Introduction:
The Greeks influenced their Roman neighbours to the West and generations across Europe. Greek writers familiarized genres such as poetry, comedy, tragedy, and western philosophy the world. These Greek writers were born in Greece and on the island of Ionia, the Aegean, Sicily, and southern Italy.
The ancient Greek language is used in ancient texts until the Byzantine Empire. Ancient Greek literature is represented by two epic poems, the Iliad and the Odyssey, dating back to the early Archaic Period. Their settings corresponded to a mythical archaic past known as the Mycenaean era. The Homeric Hymns and Hesiod's two poems, Theogony and Works and Days, formed the foundation for Greek literature that would last through the Classical, Hellenistic, and Roman periods.
Greek lyric poets Sappho, Alcaeus, and Pindar, made tremendous contributions to early Greek poetry. Aeschylus is the earliest playwright for whom complete plays have survived. The tragedies of Sophocles centre around Oedipus, especially his plays Oedipus the King and Antigone. Tragic plays are one of Euripides' strengths, as he often pushes the boundaries of the genre. Playwrights Aristophanes and Menander were among the earliest pioneers of New Comedy. Herodotus of Halicarnassus and Thucydides, both historians, living during the fifth century BC, recounted events before and during their lifetime. Philosopher Plato composed dialogues, many of which focused on his teacher Socrates, whereas his student Aristotle wrote numerous treatizes that went on to have a significant impact on Western philosophy.
Major Themes of Ancient Greek Literature:
Undoubtedly, the Greeks were a passionate people from the look of their literature. Their history was shaped by war and peace, leaving an indelible mark on their culture and people. According to author and historian Edith Hamilton, the history of the Greeks is replete with the spirit of life. Her book The Greek Way argues that Greek literature is not grey or has a limited palette. According to her, it is all black and white or black and scarlet and gold. According to Edith, the Greeks were acutely aware of life's uncertain nature and death's imminence. In Greek literature, joy and sorrow, exultation, and tragedy are not contradictory.
To fully understand Greek literature, one needs to separate the oral epics from tragedies and comedies and the histories from philosophies. Greek literature also has distinct periods: Archaic, Classical, and Hellenistic. The Archaic Period's literature was mainly mythological, part history, and part folklore. The epics of Homer and Hesiod are significant examples from this period. Homer established Greek literature. In Greece, writing had not yet arrived, so many creations at this time were communicated orally, only to be written years later.
During the Classical era (4th and 5th centuries BCE), tragedies such as Sophocles' Oedipus Rex and Euripides' Hippolytus were written, along with comedies by Aristophanes. The Hellenistic era, the final Period of Greek literature, influenced Roman writers such as Horace, Ovid, and Virgil. Most artefacts from the Archaic and Classical periods have only been preserved in fragments.
Archaic period (c. 800- 479 BCE)
At festivals, the poets' words were spoken as an outcome of an oral tradition. In the Dark Ages of Greece, Homer's epic, the Iliad, dealt with the last days of the Trojan War, which was incited by a young woman named Helen. Young Greeks grew up knowing heroes like Achilles, Hector, and Paris through it. The poem contrasted gods and mortals, divine and human, and war and peace. Alexander the Great believed he was related to Achilles, so he slept with a book copy under his pillow.
Homer's Iliad and Odyssey are considered the foundation of Greek literature. The dates of composition of these works vary, but they were created around 800 BC or later. Another important figure was the poet Hesiod. Two of his works have survived: Works and Days and Theogony.
Classical (500–323 BC)
The classical period saw the emergence of many genres of western literature. There was lyrical poetry, odes, pastorals, elegies, epigrams, plays of comedy and tragedy, rhetorical treatizes, philosophical dialectics, and treatizes during this period. The two greatest lyrical poets were Sappho and Pindar. Only a few plays survived among the hundreds of tragedies written and performed during this period. Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides wrote the plays. A comedy was conceived in honour of Dionysus. It contained obscenities, abuse, and insults. The plays by Aristophanes that have survived are a treasure trove of comic presentation.
Hellenistic (323–31 BC)
Philip II of Macedon conquered many important Greek cities by 338 BC. Alexander, Philip II's son, greatly expanded his father's conquests. The Hellenistic age refers to the period between Alexander the Great's death and the rise of Roman dominion. By the end of the third century BC, Alexandria in northern Egypt became the centre of Greek culture.
Greek poetry flourished with notable contributions from Theocritus, Callimachus, and Apollonius of Rhodes. Theocritus, who lived from about 310 to 250 BC, was the originator of pastoral poetry, which the Roman Virgil mastered in his Eclogues. A principal exponent of the New Comedy was Menander, who represented drama. Greek translations of the Old Testament from the Septuagint represent one of the most significant contributions of the Hellenistic Period. In the second century BC, this work was completed at Alexandria.
Byzantine literature (350–1453)
Greek literature developed during the Byzantine Period, written within or outside the Byzantine Empire. The period follows Ancient Greek literature in the history of Greek literature.
Byzantine literary works combined Greek and Christian civilizations on the foundation of a Roman political system. Literature of this type was primarily influenced by the intellectual and ethnographic atmosphere of the Near East. Byzantine literature has four major cultural elements: Greek, Christian, Roman, and Oriental. Apart from personal correspondence, the predominant writing style during this period was Atticizing. Some early Latin literature and works from the Latin Empire were written in French.
The emergence of historical chronicles characterized the period. Encyclopedias also thrived during this timeframe. Digenes Akritas is the best-known A critic song and is often considered the only surviving epic poem from the Byzantine Empire. It is often considered a precursor to modern Greek literature.
Legacy
The Roman arts and literature developed a distinctive Greek flavour after Alexander the Great died, and Hellenistic culture grew across the Mediterranean. The ancient Greek literature had been passed down orally from Homer and Hesiod through Sophocles and Aristophanes and now rested on the table of Roman citizens and authors. Plato, Aristotle, Herodotus, and Thucydides comprised this literature. Throughout Europe, centuries of poetry and prose have influenced the Romans and countless others. In referring to the "fire" of Greek poetry, Edith Hamilton wrote, "One might quote all the Greek poems there are, even when they are tragedies. Every one of them shows the fire of life burning high. Never a Greek poet that did not warm both hands at that flame."
Source
Video:
School of Life: https://youtu.be/kix2L1j2cDc
Ancient Greece 101 | National Geographic: https://youtu.be/6bDrYTXQLu8
Overly Sarcastic Productions, History Summarized: Ancient Greece: https://youtu.be/mzGVpkYiJ9w
Articles:
Classicism: https://hama-univ.edu.sy/newsites/humanities/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Classicism.pdf
Ancient Greek Literature - World History Encyclopedia. https://www.worldhistory.org/Greek_Literature/
Ancient Greek literature - Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient_Greek_literature
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