I am talking, I [= Socrates] said, about those [desires and pleasures] that are awakened when one part of the soul [psūkhē] sleeps—I mean the part that is rational [logistikon] and domesticated [hēmeron] and in control [arkhon] of the other part, which is beast-like [thēriōdes] and savage [agrion]. Then, [when the rational part is asleep,] this other part, which is glutted with grain [sīta] or intoxicants [methē], starts bolting [skirtāi]… Read more
~ A bilingual English-Portuguese guest post by Renan Falcheti Peixoto ~ Chorus antistrophe “If the gods were wise and understood men 655 they would bring a second youth, as a visible mark on those who display excellence [aretē], and dying, would come 660 back to the light of the sun again to run a… Read more
~ A guest blog by Bill Moulton ~ The play Agamemnon is the hot topic in the community at the moment. If you know Aeschylus’ work you know this is the first play in a trilogy which leads to a showdown between the old goddesses of claw and fang versus the new goddess of the city. The three plays are called the Oresteia and its finale is final confrontation between… Read more
~ A guest post by Myrmidon ~ Fatal Attraction in that Michael Douglas-Glenn Close movie I understand. But fatal attraction in the Iliad? Frankly, I’ve found the idea hard to grasp, and some of the explanations in The Ancient Greek Hero in 24 Hours[1] prompt me to ask some additional questions. What is fatal attraction? How do we know it exists? What kind of attraction? And why would anyone be… Read more
~ A guest post by Laura Ford ~ Continuing our look at the etymology of proper names, it is interesting that the two women who jointly raised Odysseus have very similar names: Eurycleia means “broad fame,” and Anticleia means “opposing fame.” Do their names constitute a clue concerning their respective attitudes towards Odysseus’ quest for kleos by joining the expedition to Troy? Eurycleia was Odysseus’ wet nurse and the one… Read more