The Muses in Greek Mythology and Art - 1643 Words

The Muses in Greek Mythology and Art The Muses were deities worshipped by the ancient Greeks. They were 9 women, sisters, whose sole purpose for being was that of the inspiration to mortal man, typically in an artistic capacity. The embodiment of the classical idea of the poetical faculty as a divine gift, these famous sisters dwelt on Mount Helicon, in Greece. The Muses were therefore both the embodiments and sponsors of performed metrical speech: mousike, whence music, was the art of the Muses. (nationbuilder) They were the â€Å"personification of poetic inspiration, the divine afflatus or breath which supposedly wafted itself into the poets inflamed mind†. The Muses of Greek mythology had one of the most important functions of all: to†¦show more content†¦Homer, the great Greek poet and writer often used wrote about the Muses, either as a whole, or singularly by name. Also, other historical writers did as well. Some examples being: Homer, Book 1 of The Odyssey â€Å"Tell me, O Muse, of that ingenious hero who traveled far and wide after he had sacked the famous town of Troy.† (Homer) And Dante Alighieri (mid-May to mid-June 1265), in Canto II of The Inferno; O Muses, O high genius, aid me now! O memory that noted what I saw. Now shall your true nobility be seen! (Dante) Euripides (ca. 480 BC–406 BC) who was the last of the three great tragedians of classical Athens wrote When two poets produce a hymn, the Muses are wont to work strife between them. (Maidens of Phthia. Euripides, Andromache 476). (Euripides) Shakespeare used the Muses as instruments of his love in his sonnets. The broadness of emotions and scenarios that Shakespeare wrote about in his works, he may have evoked all nine of the Muses for inspiration. There are many references to them throughout the sonnets. For example, Sonnet 100 of which the first line reads:_Where art thou, Muse, that thou forgetst so long (Shakespeare). These writers used the Muses to give an artistic and creative perspective to their storytelling. This was done in most part by just referencing them, however, story did not need to include them by individual name. Many Enlightenment figuresShow MoreRelatedGreek And Roman Painting And Floor Mosaic Essay1228 Words   |  5 PagesIntroduction to Ancient Art in Greek and Roman Mural Painting and Floor Mosaic, I have developed a greater understanding of art in the ancient Mediterranean world, in regards to ancient Rome and Greece. For the Fall 2016 semester, some of the knowledge that I have gained includes being able to visually analyze a work of art in its historical context. 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