The Greeks


Ancient Greek society placed considerable emphasis on literature and, according to many scholars, the Western literary tradition begins with the epic poems of Homer.

In addition to the creation of the epic and lyric forms of poetry, though, the Greeks were also essentially responsible for the invention -- or at least the introduction -- of drama in the West. Greek playwrights produced masterpieces of both tragedy and comedy that are still considered among the crowning achievements of drama..

Indeed, there is scarcely an idea discussed today that has not already been debated and embroidered on by the writers of ancient Greece.

The epic poems attributed to Homer are usually considered the first extant works of Western literature, and they remain giants in the literary canon for their skillful and vivid depictions of war and peace, honor and disgrace, love and hatred.

Hesiod was another very early Greek poet, His didactic poem, Theogony, gives a systematic account of Greek mythology, the creation myths and the gods. His Works and Days offers an insight into the day-to-day lives of Greek farmers of the time.

The fables of Aesop represent a separate genre, unrelated to any other, and probably developed out of an oral tradition going back many centuries.

Sappho and, later, Pindar, represent, in their different ways, the heights of Greek lyric poetry.

The earliest known Greek dramatist was Thespis, the winner of the first theatrical contest held at Athens in the 6th Century BCE. Choerilus, Pratinas and Phrynichus were also early Greek tragedians, each credited with different innovations in the field.

Aeschylus, however, is usually considered the first of the great Greek playwrights, and essentially invented what we think of as drama in the 5th Century BCE. He introduced dialogue and interacting characters (agon v. antagon) to the stage.

Sophocles is credited with skillfully developing irony as a literary technique, and extended what was considered allowable in drama.

Euripides, on the other hand, is the first author to use his work to challenge the social norms and mores of his civilization. He introduced even greater flexibility in dramatic structure and was the first playwright to develop female characters to any extent.

Aristophanes defined and shaped our idea of what is known as Old Comedy, while, almost a century later, Menander carried on the mantle and dominated the genre of Athenian New Comedy.

After Menander, the spirit of dramatic creation moved out to other centres of civilization, such as Sicily, Alexandria and Rome. By about the 4th Century BCE, Greek literature went into a decline, although much valuable writing in the fields of philosophy, history and science continued to be produced throughout Hellenistic Greece.

Brief mention should also be made here of a lesser-known genre, that of the ancient novel or prose fiction. The five surviving Ancient Greek novels, which date to the 2nd and 3rd Century CE are the Aethiopica" or"Ethiopian Story by Heliodorus of Emesa,Chaereas and Callirhoe by Chariton, The Ephesian Tale by Xenophon of Ephesus, Leucippe and Clitophon by Achilles Tatius and Daphnis and Chloe by Longus.

In addition, a short novel of Greek origin called Apollonius, King of Tyre, dating to the 3rd Century CE or earlier, has come down to us only in Latin, in which form it became very popular during the Middle Ages.

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