Greek mythology is full of metaphors, and its greatest influence is the creation of many good scripts and good literary works that use metaphors to describe each other!
1. Characteristics and literary characteristics of Greek mythology
One of the basic features of Greek mythology is that people create gods in their own image, giving gods human form and human nature, and even human social relationships. The ancient Greeks worshiped gods, but at the same time they praised people, their bravery and enterprising spirit. The ancient Greeks criticized character weaknesses such as pride, cruelty, vanity, greed, violence, and stubbornness, and believed that it was often these character weaknesses that caused tragedies in life. The ancient Greeks worshiped gods, but they did not give the gods excessive loftiness, nor did they regard the gods as standards of moral measurement, but rather regarded them as reflections of life. It is with this humanistic spirit that ancient Greek mythology attracts readers all over the world with its touching stories and profound ideological connotations. As a kind of primitive literature, Greek mythology has unique artistic charm. Marx said: "Greek mythology is not only the arsenal of Greek art, but also its soil - the premise of Greek art is Greek mythology, that is, the natural and social forms themselves that have been processed by an unconscious art through the imagination of the people. . This is the theme of Greek art.”
(1) Harmony and unity of aesthetic characteristics
The Greeks’ concept of beauty is deeply rooted in the hearts of the people and they have great enthusiasm for beauty. Greek mythology embodies the beauty of harmony achieved by the unity of sensibility and reason, man and nature, spirit and matter, secular and sacred, fantasy and reality. Greek mythology not only shows the chaotic, terrifying, violent and evil side of the gods, but also shows the majestic and beautiful side of nature to people. Greek mythology also has a unique beauty of harmony, forming a unique aesthetic realm.
(2) The storyline is rich in philosophy
The storyline of Greek mythology is both philosophical and very beautiful. These stories include stories about the creation of the world, the birth of gods, the genealogy of gods, the origin of mankind, the change of dynasties in heaven, the daily activities of gods, and even emotional and ethical stories. These storylines are full of patience and concession, integrity and kindness, hatred and violence. They are vivid and vivid, euphemistic and tortuous, and have a high literary and artistic level.
(3) Unique artistic techniques
In terms of artistic expression techniques, Greek mythology has gathered many romantic elements. Portraying each god as a rich and unique person. Athena is a beautiful and wise heroic beauty; Hera is dignified in appearance but full of jealousy; Zeus is a cruel and philandering image; Agamemnon is brave but willful; Prometheus is against tyranny and is strong and unyielding for mankind. Warriors who seek happiness, they are very close to secular life, love pleasure, willfully, like to fight for power and gain, and even covet beauty.
2. The influence of Greek mythology on British and American literature
Greek mythology has had a profound impact on European language and culture. Since the Renaissance, European and American writers have often used Greek and Roman mythology as material for their creations, and a large number of terms from Greek and Roman mythology have been used in British and American literary works.
Shakespeare once used Greek mythology as the theme to create the tragedy "Troilus and Cresida" and the long poem "Venus and Adonis" (Venus and Adonis). Milton's poem "Comus" mentions more than 30 Greek mythological characters and stories. The poet Shelley's "Ode to Apollo" and "Song of Pan" are still popular and beautiful poems praising mythical characters.
"Pygmalion" - a play by the famous British playwright George Bemard Shaw, is also named after a famous Greek myth. Legend has it that King Pygmalion got his wish and married a beautiful wife after praying to Aphrodite, the goddess of love. In this play, Professor Higgins and the flower girl Eliza Doolittle are based on the beautiful statue in the myth, which arouses people's infinite reverie and adds to the charm of the play. charm.
The legends of gods and heroes in Greek mythology who fought unyieldingly against unfair fate and evil forces with superhuman strength and tenacious will inspired romantic poets and inspired their imaginations. Romantic poets gave new life to ancient myths. In Shelley's poetic drama "Prometheus Unbound", Prometheus is written as a symbol of the liberation of mankind in the future. The whole play is emotionally uplifting and has a clear sense of love and hate. It fully expresses the world's confidence in mankind's ultimate victory over tyranny and oppression through revolution. It is a masterpiece of modern revolutionary thought that integrates Greek mythology. "The Centaur" (or translated as "The Centaur") was published in 1963. The contemporary American novelist John Updike (John Updike) borrowed the name of the Centaur from ancient Greek mythology. The story is used as a metaphor for the tragic fate of the protagonist George Caldwell.
In short, since the Renaissance, the unique images of gods and heroes in Greek mythology have appeared in the works of British and American writers from time to time, and the inspiration of writers' creations comes from the refreshing or touching characters in mythology. Stories, the charm of these stories add charm and meaning to the works.
You can also enrich the English language by reading Greek mythology, and understand that the words in these languages ??come from the legends of Greek mythology. Some words, such as tantalize (tease), chaos (chaos), martia (military), hypnotic (hypnotic), etc., all come from Greek mythology. Greek mythology has penetrated into all aspects of life in Western society. It has been widely circulated and has far-reaching influence. Some of the names, place names and allusions in some myths have already entered daily life and become common expressions known to women and children. For example, “Apple of Discord”, “Achilles’ Heel”, “Pandora’s Box”, “the Trojian Horse”, etc. Even the names of the technological development plans we often hear about, such as the "Apollo Project" and the "Poseidon Submarine", are taken from myths.
Due to the limitations of the historical conditions of ancient Greek society, Greek mythology, as an early product of social development, failed to form a written form and could only become an oral literary art. Since the Renaissance, a large number of British and American writers have begun to pay attention to Greek mythology, and the gods, heroes and allusions in Greek mythology often appear in their works. British and American literature has a long history. Under the aura of Greek mythology, British and American literature blooms with brilliant colors. Greek mythology is the mother body that gave birth to British and American literature. It has had a profound impact on the literary creation of British and American writers from content to form. Not only that, Greek mythology has influenced and even purified the minds of some writers, inspired them, and cultivated their free will and self-awareness, so that they can express their emotions and thoughts more unrestrainedly in their works, and use rich philosophies. and the twists and turns of the plot have marked a brilliant mark in the history of literature.
Ancient Greek myths have deeply infiltrated British and American culture. They reveal human nature simply and accurately, and the morals of these stories are still applicable today. Using these allusions to explain the narrative will make it more vivid and more acceptable to people. Without understanding this background knowledge, you will lose the basis for appreciating and appreciating British and American literary works to a great extent. I saw the wonderful metaphors in the works, but I didn't realize it and couldn't taste the charm. Students often have a certain fear when appreciating British and American literary works due to language and cultural barriers. Therefore, in order to understand the language and literature of a nation, we must trace back to its roots and improve literary literacy, so that we can have a deeper understanding of literary works in a specific cultural background. This helps to deeply understand the cultural connotation of British and American languages, cultivate learning interests, and improve cultural learning levels.