希腊罗马神话英文论文.doc

The analysis of the character of Hera Hera,?one?of?the?twelve?main?gods?in?Olympic?mountain,?is?the?wife?and?sister?of?Zeus?who?owns?the?greatest?power?among?all?the?gods?and?rule?them.?In?charge?of?the?affairs?of?marriage?and?families?of?the?man’s?world,?Hera?is?the?guardian?angle?of?women?and?marriage. Hera,?the?eldest?daughter?of?Cronus?and?Rhea,?was?born?at?Samos,?or,?according?to?some?accounts,?at?Argos,?and?was?reared?by?the?sea-divinities?Oceanus?and?Tethys,?who?were?models?of?conjugal?fidelity.?She?was?the?principal?wife?of?Zeus,?and,?as?queen?of?heaven,?participated?in?the?honours?paid?to?him,?but?her?dominion?only?extended?over?the?air?(the?lower?aerial?regions).?Hera?appears?to?be?the?sublime?embodiment?of?strict?matronly?virtue,?and?is?on?that?account?the?protectress?of?purity?and?married?women.?Faultless?herself?in?her?fidelity?as?a?wife,?she?is?essentially?the?type?of?the?sanctity?of?the?marriage?tie,?and?holds?in?abhorrence?any?violation?of?its?obligations.?So?strongly?was?she?imbued?with?this?hatred?of?any?immorality,?that,?finding?herself?so?often?called?upon?to?punish?the?failings?of?both?gods?and?men?in?this?respect,?she?became?jealous,?harsh,?and?vindictive.?Her?exalted?position?as?the?wife?of?the?supreme?deity,?combined?with?her?extreme?beauty,?caused?her?to?become?exceedingly?vain,?and?she?consequently?resented?with?great?severity?any?infringement?on?her?rights?as?queen?of?heaven,?or?any?apparent?slight?on?her?personal?appearance.? The?following?story?will?signally?illustrate?how?ready?she?was?to?resent?any?slight?offered?to?her.? At?the?marriage?of?the?sea-nymph?Thetis?with?a?mortal?called?Peleus,?all?the?gods?and?goddesses?were?present,?except?Eris?(the?goddess?of?Discord).?Indignant?at?not?being?invited,?she?determined?to?cause?dissension?in?the?assembly,?and?for?this?purpose?threw?into?the?midst?of?the?guests?a?golden?apple?with?the?inscription?on?it?For?the?Fairest.?Now,?as?all?the?goddesses?were?extremely?beautiful,?each?claimed?the?apple