The aim of this article was to investigate what influence Greek mythology has had on Western society, more specifically regarding literature, while discussing the Ancient Greek writers, myths, and stories and how it was used by William Shakespeare. The thesis analyzes the British Renaissance and how William Shakespeare utilized classical writings to create his dramas, comedies, and sonnets and what techniques he used to do so (allusions, symbolism, plot-rewriting). The major part of the paper presents the impact of Greek mythology and Homer's Iliad on Shakespeare's less-known play Troilus and Cressida. The epic poem and the satirical tragedy are compared by the method of textual/literary analysis. A conclusion is made that, despite the similarity in topics and plot and partial coincidence of the major characters, Shakespeare's masterpiece is a very different view on the same eventsDoghonadze, Natela & Kolbaia, Lizi. (2023). Greek Mythology and William Shakespeare. 1. 1-11.
DIOMEDES. Ay, there, there. ACHILLES. Where Come, come, thou boy-queller, show thy face; Know what Hector! Wheres Hector? I will none but Hector. Troilus and Cressida, Act 5, Scene 5. is this Hector? it is to meet Achilles angry. Troilus and Cressida, Act II, Scene 1. While Pariss another brother Troilus is ready to fight because of his understanding of honour: She is a theme of honour and renown, A spur to valiant and magnanimous deeds, Whose present courage may beat down our foes, And fame in time to come canonize us Troilus and Cressida, Act II, Scene 1. We all know that Hector falls in this battle, yet Shakespeare chose to portray this famous scene differently, illustrating that the fight between the greatest Trojan warrior and Achilles was not fair, as in the very moment when Achilles has to kill him, Hector is unarmed, therefore, there is no combat in-between the two, and it is the shameless Greek who orders his army to commit war crimes and murder a Trojan prince.
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Besides, Homers beautiful Helen becomes an egoistic woman caring about her earthly pleasures in Shakespeares play. His Cressida is no better. The play was written by mature, not very young Shakespeare, between 1600 and 1603, probably, disappointed in high-flown words like heroism, knowing that politicians with some background interests initiate wars like the Earl of Essex, former favorite of Queen Elizabeth, Corresponding Author: Natela Doghonadze Page 5 Global Scientific and Academic Research Journal of Education and literature ISSN: 2583-7966 (Online) attempted a rebellion against her, sometime before the play was written (Morgandale, 2013). thy Daphnes Tell me, Apollo, What Cressid is, what Pandar, and what we? Troilus and Cressida, Act I, Scene 1.
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For contemporary readers the play which is a mixture of tragedy (major characters die) and satirical comedy and even farce (e.g., episodes between Cressida and her uncle) is perceived as standing apart from his other plays. Heroism and love of Greek myths gave way to narcissism and lust in this play. How different it is from anthems to love in say, Romeo and Juliet:
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Act IV, scene 1, represents Anchises, Aeneass father, who was famously known as Aphrodites lover, which is followed by mentioning of Venus. Venus is the Roman equivalent to the goddess of love, fertility, and passion Aphrodite from Greek mythology. I think this style might be confusing to an average reader now, yet it tells us a lot about the ordinary citizens of England back then, who not only were erudites in Greek mythical characters but of Romanized versions of them as well. PANDARUS Love, love, nothing but love, still more! For, O, love's bow Shoots buck and doe: The shaft confounds, Not that it wounds, But tickles still the sore. These lovers cry Oh! oh! They die! Yet that which seems the wound to kill, Doth turn oh! oh! to ha! ha! he! So dying love lives still: Oh! oh! A while, but ha! ha! ha! Oh! for groans oh! Heigh-ho! out ha! ha! ha!
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