Theatrical Adaptation

Myth

Myth is defined as "a traditional, typically ancient story dealing with supernatural beings, ancestors, or heroes that serves as a fundamental type in the worldview of a people, as by explaining aspects of the natural world or delineating the psychology, customs, or ideals of society" by the American Heritage Dictionary. In the discussion conducted in class we can see where that would apply, Greek myths or mythology are moral lesson using ancient heroes as subjects. In Greece they were widely held as truths.
Some people in discussion brought up the fact that tales could often be brutal or seem evil, and so could not be moral tales. However, that merely supports the fact that these are moral tales. By showing the evil the writers and tellers of greek myth are showing you what not to do. Do not kill your father and sleep with your mother or bad shit will happen, Oedipus has shown us this quite effectively. He had severe punishments for his actions, because he did wrong and the gods delivered justice. Now the Gods have different moral standards than humans, but thats allowed because they are immortal. The myths are a way of showing what not to do as a human, because no one reading the myths are gods.

posted by IPDB @ 6:37 PM