Book I, lines 124-141
Neptunus irat.
Aeolus praevaricat.
Venti puniet.
Neptune is angry.
Aeolous exceeds (his place).
The winds will be punished.
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Haiku - the Aeneid
Book I, lines 1-101
Poor Prince Aeneas
is left to die on the seas.
Juno's wrath is cruel.
Poor Prince Aeneas
is left to die on the seas.
Juno's wrath is cruel.
Saturday, February 6, 2010
Makings of an Epic - Pirates of the Caribbean
Epics have been around ever since Gilgamesh began wandering around the Sumerian wilderness. As with Homer's Iliad and Odyssey, Vergil's Aeneid, and the Anglo-Saxon epic Beowulf, these long narrative poems have become distinctive of the cultures they represent. An epic emphasizes human drama on a grand scale, and these narratives can be seen both in literature and film. Although many epics we see in cinemas today are usually unrealistic, we nevertheless attach great praise to them and help them rake in millions of dollars. One such epic is Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean.
This popular film franchise has deep roots in traditional epic style. Although it does not contain long, formal speeches, the plot is still based off of the characters' dialogue. In Pirates, Johnny Depp's portrayal of the eccentric Jack Sparrow is what made the films so memorable. Although not your typical hero, Sparrow, despite his many flaws, still turns out to be an extremely admirable protagonist. Ultimately sacrificing what he really wants - immortality - Jack and the rest of the characters exhibit heroic, moral deeds all the while displaying selfish and quirky sides of their personalities.
The films are also based a national and cultural background - namely, the Caribbean as it was in the 1600s. There is also a large emphasis on the metaphysical, with the plots of the films centering around cursed Aztec gold or the legend of Davy Jones. There is quite a lot of both multi- and single combat. Being a large narrative, the movie plots' are also based off of upheaval and conflicts left to the characters to somehow resolve. The plots are thick and long, much like the plots of ancient epics. Functioning the same way as an elevated writing style would for an ancient epic, grand musical scores set the audience on edge, leaning ahead on their seats to become more swept up in the action. There is even some divine intervention, with heathen gods cursing the Aztec gold, and the goddess Calypso becoming a significant character towards the third movie. This is all coupled with magic compasses, large-scale naval warfare, and of course, mutinous, murdering, zombie pirates. How much more epic can a movie get?
With all the elements that made ancient epics so well-remembered, the Pirates movies have become so successful that Dead Man's Chest is currently the fourth-highest grossing movie of all time (even though in this humble fan's opinion it clearly was not as epic as The Curse of the Black Pearl)!
This popular film franchise has deep roots in traditional epic style. Although it does not contain long, formal speeches, the plot is still based off of the characters' dialogue. In Pirates, Johnny Depp's portrayal of the eccentric Jack Sparrow is what made the films so memorable. Although not your typical hero, Sparrow, despite his many flaws, still turns out to be an extremely admirable protagonist. Ultimately sacrificing what he really wants - immortality - Jack and the rest of the characters exhibit heroic, moral deeds all the while displaying selfish and quirky sides of their personalities.
The films are also based a national and cultural background - namely, the Caribbean as it was in the 1600s. There is also a large emphasis on the metaphysical, with the plots of the films centering around cursed Aztec gold or the legend of Davy Jones. There is quite a lot of both multi- and single combat. Being a large narrative, the movie plots' are also based off of upheaval and conflicts left to the characters to somehow resolve. The plots are thick and long, much like the plots of ancient epics. Functioning the same way as an elevated writing style would for an ancient epic, grand musical scores set the audience on edge, leaning ahead on their seats to become more swept up in the action. There is even some divine intervention, with heathen gods cursing the Aztec gold, and the goddess Calypso becoming a significant character towards the third movie. This is all coupled with magic compasses, large-scale naval warfare, and of course, mutinous, murdering, zombie pirates. How much more epic can a movie get?
With all the elements that made ancient epics so well-remembered, the Pirates movies have become so successful that Dead Man's Chest is currently the fourth-highest grossing movie of all time (even though in this humble fan's opinion it clearly was not as epic as The Curse of the Black Pearl)!
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