Was the Roman Empire inherently aggressive towards its neighbours?
Was the Roman Empire inherently aggressive towards its neighbours? When conquest is hard, states are blessed with neighbours that are relaxed by their own security and by the high cost of attacking others. Hence states have less reason to expect attack. This leaves all states even more secure and therefore more willing to follow peaceful policies. Alternatively when the offense dominates, states are cursed with neighbours made aggressive by both temptation and fear. These neighbours see easy gain from aggression and danger in pursuing passive action. Faced with such aggressive neighbours, all states face greater risk of attack. This drives them to compete harder to control resources and create conditions that provide security.1 Tacitus opens his Histories by describing an aggressive, unstable and violent Rome. "I am entering on the history of a period rich in disasters, frightful in its wars, torn by civil strife, and even in peace full of horrors.[...] There was success in the East, and disaster in the West. There were disturbances in Illyricum; Gaul wavered in its allegiance; Britain was thoroughly subdued and immediately abandoned; the tribes of the Suevi and the Sarmatae rose in concert against us; the Dacians had the glory of inflicting as well as suffering defeat; the armies of Parthia were all but set in motion by the cheat of a counterfeit Nero. Now too Italy was
4.Universal truths? Discuss the role of Greek myth in modern theory.
Universal Truths: Discuss the role of Greek Myth in Modern Theory The impact of Greek Myth on modern theory cannot be underplayed. As Williams points out, myth only came into English in the early nineteenth century; 1 yet it pervades our cultural heritage, its art and literature, and has contributed to shaping our understanding of humanity and our place in the universe. Its influence, however, has not always been positively received, as the divergent voices of the opening of Griffin's "The Mirror of Myth" reveal.2 Of these, Larkin's reaction is, of course, a response to a literature which was almost taken over by classical allusion and had thereby become increasingly elitist. It contributed to the interplay and sometimes confusion in the reading of myth as literature. Greek myth, reworked and reinterpreted in our art and literature, predominated; it had also become the muse and the construct of much of modern theory. Since its introduction Greek myth has acquired - beyond its literal meaning of a speech act and its earliest understanding of a story or a tale - a new tradition of significance reflected through its link with ritual and theories of origins. New definitions of myth recognise the concern with "creation" as Mercia Eliade states: ...It tells how something has come into existence, or how a way of behaviour, an institution, a way of working, were established; this
How does Machiavelli's idea of 'virtu' compare with Aristotle's idea of 'civic excellence'?
ICP180 Introduction to Political Theory Course instructor: Chad Thompson Student: Taabaldieva Meerim ICP100 Essay #2 Due date: 29 March 2001 How does Machiavelli's idea of 'virtu' compare with Aristotle's idea of 'civic excellence'? "Man is a political animal"1. This, indeed, is true because in the modern world we live in, every single person is a part of a society. A society is a political object, so from this results the idea of a man being dependant upon political acts. All men are special and unique members of the society they live in, but of course we all know that every society divides into different parts: the prince or the rulers, the citizens and the common people. Every single member has it's own duties and is obliged to do them. However, how these members are divided and what their duties are defined differently by different people, yet the best definition would definitely be given by well known political philosophers, good examples of which could be Nicclolo Machiavelli and Aristotle. Machiavelli's "The Prince" and Aristotle's "Politics" Book 3 The Theory of Citizenship and Constitutions are works where the definition for what the rulers, the citizen and the common people have to be like is given. If we compare the two works of two historical political theorists we will find that they have a lot of things in common and yet still there are some
Sophocles knowing that his audience is aware of the outcome of the play utilizes that knowledge to create various situations in which dramatic irony play key roles.
Sophocles knowing that his audience is aware of the outcome of the play utilizes that knowledge to create various situations in which dramatic irony play key roles. Dramatic irony is when the audience knows the tragic truth before the characters do. Through his use of irony Sophocles manages to avoid retelling an old tale, though the audience is aware of the story's end they are intrigued by the irony present in the story. Sophocles makes liberal use of irony. By doing this he tantalises the viewer into wanting to see how the events that occurred later would mentally affect the main character, in this case Oedipus. Oedipus is self-confident, intelligent, and strong willed. Ironically these are the very traits which bring about his tragic discovery and eventually his doom. Despite their views about his personal humanity, they do not see his wisdom as originating from human means. (www.watson.org) The people of Thebes blame the destroying of their city upon the gods, but do they credit Oedipus's foresight and counsel as being of godly origin. Oedipus himself chooses to ignore this popular conception of his power. He responds to this call for godly aid with an account of his own personal attempts to unravel the problem, never once even making an allusion to immortals. He tells them, "my spirit groans for city and myself and you at once", thereby signifying that he has
Commentaries on Catullus' Poetry (Poems 72 & 42)
Poem LXXII There is great nuance and sensitivity in poem 72. We are told very early in the poem that it is addressed to Lesbia, Catullus' love to whom a moderate number of poems in the collection are addressed (or concern). Earlier "Lesbia poems" had shown Catullus' simple and insatiable love for "my girl"1 in very romantic language: for example, the lines describing the number of times he wished that they could kiss, in poem 5, which caused Aurelius and Furius to describe Catullus as a "sissy" poet2. However, in poem 70 we begin to see Catullus' feelings for Lesbia turn sour as he tells us that a woman's words to her lover are as trustworthy as those written on wind or water after presumably disbelieving her when she told him that there was no one she would rather marry than him, "not even if asked by Jove himself"3. If we assume that Lesbia was Clodia Metelli, we know that she was already married, so if her words are not suggesting that she has become available, she must be describing an unfulfillable wish and it is perhaps the fact that she says these words but is unable to act on her marriage vow which causes Catullus to be so untrusting4. Compared to the "outbursts of joy and fury" in the poems of what has been described as the first book, poem 72 is much "cooler and more analytical"5: Catullus here seems to be writing from his head rather than this heart. He uses, in
The Use of Irony in Sophocles's King Oedipus.
James Moran 01/11/2001 The Use of Irony in Sophocles's King Oedipus Irony has many forms or definitions depending upon the situations in which it used, and the effect it achieves. We will discuss Sophocles's extensive use of irony in his play King Oedipus. The central character Oedipus is introduced as egotistical, separating himself from the masses with the constant use of the pronoun 'I'. He feels pretty pleased with himself, after all he has altered the destiny of the people of Thebes by solving the riddle of the Sphinx, or so he believes. Now they come to him again for help, but in doing so they begin a process in which his own arrogance leads to his downfall. Throughout the play we see Oedipus deluded by his high opinion of himself, and his ability to change the fate mapped out for him by the Gods. He had left his 'home' in Corinth because of a prophecy he relates in lines 792 to794. How I must marry my mother, And become the parent of a misbegotten brood, An offence to all mankind - and kill my father. Although Oedipus learns that a similar prophecy is attributed to the son of Laius, the previous king of Thebes and the former husband of Oedipus's wife, Jocasta, his unstinting faith in his version of the 'truth' does not allow alarm bells to ring in his mind. This situation where the main character is deluded and ignorant of the real circumstances in which
Dracula - Good vs Bad
How far is Stoker's Dracula an exploration of the battle between good and evil? In this essay, the focus that will be covered will be how Stoker's Dracula is an exploration of a battle between morality and maliciousness. The essential components which will be studied is how blood and Christianity affects Dracula, the comparison between God and evil and the essay will also include how blood and the devil are viewed. The original vampire story was called `The Vampyre`, written by `John Polidon`. Vampires before the 19th century in England had not been consistently linked with an established class. However, vampires were perceived as a threat of 'unbridled romanticism', (in the introduction of Dracula) and a sexual capability, this would guarantee that women could not resist his advances. In the 19th century women were not allowed to have any sexual contact before marriage, if to do so they would be useless and seen as a whore. Although Stoker did not know about vampires in his childhood, he might have learnt similar factors in his childhood; his mother especially submerged him in the rich English traditions. While travelling across the world Stoker researched many vampire myths, and gained sufficient evidence that would later help to build a foundation to the novel. However, it is believed that the main reason Dracula was written, is due to the fact that Stoker was subjected
Humanities: Loves and Transformation - The Power of Love.
Hui Lucy Xu Professor Armando Maggi Humanities: Loves and Transformation 8 April 2004 The Power of Love Love appears in the beginning of Ovid's Metamorphoses and exists till the very last page. Generally, most of the stories of love deal not with true devotion but with lust. In most narratives, an all-powerful god, usually Juno finds beautiful virgins to desire and rape. At first glance, the story of Daphne and Phoebus appears to parallel the rest of the "love" stories. The typical elements of Ovid's rape scenes including: vivid descriptions of Daphne's beauty, a fearful chase, and a transformation into a silenced tree are present. Although Daphne and Phoebus's tale seems to be a typical lust and rape narrative, through the use of diction and irrational speeches, Ovid shows that it is actually a tale of real unrequited love and the dominance of love's power over everything. Unlike the other love narratives, Cupid forces Phoebus to fall in love with Daphne. After Phoebus insulted the god of love for using the powerful bow for inciting love, Cupid responds by making Phoebus fall in love using Phoebus' own weapon of choice, "your shafts may pierce all things, o Phoebus, but you'll be transfixed by mine" (Book I, 21). This already sets the narrative apart from the others. Phoebus's love is a result of vengeance. Turning the mighty Phoebus into a love-struck fool is Cupid's
Macbeth - Witches Induce Evil
MACBETH WITCHES INDUCE EVIL In the Jacobean era, the most common idea of a witch was an old woman with the ability to summon evil spirits. Witchcraft was linked with worship of the Devil. King James I was obsessed with the threat posed by witches; hence everything evil was blamed on them. Many women were falsely accused of practicing witchcraft and were tortured until they confessed, then faced imprisonment, banishment or execution. The literature of ancient Greece and Rome abounds with tales of witches, who spent most of their time mixing magical potions from herbs and gruesome animal parts. In William Shakespeare's Macbeth, a play that was presented to King James I in 1606, three witches appear quite a few times, once brewing a potion. Although the three "weird sisters" (or witches) may appear to be the evil forces of the play leading to the demise of the protagonist, clearly their role is to help bring out evil traits in other characters. Amongst these characters are Banquo, Lady Macbeth and, of course, Macbeth, whom the "weird sisters" help expose wicked attributes. The witches help bring out immoral traits in Banquo. In Act one, Scene one, Banquo wants the witches to predict future, for he will not fear the prophecies as Macbeth did. Banquo says: ...To me you speak not If you can look into the seeds of time, And say which one will grow and which will not
Odyssey Commentaries (Books 2 & 6)
Commentary I (6.48-1741) Escaping, after seven years, the loving grip of the nymph Kalypso, Odysseus' nostos (homecoming) continues as he washes up on Scheria. Meanwhile, Nausikaä wheedles her father into allowing her take a wagon and servants to wash clothes in the nearby river; Athene had imparted the idea in the guise of a much-loved friend whilst Nausikaä was asleep. The scene at the river is pastoral and idyllic; there is, perhaps, a 'Grecian-urn quality'2. We are treated to a description of the leisurely washing of both the clothes and the girls themselves, and, after eating, the maids and mistress threw off their headscarves to play ball. Though all are beautiful, Nausikaä 'stood out clear in her beauty' (6.109). We may quite easily assume that there could be nowhere more pleasing for Odysseus to be. When he does awake, to the sound of shrieking girls (their ball had fallen into the whirling river), Odysseus, vigilant as ever, believes first that he may be in a land of savage, anarchic people. Covering his manhood with a branch, he sets out to explore. Only Nausikaä stood firm as he, a horrible sight, approached. Deciding not grasp her knees in his near nakedness, he nevertheless supplicates her verbally with his characteristic charm. Beginning by eloquently emphasising her beauty, even suggesting (perhaps flirtatiously) the happiness that this will bring to her