Mythology

Ancient civilizations, such as the Egyptians, Greeks, Romans, and Norse people, used mythology to define their cultures, enlighten themselves about the surrounding world, and teach important life lessons within their societies. This study guide collection showcases a variety of mythological texts, from epic poems (Homer’s The Odyssey and Virgil’s Aeneid) to modern interpretations of mythology (Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman and The Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood), demonstrating our timeless connection to a rich mythological past. To learn more about this genre, please visit our Folklore and Mythology Resource Guide.

Oresteia

by Aeschylus

Genre Play, Fiction

Themes Fate, Revenge, Power & Greed

Tags Classic Fiction, Tragedy, Mythology, Ancient Greece, Dramatic Literature, Fantasy

Written in 458 BC by Greek playwright Aeschylus, The Oresteia is a trilogy of plays that includes Agamemnon, The Libation Bearers, The Eumenides, as well as the lost satyr play, Proteus. The plays of The Oresteia are classic tragedies, a dramatic genre focused on the piteous and cathartic downfall of great heroes. The plays were written to be performed at the City Dionysia festival which celebrated Dionysus, god of wine and theater. The festival was... Read Oresteia Summary

Orestes

by Euripides

Publication year 409

Genre Play, Fiction

Themes Justice, Revenge

Tags Tragedy, Mythology, Ancient Greece, Dramatic Literature, Drama, Classical Period, World History, Fantasy, Classic Fiction

... Read Orestes Summary

Parallel Myths

by J. F. Bierlein

Publication year 1994

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Religion & Spirituality, Death, Order & Chaos

Tags Mythology, Religion & Spirituality, Fairy Tale & Folklore, Education, Education, Philosophy, Philosophy, World History, Fantasy

... Read Parallel Myths Summary

Parzival

by Wolfram Von Eschenbach

Publication year 1215

Genre Novel/Book in Verse, Fiction

Themes Self Discovery, Community, Perseverance, Fame, Religion & Spirituality

Tags Classic Fiction, Narrative Poem, Mythology, Medieval, German Literature, Historical Fiction, Fantasy

Parzival is a medieval romance poem written by Wolfram von Eschenbach, likely written during the early 1200s. In the poem, a knight named Parzival searches for the Holy Grail. Commonly associated with the stories of King Arthur, Parzival is regarded as one of the most important verse poems of the medieval German period. The story has been adapted many times, notably as an opera named Parsifal by the composer Richard Wagner. This guide uses the... Read Parzival Summary

Phaedra

by Seneca

Publication year 54

Genre Play, Fiction

Tags Tragedy, Mythology, Classical Period, Ancient Rome, Dramatic Literature, Drama, Education, Education, Fantasy, Philosophy, Philosophy, Classic Fiction

Phaedra is one of the 10 surviving Roman tragedies attributed to Lucius Annaeus Seneca. It was probably composed in the first half of the first century CE, during the time when the Julio-Claudian Dynasty was in power in Rome. Considered one of Seneca’s most influential plays, Phaedra tells the story of Phaedra’s disastrous and unrequited passion for her stepson Hippolytus, loosely drawing on Euripides’s much earlier Greek tragedy, Hippolytus. The play explores themes such as... Read Phaedra Summary

Phèdre

by Jean Racine

Publication year 1677

Genre Play, Fiction

Themes Love, Guilt, Conflict, Revenge, Daughters & Sons

Tags Tragedy, Drama, Mythology, French Literature, Neoclassicism

... Read Phèdre Summary

Philoctetes

by Sophocles

Genre Play, Fiction

Themes Friendship

Tags Mythology, Tragedy, Ancient Greece, Education, Education, Dramatic Literature, Classical Period, Fantasy, Classic Fiction

Philoctetes is a Greek tragedy written by Sophocles, which was first performed in ancient Greece during the Peloponnesian War in 409 BC. It was performed at the ancient Greek festival of City Dionysia, where it was awarded first prize. Philoctetes takes place during the final year of the Trojan War and explores themes of friendship, trauma, deception versus morality, fate, and the individual versus the collective. This study guide uses the translation of Sophocles’ play... Read Philoctetes Summary

Prometheus Bound

by Aeschylus

Publication year 456

Genre Play, Fiction

Themes Power & Greed, Justice, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Conflict, Truth & Lies

Tags Tragedy, Mythology, Ancient Greece, Classical Period, Dramatic Literature, Fantasy, Classic Fiction

Prometheus Bound is a Greek tragedy traditionally attributed to Aeschylus. The play, whose authorship and date are disputed, dramatizes the story of the Titan Prometheus and his defiance of Zeus, the new ruler of the gods. After Prometheus steals fire from the gods and gives it to humanity, Zeus punishes Prometheus by chaining him to a remote mountain to suffer eternal torment. The play explores the themes of The Conflict Between Power and Justice, The... Read Prometheus Bound Summary

Prometheus Unbound

by Percy Bysshe Shelley

Publication year 1820

Genre Play, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Perseverance, Hope, Love, Future, Environment, Objects & Materials, Space, Art, Equality, Literature, Power & Greed, Religion & Spirituality, Politics & Government

Tags Poetry: Dramatic Poem, Drama, Mythology, Romanticism, British Literature

Prometheus Unbound (1820) is a four-act lyrical drama by Percy Bysshe Shelley, a celebrated English Romantic poet best known for his poems like “Ozymandias” (1818) and “Ode to the West Wind” (1819). The work is adapted from the play cycle Prometheus Bound (456 BCE), Prometheus Unbound and Prometheus the Fire-Bearer, traditionally attributed to the ancient Greek tragedian Aeschylus. Shelley rewrites the myth of Prometheus, who stole fire from the gods for humans and was severely... Read Prometheus Unbound Summary

Pyramus and Thisbe

by Ovid

Publication year 8

Genre Poem, Fiction

Themes Love

Tags Classic Fiction, Mythology, Narrative Poem, Love & Sexuality, Classical Period

“Pyramus and Thisbe” is an episode from Book 4 of the Metamorphoses, an epic poem published by the Roman poet Ovid in 8 AD. In contrast to the epics of Ovid’s contemporaries (like Virgil’s Aeneid), the Metamorphoses does not focus on a single, cohesive narrative. Rather, Ovid takes as his theme “bodies changed to other forms” (Book 1, Line 1) and fittingly, his Metamorphoses is a work in constant state of change. Its 15 books... Read Pyramus and Thisbe Summary

Queen Mab

by Percy Bysshe Shelley

Publication year 1813

Genre Poem, Fiction

Themes Religion & Spirituality, Death, Place, Environment, Future, Politics & Government, Power & Greed, War

Tags Narrative Poem, Christian, Poetry: Dramatic Poem, Mythology, Fantasy, Philosophy, Politics & Government, Military & War, World History, Science & Nature, Religion & Spirituality, Grief & Death, Romanticism, British Literature, Health, Philosophy, Food, Classic Fiction

... Read Queen Mab Summary