In this episode of Ascend: The Great Books Podcast, Dcn. Garlick and friends bring the study of the Greek plays to an end by discussing key themes in the texts and comparing them to Homer, Hesiod, and others. Themes raised include divinity, eros, fate, justice, and free will. The plays discussed include the Oresteia, Prometheus Bound, the Theban plays, and The Bacchae with a few comments on Aristophanes.
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Our entire library of materials on Homer
Our entire library of materials on the Greek Plays
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A Discussion on Homer and the Greek Plays
The discussion culminates in a reflection on the implications of these themes for understanding Greek literature and philosophy. The conversation explores the themes of fatalism versus determinism, agency in Greek tragedy, the role of the gods, the evolution of justice, the nature of the cosmos, virtue, and the purpose of suffering. The speakers discuss how these themes are interwoven in the works of Homer, highlighting the complexity of human actions, moral order, and the divine influence in Greek thought.
A great end to our studies on the Greek plays.
Good work! You’re now ready to move on to Plato. Be sure to check out our Introduction to Plato, which will prepare you for the historic dialogue students of Platonic philosophy would read first, First Alcibiades. Many good things ahead. Plato is philosophy. To be in dialogue with Plato is to be in dialogue with the entire Western philosophic tradition.
Keep up the good work.
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Dcn. Harrison Garlick lives in rural Oklahoma with his wife and five children. He serves as a deacon at Holy Family Cathedral and as Chancellor & General Counsel for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Tulsa. Follow him on X at Dcn. Garlick or Ascend.