Key Figures and Concepts in Classical and Modern Culture
Classical Mythology and History
Key Figures of Antiquity
- Spartacus: An escaped slave leader during the Third Servile War, he led a major uprising against the Roman Republic.
- Julius Caesar: A renowned general, politician, and scholar in Ancient Rome. He played a critical role in the events that led to the demise of the Roman Republic and the rise of the Roman Empire, eventually becoming dictator.
- Cleopatra: Ruler of Ancient Egypt for three decades, she was the last in a dynasty of Macedonian rulers founded by Ptolemy. She formed romantic relationships and military alliances with Julius Caesar and Mark Antony.
- Zeus: God of the sky, lightning, and thunder. He was the sixth child of the King and Queen of the Titans.
- Hercules: A Roman hero and god, son of Zeus and the mortal Alcmene. He is known for his immense strength and adventures.
- Athena: Goddess of wisdom, handicraft, and warfare, and the protectress of cities in Greece, particularly Athens.
The Trojan War and Its Heroes
- Troy: A city in the far northwest region classically known as Asia Minor (now Anatolia in modern Turkey). It is described in Homer’s *Iliad*, where the Trojan War was fought.
- Achilles: Hero of the Trojan War and the greatest of all Greek Warriors. He is the central character in Homer’s *Iliad*.
- Helen of Troy: Said to have been the most beautiful woman in the world. She was married to King Menelaus of Sparta but was abducted by Prince Paris of Troy, an event that initiated the Trojan War.
Mythological Figures and Legends
- Orestes: Son of Clytemnestra and Agamemnon, he is the subject of many Ancient Greek plays and myths. In the Homeric version, he is a member of the ‘doomed house of Atreus’.
- Orpheus: Considered the best poet and musician of all time, he perfected the lyre after being taught by Apollo. Married to Eurydice, he traveled to the Underworld to retrieve her after her death. The Gods advised him not to look back, but he did, and she was lost to the Underworld forever.
- Chiron: One of the Centaurs in Greek Mythology, famous for his wisdom and knowledge of medicine.
- Teiresias: A blind prophet of Apollo, famous for being transformed into a woman for seven years.
Ancient Greek and Roman Literature
- Homer’s *Odyssey*: One of the two major epic poems by Homer. It is the sequel to the *Iliad*, following the war hero Odysseus on his journey home.
- Sophocles’ *Oedipus Rex*: Also known by its Greek title, *Oedipus Tyrannus*, or *Oedipus the King*. This Athenian tragedy, first performed around 429 BC, tells the story of a tragic king of Thebes who unknowingly killed his father, Laius, and married his mother, Jocasta.
- Aristophanes: The greatest representative of Ancient Greek Comedy, known for his sharp satire.
- *Lysistrata*: An Ancient Greek comedy written by Aristophanes that encourages women from warring cities to withhold sex from their husbands to force them to negotiate peace.
- Ovid: Roman poet who wrote *Metamorphoses*.
- Vitruvius: Roman author, architect, and engineer. He wrote *De architectura*, a treatise on Roman buildings, which later inspired Leonardo da Vinci’s drawing, the *Vitruvian Man*.
Modern Scholarship and Critical Theory
Key Scholars and Works
- Martin Bernal: A classics scholar who wrote the controversial book *Black Athena*. It was published in three volumes in 1987, 1991, and 2006.
- Mary Lefkowitz: An American classical scholar and Professor Emerita of Classical Studies at Wellesley College. She is best known for her book, *Not Out of Africa*, where she criticizes the Afrocentric theory that Greek civilization was “stolen” from Ancient Egypt.
- Michael Eric Dyson: An academic, author, preacher, and radio host. He has authored or edited more than twenty books dealing with subjects such as Malcolm X, Martin Luther King Jr., Marvin Gaye, Barack Obama, Nas’s debut album *Illmatic*, Bill Cosby, Tupac Shakur, and Hurricane Katrina.
Cultural and Psychological Concepts
- Oedipus Complex: A term used by Sigmund Freud in his theory of psychosexual stages of development to describe a child’s feeling of desire for their opposite-sex parent and jealousy and anger toward their same-sex parent.
- Cultural Appropriation: The adoption of elements of one culture by members of another culture. This is controversial when members of a dominant culture appropriate from disadvantaged minority cultures.
- Colorblind Casting: The process that describes the casting of actors regardless of race.
- Magical Negro: A Black character whose sole purpose is to aid and guide the white protagonists by providing wisdom and sometimes mystical powers.
Film, Media, and Cultural Commentary
Classical Themes in Cinema
- *Ben-Hur* (1959 Film): Notable for the casting controversy where Sheik Ilderim is played by a white actor in blackface.
- *Demetrius and the Gladiators*: In this sequel to *The Robe*, the corrupt emperor Caligula (Jay Robinson) believes that the sacred robe of Christ has magical powers and will stop at nothing to obtain it. When Demetrius (Victor Mature) refuses to help Caligula find the holy object, Caligula has him arrested and forces him to fight in the arena in battles to the death.
Blaxploitation and Modern Cinema
- Black Caesar (Historical Figure): A former African slave who fell victim to the Australian slave trade. Unlike other English slaves, he was twice the size and performed twice the work, requiring twice the amount of food, which was denied. His bushranger ways were motivated by finding more food.
- *Black Caesar* (1973 Film): Drawing on his anger at the racism he faces daily, Tommy grows up to become the crime kingpin of Harlem. Now that he has the power, he aims to take down New York’s Mafia bosses and get bloody revenge on his nemesis, McKinney.
- *Cleopatra Jones* (1973 Film): Featuring Tamara Dobson, this film deals effectively with the ravages of drugs in inner-city Black communities. Cleopatra Jones, a special drug agent for the United States government, is portrayed as a female James Bond, showing the progression of women, especially African American women, being portrayed as strong and powerful in media.
Notable Directors and Films
- Melvin van Peebles: *Sweet Sweetback’s Baadassssss Song*
- Spike Lee: *Malcolm X*, *Chi-Raq*, *BlacKkKlansman*
- Quentin Tarantino: *Inglourious Basterds*, *Django Unchained*
- Ernest R. Dickerson: *Never Die Alone*
- John Singleton: *Baby Boy*
- Jorge Gutierrez: *The Book of Life*
- Barry Jenkins: *Moonlight*, *If Beale Street Could Talk*
- Ryan Coogler: *Black Panther*
- Rashid Johnson: *Native Son*
Characters from Derek Walcott’s *Omeros*
Derek Walcott is a St. Lucian poet who wrote the epic poem *Omeros*.
Main Characters and Themes
- Achille (from *Omeros*): A fisherman who was Helen’s original lover. After Helen left him for Hector, Achille set out on his boat where he met the ghost of his father at sea. Helen later returned to him. (Note: This character is distinct from Achilles of Greek Mythology.)
- Hector (from *Omeros*): A fisherman along with Achille. Hector stole Helen from Achille. Hector dies when he crashes the van he was driving while swerving to avoid hitting a piglet on the road. Helen eventually returns to Achille.
- Philoctete: A former fisherman who can no longer fish with his friends because of a rotten leg wound. He seeks medicinal treatment from Ma Kilman but soon finds himself undergoing a spiritual healing along with his physical recovery.
- Major Plunkett and Maud Plunkett: Characters whose interwoven story involves living on the island and reconciling themselves to the history of British colonization of St. Lucia.
- Afolabe: A character created by Walcott primarily to highlight issues of language and naming. Afolabe is enslaved and attached to a British regiment on St. Lucia, successfully leading the effort to position a cannon in the harbor to fire at French ships. His successful leadership earns him the name *Achilles*, an example of how personal identities are destroyed and recreated at the whim of colonialist captors.