Lesson 6: Myth 2/Playwrights

1. How much influence do you think the social commentary and morality tales (as evidenced in the above plays) had ancient Hellenic society?
2. Can you think of modern plays or movies that support the same Hellenic ethics?
3. Have any of these plays (ancient or modern) helped you define your personal ethics?
4. If you were to write a modern play that illustrated Hellenic ethical values, what would be the storyline and who would be the characters?

1)      Well, since  I didn’t live back then, I can’t say precisely, but from what I know they seem to have had a considerable effect on public opinions, as they were considered “divinely inspired” to a degree, and were really overall quite a grand affair. It is a bit difficult not to feel swayed to some degree by them. Take the modern world as a parallel, while we are wildly different in many respects, movies and media still affect our opinions more than many of us would care to admit. To say they had no effect is a bit foolish in my opinion. 

2)      Certainly, the one that comes most readily to mind is probably the movie Little Miss Sunshine in which a family bands together and stays true to one another in order to bring glory and honor upon their house. That fits pretty damn well with some of the Hellenic values if you ask me. 

3)      I wouldn’t say define, but perhaps they assist me in examining what I think about right and wrong. Overall though, I’d say they have been pretty marginal in me consciously altering or influencing my morals

4)      I’d probably write a typical family drama about the importance of standing by your house and supporting your loved ones. It would center around a mother struggling with the grief of her husband dying, her eldest daughter being torn between supporting her grieving mother and pursuing her own dreams, and her having to stick to her obligations to her mentally-disabled 15 year old daughter. There would be a semblance of a Greek Chorus, played by one man and one woman who will act as stylized narrators of sorts and who will be the only characters who speak in poetic, metered language as opposed to the naturalistic speech of all the other characters.