Classic Greek Literature

Il filosofo romano scrive all'amico Lucillo, e gli racconta l'animo umano. Le sue caratteristiche, i suoi vizi e le sue virtù. Come un esploratore dei sentimenti più intimi, e un gran conoscitore delle numerose sfaccettature che compongono i pensieri e i comportamenti degli esseri umani, Seneca indica una via possibile per vivere in armonia con se stessi e con gli altri, attraverso la riscoperta della consapevolezza di quello che davvero conta.

This is a collection of fascinating facts, insights, and stories from Greek mythology. Some you may know them well, as they have appeared in many different films and cartoons by the likes of Disney (Hercules) and Thunder Road Productions (Clash of the Titans), and others you would never have heard of before. Whether this is your first foray into Greek mythology or you are a seasoned history loving aficionado, I am sure you will find something within this book that you can’t help but fall in love with.

It is both amazing and wonderful that so much of the richness of our language and our moral education still owes a huge debt to a Greek slave who was executed over 2,000 years ago. Yet "sour grapes", "crying wolf", "a dog in a manger", "actions speak louder than words", "honesty is the best policy", and literally hundreds of other metaphors, axioms, and ideas that are now woven into the very fabric of Western culture all came from Aesop's Fables.

I pensieri, raccolti in questo opera, tratto da "Ad se Ipsum", "A Se stesso", o "Colloqui con se stesso", com'è conosciuto dai più, di Marco Aurelio...

Nel libro V della Repubblica, di Platone, è Socrate, il sommo filosofo, l’interprete di un dialogo serrato su una Repubblica che ancora non esiste e che...

Phaeton is the son of Apollo and a mortal woman, and his heart's desire is to be seen but once driving his father's chariot, the one used by the god to make the sun travel in the sky. This myth is an ageless story of failure at the hands of pride, similar to that of Icarus. It is a fundamental part of Greek mythology and of modern culture. This short story is a retelling of the myth in great detail and with an elegant style that will edify children and adults alike.

The story of Orpheus and Eurydice is the ultimate tragic love story. It is perhaps one of the most famous Greek myths, and the greatest artists have composed masterpieces to honour these two great lovers who lost their chance at reunion. The earliest account comes from Ibycus (circa 530 BC), a Greek lyric poet. This short story is a mixture of the various existing versions, presenting the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice in all its details, all the way to Orpheus' death at the hands of the Bacchantes.

The myth of Icarus is an ageless story of failure at the hands of pride, similar to that of Phaeton. It is a fundamental part of Greek mythology and of modern culture. This short story is a retelling of the myth from 1914, a year in which it was easy to fear for a son who would soar in the sky with metal wings; the story of Icarus and Daedalus is told in great detail and with an elegant style that will edify children and adults alike.

En esta fábula de Esopo, dos ratoncitos con vidas muy diferentes enseñan el valor de la humildad.

Ein Drama ist entweder eine Tragödie oder eine Komödie. Und alle anderen allgemein bekannten Genres sind Ableitungen bzw. Variationen der genannten zwei Hauptformen. Die "Poetik" von Aristoteles bildet bis zum heutigen Tag den Muttertext für unser Verständnis von Theater. Obligatorisches Wissen für jeden Theater-Kritiker und der Ausgangspunkt unserer Vorstellung bzw. deren Definitionen über notwendige Formen innerhalb von Geschichten.

"Quomodo adulator ab amico internoscatur": come distinguere l’adulatore dall’amico, è un vero e proprio manuale...

La suite des aventures du célèbre héros Ulysse, ses dernières épreuves et ses retrouvailles avec Télémaque et Pénélope !

En Crète, de jeunes Athéniens sont sur le point d'être livrés au Minotaure, terrible monstre au corps d'homme et à la tête de taureau. Parmi eux se trouve Thésée, jeune homme fier et courageux. Ariane, la belle princesse de Crète, en tombe éperdument amoureuse. Aidée de Dédale, l'ingénieuse jeunne femme décide de tout faire pour sauver l'homme qu'elle aime.

Ulysse, roi d'Ithaque, mène une vie paisible sur son île, avec son épouse Pénélope et son fils Télémaque. Jusqu'au jour où l'enlèvement d'Hélène par le prince troyen Pâris déclenche une terrible guerre, à laquelle il n'a d'autre choix que de prendre part. Au milieu des affrontements entre Grecs et Troyens, Ulysse trouve une ruse : construire un cheval de bois géant pour s'introduire dans la cité troyenne... Cette ruse suffira-t-elle pour remporter la guerre ?

The myth of King Midas is a cautionary tale about the dangers of believing that gold should be coveted above all things, and the foolishness of wishing without thinking. It appeared in Ovid's "Metamorphosis", and has inspired many works of art and literature through the centuries. This is a retelling of the complete tale of "The King with the Golden Touch", from the Gordian knot to the ears of an ass, in great detail and with an elegant style that will edify children and adults alike.

The myth of Echo and Narcissus appears in Ovid's "Metamorphosis", a Latin mythological epic from the Augustan Age. It is one of the most touching stories ever written and has inspired countless works of art through the centuries. The nymph Echo angers Hera, queen of the gods, who curses her: henceforth, Echo will only be able to repeat the last words that struck her ears. One day, the beautiful Narcissus, son of a nymph and a river god, passes through the forest.

"The Death of Adonis" is a fundamental part of Greek mythology and one of its most touching stories. Accidentally wounded by one of Eros' arrows, the goddess Aphrodite falls desperately in love with the handsome Adonis, son of a king and a beauty among mortals. Yet his only passion is hunting and he refuses to take her warnings seriously when he hears about a great boar he would love to slay. There is something of the idea of coming of age in this tale, when the moment of realisation brings forth the understanding of what could have been and where the real beauty lays.

Quando una nave arriverà da Delo, Socrate dovrà morire. Bisogna forse sottrarsi a questo destino, come vorrebbero gli amici? Ma così verrebbe negato tutto quanto Socrate ha costruito nella sua vita, tutto il patrimonio di coerenza e dirittura morale che lo ha sempre contraddistinto e guidato. No, si deve affrontare ciò che è stato deciso secondo la legge, quella legge che è ossatura e anima dell’amata città. A chi piacerebbe una città senza leggi?

Bellerophon and the winged horse Pegasus launch into the blue sky in search of the dreaded three-headed Chimera, but will success go to the hero's head? Orpheus, devastated by the death of his wife, Eurydice, dares the dangers of the kingdom of the dead in an attempt to bring her back to life. Echo loves Narcissus but he only loves himself: a story that can only end in sadness.

Aristides was the one true enemy of Themosticles the Great. His story is almost like that of Icarus, seeking to fly higher than his skill or status would allow. Listen as he climbs and falls and somehow - despite dying in charge of the treasury of Greece - does so in poverty.