Indian Epic Poems
In Indian epic poetry, hero worship has always been a major central aspect in the writings. Indian epic poetry was mainly written in classical sanskrit, which was was a popular for of writing in the classical period. Kalidasa was the tallest figure in epic poetry in India. Kalidasa wrote 2 great epics: Kumarasambhava (the birth of Kumar) and Raghuvamsa (the dynasty of the Raghus). Kumarasambhava was an epic poem that was a perfect representation of Kavya poetry, which was the Sanskrit literary style used by the Indian poets and used many figuritive language such as metaphors, similes, hyperbole, etc. Raghuvamsa was, also, a sanskrit epic poem written by Kalidasa. the poem is basically about the Raghu dynasty and what it was all about.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raghuva%E1%B9%83%C5%9Ba
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kum%C4%81rasambhavahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_epic_poetry
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raghuva%E1%B9%83%C5%9Ba
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kum%C4%81rasambhavahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_epic_poetry
Greek Theatre
Between 550 and 220 B.C.E, Athens became the center of drama and theater acts of the classical Greek civilizations. These theater acts were institutionalized as part of the festival called Dionysia. This festival was directed toward the Dionysus, god of wine. The three most common forms of the dramatic genres included tragedy (which was introduced in the late 6th century B.C.E), comedy (introduced in 486 B.C.E), and satyr plays. In order to promote a more common cultural identity, Athens spread the festival and theater acts to various neighboring colonies.
After the Persian Empire destroyed Athens, the town was rebuilt and theater became more formalized and a greater part of the culture.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theatre_of_ancient_Greece
http://www.usu.edu/markdamen/clasdram/chapters/061gkthea.htm
After the Persian Empire destroyed Athens, the town was rebuilt and theater became more formalized and a greater part of the culture.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theatre_of_ancient_Greece
http://www.usu.edu/markdamen/clasdram/chapters/061gkthea.htm
Actors and Social Status
In the classical world, although the actors in the theater plays and drama entertained the general public and many enjoyed the acts, they were put on a low social status. In classical China, the actors and people that worked in theaters were put on a very low social status. Although Greek drama/theater acts were important in culture, the actors were all on a low social status compared to the rest of the people. In the US, actors, singers, dancers, etc are all put on the highest social status there is, whereas in the classical civilizations, they were on the very bottom.
Chinese Literature
Chinese Literature was mainly in the form of poems. Poems were written as either songs, or classical poem form (having stanzas, rhyming, etc). Chinese poems had very basic traits in how they were formatted.
1. Chinese poems were fairly simple on the surface- While western culture poems were thought of to be written by elegant and genius people, the Chinese poems were meant to be written by common humans and were intended for common humans to read.
2. Usually the poems were concerned with the dynasties, marriage and courtship, and agrarian imagery- Many of the poems written were either about the dynastic concerns, and also about love, life, and family in everyday life.
3. Poems were usually written in four-syllable lines- This form of poetry became common in the Chinese writing and many of the poems written in this form would rhyme.
4. The organization of the poems would be of contrast- Many poems were written so that the reader could relate to it. The setting was natural and the occurrences in the poem were that of everyday life of a common Chinese person.
http://web.cn.edu/Kwheeler/chinese_poetry.html
1. Chinese poems were fairly simple on the surface- While western culture poems were thought of to be written by elegant and genius people, the Chinese poems were meant to be written by common humans and were intended for common humans to read.
2. Usually the poems were concerned with the dynasties, marriage and courtship, and agrarian imagery- Many of the poems written were either about the dynastic concerns, and also about love, life, and family in everyday life.
3. Poems were usually written in four-syllable lines- This form of poetry became common in the Chinese writing and many of the poems written in this form would rhyme.
4. The organization of the poems would be of contrast- Many poems were written so that the reader could relate to it. The setting was natural and the occurrences in the poem were that of everyday life of a common Chinese person.
http://web.cn.edu/Kwheeler/chinese_poetry.html
Greek/Roman Mythology
Although developed before 600 B.C.E, Greek and Roman Mythology has always played an important role in literature. This mythology has always been preserved and taught as a form of literature, instead of being thought of as a religion. Greek Mythology consists of polytheism, as it was believed to have many gods that each was responsible for a specific thing on earth. The three main gods were Zeus (god of the skies), Poseidon (god of the seas) and Hades (god of the underworld). It was believed that these gods had divine interventions with the humans on earth and played important roles in battles such as the Trojan war. Roman Mythology is basically identical to that of the Greeks, but have different names for the gods and have slightly modified history. Mythology was used as literature in the classical era, especially in the Mediterranean civilizations.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greek_mythology
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greek_mythology