Common Themes
ENG 2205
Work Hard and Succeed or Die Trying to
"In silence you must bear a world of pain, subject yourself to the cruel abuse of men." - Athena; The Odyssey
"Then his wife said to him, '' Do you still hold fast to your integrity? Curse God and die!'' But he said to her, " You speak as one of the foolish women would speak. Shall we receive from God, and shall we not receive evil?'' - The Book of Job; Job 2: 9-10
Love and Friendship
"Dear friends, surely we are not unlearned in evils. This is no greater evil now than it was when the Cyclops had us cooped in his hollow cave by force and violence, but even there, by my courage and counsel and my intelligence, we escaped away. I think that all this will be remembered some day too. Then do as I say, let us all be won over."; Odysseus
'No doubt you are the people,
and wisdom will die with you.
But I have understanding as well as you;
I am not inferior to you.
Who does not know such things as these; Job
Friendship and Love are the key to happiness
Odysseus loves his family
For my mother, against her will, is beset by suitors, own sons to the men who are greatest hereabouts. These shrink from making the journey to the house of her father Ikarios, so that he might take bride gifts for his daughter and bestow her on the one he wished, who came as his favorite; rather, all their days, they come and loiter in our house and sacrifice our oxen and our sheep and our fat goats and make a holiday feast of it and drink the bright wine recklessly. Most of our substance is wasted.
Job has everlasting love for God
nor take the hand of evildoers.
He will yet fill your mouth with laughter,
and your lips with shouts of joy.
Those who hate you will be clothed with shame,
and the tent of the wicked will be no more
Gilgamesh has love for his friend
and it is he who will repeatedly save you.
Your dream is good and propitious!
Common Themes
Religion
a cub in the yard, a comfort sent
by God to that nation. He knew what they had tholed,
the long times and troubles they'd come through
without a leader; so the Lord of Life,
the glorious Almighty, made this man renowned. ; Beowulf
Ninsun went into her living quarters.
She washed herself with the purity plant,
she donned a robe worthy of her body,
she donned jewels worthy of her chest,
she donned her sash, and put on her crown.
She sprinkled water from a bowl onto the ground.
She … and went up to the roof.
She went up to the roof and set incense in front of Shamash,
she offered fragrant cuttings, and raised her arms to Shamash ; Gilgamesh