Ancient Greece Modern Comparison Project

Since the Grecian times, poems have been a very integral and influential part of every culture. Poems have affected whole countries at a time by expressing emotion, deep feelings, and a sense of what is beautiful about the world. From India to America, people have always drawn important parts of life and history from poems. A couple of the most unforgettable and prominent poets of all time include Homer and William Shakespeare. For my comparison essay, I will analyze the similarities between these two extraordinary poets.

Homer was a legendary author that lived in Ionia, Greece during 850 B.C.. Although he was creating works for most of his life, he didn't make an appearance until the end of the Dark Age. Throughout his public life, Homer greatly influenced the Grecian culture, and even wrote history, through his Arete poems. Now he didn't literally write history, but the Greeks loved his poems so much, that they considered them historical facts. Two of Homer's major Arete poems, that were treasured by the Greeks, were The Illiad and The Odyssey. Overall, you could say Homer was the only poet with as big of an influence as he had on Greece. You could also say  Homer was the only famous poet until William Shakespeare.

William Shakespeare was born in April of 1564 in England. The English poet, playwright and actor, was also regarded as the greatest writer in the English language as well as the world's greatest dramatist by many. Shakespeare influenced many in England through his poems and plays. To this day, Shakespeare is called England's national poet. Shakespeare's stories, such as Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet, and Othello, have stood the test of time and are internationally recognized as some of the best writings of all time.

Homer's monumental influence on the Greeks is undeniable. No other poet, novelist, author, or etc. has ever encompassed what Homer achieved. The teachings', through his writings, defined Greece and Grecian culture. Greeks looked at Homer's writing as word of thumb for how they wanted to live their lives. His stories contained reason, intelligence, worldliness, secularism, courage, honor, heroism, integrity and strength. These became the pillars of Grecian society. He affected literature for centuries. Called the father of western Literature for impact on almost every author after him. Many playwrights also drew inspiration from his stories. One of these playwrights that drew inspiration from his stories could include William Shakespeare.

Much like Homer's influence of Grecian culture, William Shakespeare was also a trailblazer in English language and theater. Shakespeare greatly transformed European theatre by expanding expectations and innovating themes in characterization, plot, language and genre. He also created some of the most admired plays in Western literature to this day. All parts of Elizabethan Theatre history played a part in how Shakespeare's plays changed the culture. From playwrights to politicians, all would travel from far and wide to see the famous play of William Shakespeare.

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