Dunny’s personality and relationship. In the myth of Gyges and Candaules, Gyges is a friend to the rich and prestige King, Candaules. He is forced to look upon Candules naked wife, and is persuaded to think that she is as beautiful as Candaules says she is. Gyges agrees and is pressured by the wife, to kill Candaules in order to acquire his thrown and all he possess (including her). In Fifth Business, Davies’ writes Boy to be the great King Candaules, Dunny to be the friend, Gyges and Leola to be the wife.
Laura Dumpson January 2011 Global AP Jackson Per. 7 Aphrodite Aphrodite is the Greek Goddess of beauty, love, and sexuality. Hesiod’s Theogony, it claims Aphrodite was born when Cronus cut off Uranus’ genital and threw them into the sea. From the sea foam (aphros) arose Aphrodite. Gods feared that because of her beauty, jealousy would disrupt the peace among them leading to war.
The goddess Athena was the main patron of Odysseus and she was a rival to Poseidon, by beating him in the patron deity of Athens. He was supremely mad at Odysseus for blinding his son Polyphemus the Cyclops Odysseus and his men blinded and stole food from. Poseidon is God of the sea, offending him caused numerous delays in Odysseus’ sea voyage home. King Aeolus God of the winds welcomed Odysseus kindly on his island. Offered his winds to help Odysseus and his men get home briefly.
Some healthy, or not so healthy sibling rivalry. The second part of the book, “Theogony,” is a poem of the Greek Gods and in my opinion could have been the ones who invented revenge because they display it the best. Either being the most graceful or being horribly evil, revenge was no stranger to Greek mythology. Hesiod’s “Works and Days” is a poem about his low life brother Perses who thinks he didn’t get his fair share in their father’s inheritance. Perses thinks it is so unfair that he even takes the dispute to court for a hearing.