elpenor second lesson in ancient greek (voices tenses verb translating) PART 1外语英文电子书.pdfVIP

Learning Greek - Lesson 2 link to this page : /elpenor/lessons/lesson2.asp HOME | LANGUAGE | LIBRARIES | FORUM | HELP | SEARCH | CONTACT | RSS LESSON 2 - First Part / Second Part ACHILLES GRIEF - From Homers Iliad History and poetry WE OWE to Aristotle a crucial distinction between history and poetry, according to which, the former narrates what happened, while the latter /elpenor/lessons/lesson2.asp (1 of 19) [3/11/2007 2:26:36 PM] Learning Greek - Lesson 2 discerns what might (always) happen (cf. Aristotle, Poetic art 1451a ff). However, poetry is not a philosophy of history. Poetry just sings a complete Act, letting us feel in the poets choice of that certain act and, in all the events which belong essentially and necessarily to that Act, the meaning of history. Poetry as such demands instant understanding, understanding as feeling and action. The written history of Hellenism began with such a choice made by Homer. Homers interest HOMER confined his Iliad to the last (tenth) year of the Trojan war and he saw in Achilles wrath (µῆνιςἈχιλλῆος) the main subject of his poem. In the very first verse of Iliad we see, that the poet is not interested in the cause and history of the war as such and in itself. He is interested primarily in two things, the life of men and the divine will. Singing about Achilles wrath, Homer would give to the next generations the related events as an object of admiration, to help them /elpenor/lessons/lesson2.asp (2 of 19) [3/11/2007 2:26:36 PM] Learning Greek - Lesson 2 live a life devoted equally to man and God. What is the meaning of this devotion? The protagonist of all being LOSS of Helen was the cause of war. Loss of Briseis made Achilles withdraw from the war. Loss of Patroclus was the cause