Mythology and Folklore

(Trojan Horse of Movie Troy, Canakkale, from  Flickr ) Host: "You are listening to 100 Aegean Radio, coming to you live from the island of Santorini. We're taking callers for the next thirty minutes to chime in about current events. Call in now and let us know what you think about this upcoming Trojan war!" Host: "Caller number one you're on! What's your name and where are you calling from?" Menelaus: "This is Menelaus calling from Sparta! I just want to say that in this upcoming war I HOPE I see Paris on the battlefield. I'm going to crush that little fledgling of a boy and take back my woman!" Host: "Wait a second, this is THE Menelaus? King of Sparta?" Menelaus: "That is correct." Host: "Oh man we've got a celebrity on the line ladies and gentlemen, the mighty king Menelaus who was so daft he couldn't even hold onto his woman!" Menelaus: "What did you sa-" ...

(Achilles Lamenting the Death of Patroclus by Nikolai Ge, from  Wikipedia ) The only devices from this section that I feel I could use in my own story telling are the figurative language and the imagery.  "And Athené put her great shield about his shoulders, and set as it were a circle of gold about his head, so that it shone like to a flame of fire" "Only he shouted aloud, and his voice was as the voice of a trumpet. It was a terrible sound to hear, and the hearts of the men of Troy were filled with fear. The very horses were frightened, and started aside, so that the chariots clashed together." These pieces deliver powerful images that adequately paint the picture of what Achilles is doing, while adding a sense of beauty to it with how it is described. "Then he turned and ran towards the city, swift as a racehorse when it whirls a chariot across the plains." This type of exaggeration is something I could use as well. Plenty of ...

( Achilles Slays Hector , by Paul Peter Rubens. From  Wikipedia ) Again, the Iliad is a story I know fairly well, of how Paris took Helen to Troy thus sparking a war between nations. One thing I very much enjoy in reading stories is good character knowledge. So at the very beginning of this one, I enjoy how it announces the main characters in the story within the first "chapter". The first bit also gives good exposition, explaining how the setting came about and what events led up to the current position. A good exposition leads to good reader understanding, so this is something I see myself using.  I also really enjoy tension between characters that are on the same side, so to speak. The tension that is introduced between Achilles and Agamemnon  makes for great suspense. It works later on to humble Agamemnon when he must make amends and discovers he needs Achilles in order to win this war. Tension between allies, however slight the alliance, brings another ele...