How to Understand and Enjoy Greek Literature by Madison Levinson

Greek literature can be very difficult to read and therefore even more difficult to enjoy. Recently, in class, we read The Iliad by Homer. Although we did not read the entire epic, the books we did read of it were frustrating to understand and unpleasant to sit down and read. This left many people procrastinating reading it and put off the reflection questions until the night it was due. Students were scrambling for important quotes and asking others for their interpretations of the text. However, using the rest of this article on how to understand Greek literature, this last minute fright will be a thing of the past...almost as far in the past as the literature you will be reading!

Homer, author of The Iliad 

Since I have personally read The Iliad I will use that epic as an explanation for all of my tips and tricks. But first I will provide a brief explanation of The Iliad for those who have not read it, I wouldn't want anybody to be lost in an article about not getting lost while reading a text!

The Iliad was composed around 800-725 BC, and written by Homer anytime from 725-625 BC. The Iliad is the story of the final weeks of the Trojan war and the Greek siege of the city of Troy. The text follows characters such as Achilles, Agamemnon, Hector, Athena, Aphrodite, Apollo, and Hera. The Trojans and Greeks were fighting because Helen of Troy ran away with Paris, leaving the Trojan King with no wife, locking Troy and Greece into a war of seemingly no end. The poem follows the warriors and their decisions with the influence of the Gods while also teaching valuable lessons to the reader. So how did I figure out all of this information from the impossible epic? Well I am here to show you.

Step 1: Know who's who

An artist rendition of Helen of Troy, the cause of the Trojan War

The first step to understanding any difficult literature is understanding who you will be reading about. In The Iliad there were countless characters to keep track of and various spellings and nicknames for everybody. At the beginning of the book I made a character outline of each person and their relationship to one another as well as if they were Greek or Trojan. For example, Achilles, the Greek, was a warrior who hated the Trojan, Hector, for the murder of Patroklos, the best friend of Achilles. This connects three seemingly random characters to one another and explain their interactions with one another. Keep this character chart with you at all times to refer back to and refresh your memory.

Step 2: Know what you are reading

The second step to understanding difficult literature is to understand what you are actually reading. In The Iliad there are numerous rants and descriptions that can get somewhat lengthy and confusing. Often, I didn't know where the description ended and the actual story began. To prevent this confusion, it is beneficial to read a short summary of the story, like Spark Notes or Cliff Notes. By reading a summary of Spark Notes and then going back and reading the actual literature I had an idea of the chronological order of the story. Any interjections or descriptions were clear as to their end point and I was clear when the actual story picked up again.

Step 3: Do not focus too hard

The third step to understanding difficult literature is not to get caught up on all of the little details. In The Iliad it can be hard not to focus on every little word or every little sentence. It seems like every letter is somehow significant or meaningful. Greek literature is in fact no different than literature we read today. When reading a book do you take notes on every sentence and remember every line of dialogue? So why should you have to for Greek literature? There are often frivolous rants a character will have with themselves, gods, or other mortals. Not all of these sentences are important and necessary to the development of the story. Approach Greek literature as you would any other text and just read, don't worry about a sentence that may seem vague or obscure.

Greek literature does not have to be frustrating and difficult. The story lines are often full of plot twists and dynamic relationships between characters, making it an overall fascinating read. With these tips any reader can find the excitement in Greek culture and classics.

A Quick Synopsis of Greek Mythology (by Eve Curras)

When I was eleven years old, my older brother and Mom became obsessed with a series new to them, called Percy Jackson & The Olympians.  My brother doesn't often read, so I knew this series would be good.  I quickly became just as obsessed, and Percy Jackson is still one of my favorite book series to date.  The novels are about a young boy who is thrown into a world of gods and goddesses, magical creatures and beasts, and most significantly: demi-gods.  He comes to find that he himself is a demi-god (meaning half-god) and that he is the son of Poseidon, the god of the Sea.  The series entails Percy and his friends attempting to survive and navigate their way through a world like ours, with the exception of a few centaurs, lightning bolts and flying, winged shoes here and there.  This series is what sparked my love for Greek mythology, and I quickly became engrossed in this world that at the time I believed did not differ much from my own.  (Okay, maybe I still believe in gods and goddess, you never know!)

In class we are reading The Iliad, an ancient Greek poem, that much like the Percy Jackson series intertwines Greek mythology with an epic storyline.

To truly understand Greek Mythology, you must understand the main players.  

There are the 3 main gods:

1. Zeus, the King of the Gods & God of the Sky

2. Poseidon, God of the Seas

3. Hades, God of the Underworlds 

Together, they make up The Big Three.

(Zeus/Left, Poseidon/Middle, Hades/Right)

There were a total of 12 gods and goddesses who overthrew the Titans, members of the second generation of divine beings.  They were known as The Olympians.

Including The Big Three, there are 9 other gods and goddesses who contributed to the defeat of the Titans:

-Hestia, Goddess of Family & Domestic Life

-Hera, Goddess of Marriage

-Ares, God of War

-Athena, Goddess of Wisdom

-Apollo, God of Music & Medicine

-Aphrodite, Goddess of Love

-Hermes, Messenger of the Gods

-Artemis, Goddess of the Hunt

-Hephaestus, God of Fire, Blacksmiths & Sculptors

These 12 made up the major deities of the Greek pantheon.  They were led to victory over their predecessor gods, the Titans, by Zeus.  In any novel, story, or epic that is written using Greek mythology, those names will most certainly be mentioned.  I can only hope this helped some students understand the myths and major players of Greek mythology a little bit better.