曾育婷 论文

2015届本科生毕业设计（论文）

题 目： 古希腊罗马神话故事对英国文学的影响

英文题目： The Influence of Greco-Roman

Mythology on English Literature

学 生 姓 名： 曾育婷 院 系： 外国语学院英语系 届 别： 2015届 专业、班级 ： 英语专业1班 学 号 ： 080520110003 指 导 教 师： 常文彩

完

成 日 期： 2015年6月5日 二 0 一 五 年 六 月

Acknowledgements

In the course of writing this thesis, I received a lot of help and support from my teachers and friends, and I would like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude to all who have helped me.

First and foremost, I want to give my profound thanks to my supervisor, Chang Wencai, for her constant encouragement, critical instructions, great care and precious advice and suggestions. With her help, this thesis appears in the present form.

I also owe my sincere gratitude to my friends and my fellow classmates who gave me their support and helped me work out the problems I encountered when writing the thesis.

Thank you very much.

摘要

古希腊罗马神话作为西方文明的源头之一，对西方文化产生了深远的影响。英国文学是继古希腊罗马文化之后的又一颗璀璨的明珠。许多英国文豪都在神话中寻觅着灵感。细心品味，我们不难发现在各种类型的英国文学作品中散落着的美丽而神秘的古希腊罗马神话故事。作为一名英语学习者，如果我们没有足够的希腊罗马神话知识，它们将成为我们欣赏作品的障碍。因此，一定程度地掌握古希腊罗马神话对了解和赏析经典文学作品，提高审美能力和想象力是非常有必要的。

关键词：古希腊罗马神话；英国文学；诗歌；想象力；

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Abstract

Greek and Roman mythology is one of the origins of the western civilization, which has a far-reaching influence on the western culture. English literature is another crystal of human being’s wisdom after the Greco-Roman mythology. Many famous writers continuously sought inspiration in the myths. It is easy for us to find that there are so many works closely related to the Greco-Roman mythology. The influence of Greco-Roman mythology upon English literature is beyond description. As an English learner, if we don’t have enough knowledge of Greek and Roman mythology, it is hard for us to understand and appreciate many classical works. Therefore, it is necessary for us to know more about the Greco-Roman mythology, which can help us to understand the classic literary works and improve an appreciation of aesthetics and imagination.

Key Words: Greco-Roman mythology; English literature; poem; imagination

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Contents

Acknowledgements

Abstract (Chinese)................................................................................................................................ ii Abstract (English) ................................................................................................................................ iii Introduction .......................................................................................................................................... 1 Chapter One Historical Origin and Influence of Greco-Roman Mythology .................................. 2 1.1 Origin and Combination of Greek and Roman Mythology ........................................................ 2 1.2 Impact of Greco-Roman Mythology on Western Culture .......................................................... 3 Chapter Two The Influence of Greco-Roman Mythology on English Literature ........................... 5 2.1 The Mythological Theme of English Poetry and Drama in the Period of Renaissance ............. 5 2.2 On the Use of Greek and Roman Myths in British Romantic Poetry ........................................ 7 2.3 The Mythological Complex of English Novelists and Dramatists in the Period of Realism ..... 9 Chapter Three Realistic Significance of Studying Greek and Roman Myths .................................... 11 3.1 Stimulate Modern People’s Imagination .................................................................................. 11 3.2 Practical Significance for English Learners ............................................................................. 11 Conclusion ......................................................................................................................................... 13 Bibliography....................................................................................................................................... 14

Introduction

Each nation has its own beautiful myths and legends. Greco-Roman mythology is one of

the origins of the western civilization, which is the beautiful sediment of the splendid civilization of human beings. Also, it contains a rich and precious literary heritage, which is left by ancient Greek and Roman people. Karl Marx once said: “Greek mythology and epic is the perfect product of human childhood development, with permanent charm.” Because of this kind of enduring charm, it stimulates millions of people’s interest in reading and slowly tasting the beautiful and touching legends of Greco-Roman mythological stories. Moreover, English literature is another crystal of mankind’s wisdom after the Creco-Roman culture, enduring and enriching generations. If you patiently read and taste carefully, it is not hard for you to find that there are so many works are closely related to the ancient myths. And as an English learner, if we have little about Greco-Roman mythology, these stories will become the barriers in reading such kind of English literary works. While if we know some about it, it will be the key for us to understand and appreciate the works more completely. So the Greco-Roman myths in the western world is very important, people often judge one’s education level from his understanding of the Greek and Roman myths. As Bulfinch said, “without a knowledge of mythology, much of the elegant literature of our own language cannot be understood” (Bulfinch, 2000:2). Obviously, Greco-Roman mythology plays an integral part in the western culture. As a student of English major, it is necessary for us to know more about the Greco-Roman mythology, which is good for us to shape western culture and the way of western people think. In my opinion, Greco-Roman myths are not only the products of the imagination, but also a door open for us to appreciate thousands of cultural charm of western world.

This thesis analyses the influence of Greco-Roman mythology on English literature. There

are three parts in this thesis. The first part gives an introduction of the origin and combination of the Greek and Roman myths and its influence on the western world. The second part discusses that the Greco-Roman mythology had a great impact on the three important trends of thoughts of English literature. The third part talks about the practical meanings of learning Greco-Roman mythology.

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Chapter One Historical Origin and Influence of Greco-Roman

Mythology

1.1 Origin and Combination of Greek and Roman Mythology

Ancient Greek civilization flowered more than 2500 years ago and provided the

foundation of western culture. The deepest expression of Greek ideology lays in its mythology. It is so rich that its legacy has endured to the present day. Greek myths, originally transmitted orally, were narratives concerning ancient Greek religion. It is often concerned with the actions of gods and other supernatural beings and of heroes, who transcend human bounds.

Major sources for Greek myths include Hesiod’s Theogony and the Homeric epics.

Hesiod was the first great author, who wrote Theogony in the eighth century BCE. This was a long poem in which he attempted to collect together all the myths that had been handed down orally and organized them into a comprehensive genealogy. Homer, who wrote two great epic poems, one is the Iliad, the other is Odyssey. The two excellent epics are thought to have been composed towards the end of the eighth century BCE. The Iliad chiefly recounts events that took place during the Trojan War. It concentrates on key heroic figures such as Achilles, Agamemnon and Hector. However, Odyssey relates to adventures of Odysseus on his return journey from Troy. Although he used historical materials, Homer’s aim was not so much to record past events as to give an exciting account of heroic action.

Roman myths are viewed mostly from the frame of its Greek legacy. Some people think

that Roman mythology largely seems as a copy of Greek mythology. In fact, that is not completely true. In the very beginning, the Romans regarded their deities more as powers than as persons. At that time, they had developed their own mythology. Their deities didn’t have human motives, they didn’t fight or marry or have love affairs with human beings. Only after Romans began to contact with Greek splendid culture, they gradually represented their gods in human forms. At the same time, most of the Greek gods were adopted by the Romans, although in most cases only change of names. For example, Zeus is the god of sky and thunder and the ruler of the Olympians of Mount Olympus. The name of Zeus is cognate with the first element of Roman Jupiter, and Zeus and Jupiter became closely identified with each other. This kind of example goes on and on. As time

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went by, we know that the Greek myths and Roman myths are deeply connected, which has gradually developed “the Greco-Roman Mythology.”

1.2 Impact of Greco-Roman Mythology on Western Culture

Ancient Greek and Roman civilization are the origin of the western civilization. As

cultural carries, the Greco-Roman mythology contain abundant connotation, and deeply affect the formation and development of the western culture.

First and most, according to careful investigation and study, linguists found that Greek

and Roman myths had a great influence on English language until now. There are a great number of words, idioms related to some images in the myths, and influenced the name of some places, months, constellations, animals and plants as well. Most of these words are very common to us, such as “January,” “narcissus,” “Europe,” “Athens”, “Mars” and so on. On the meanwhile, it is not difficult for us to find that there are a large number of phrases and idioms can date back to the ancient myths, such as “Achilles’ Heel”, “The sword of Damocles”, “A freedom of Pan”, “Cupid’s Bow” and “Pandora’s box”, which known to us. Each of these words is not only the treasure of language, glittering with luster of the wisdom of ancestors, but also the deposit of western culture, loading with massive western history.

Moreover, Greek and Roman mythology have a profound impact on both English and

American culture. They are widely used in many fields, such as economy, politics, arts and people’s daily life. Over time, it has become an indispensable part of mythical thinking of western people. Let me give just a few examples.

“What will it be when the increase of yearly production is brought to a complete stop? Here is the vulnerable place, the heel of Achilles, for capitalistic production.” (Friedrich Engels)

The heel of Achilles means a deadly weakness, in spite of overall strength, which actually

leads to downfall. In Greek mythology, when Achilles was a baby, it was foretold that he would die young. His mother Thetis to prevent the death of her son, taking Achilles to the River Styx, which was suppose to offer powers of invulnerability, and dipped his body into the water. But as Thetis held Achilles by the heel, his heel was not washed over by the water of the magical river. Achilles grew up to be a man of war who survived many great battles. However, in one day, a poisonous

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arrow shot at his heel, killing him shortly. While the mythological origin refers to a physical vulnerability, idiomatic references to other attributes or qualities that can lead to downfall are common.

Next, I’d like to take Nike Inc. for example, Nike, which is a U.S. manufacturer of

athletic shoes, apparel, and sports equipment. If you have read Greek mythology, you may know that Nike is a Greek goddess, who personifies victory. In western world, the name of Nike is very familiar with them. They can easily remember the brand. Nike Inc. also used a symbol of the Greek goddess of the trademark wings SWOOSH, on behalf of “speed and dynamic.” From my point of view, a good name of a company or brand is one of the secret of its success.

Therefore, the Greco-Roman mythology is rich, extensive and profound. Also, it has

contributed tremendously to the progress of the western culture.

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Chapter Two The Influence of Greco-Roman Mythology on

English Literature

2.1 The Mythological Theme of English Poetry and Drama in the Period of Renaissance

As an important carrier of Greek and Roman culture, the Greco-Roman mythology has

exerted profound influence on English literature. Especially in the period of Renaissance, the ancient myths served as sources of lively inspiration for artistic creation.

Renaissance refers to the rebirth of people’s interests in Greek and Latin classical art and

literature. Actually, there are a great number of British scholars who have translated a vast quantity of Greek and Roman literature works into English language during the 16th century. And English literature has developed with a great speed in Elizabethan period. The most distinctive achievement is the drama. The lyrical poetry has also developed and was remarkable for its variety and freshness and romantic feelings. England has become “a nest of singing birds”, because of a vigorous literary culture in both poetry and drama. In this period, many British poets and writers have adopted the Greek and Roman myths as the theme of their works.

Edmund Spenser is often regarded as “the poet’s poet.” He is generally considered as the

greatest non-dramatic poet of the Elizabethan period. He wrote the great epic poem The Faerie Queene. This great epic poem had a strong influence on English literature. It is not only written in a special verse form, which has since been called the Spenserian Stanza, but also used a lot of classic myths, abundant allusions from classical and medieval myths, and metaphor. He borrowed a lot of the great epics of antiquity: Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey and Virgil’s Aeneid. The following is the excerpt from The Faerie Queene.

“Like as whylome that strong Tirynthian swaine, Brought forth with him the dreadfull dog of hell, Against his will fast bound in yron chaine, And roring horribly, did him compel

To see the hatefull sunne, that he might tell To griesly Pluto, what on earth was donne, And to the other damned ghosts, which dwell

For aye in darkenesse, which day light doth shonne: So led this Knight his captyue with like conquest wonne.”

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[Edmund Spenser (1552-1559): The Faerie Queene VI.XII.35]

In Greco-Roman mythology, Pluto is the Roman name of Hades, he is the god of the

underworld and the dead, terminally ill, and those wounded in battle. Pluto rarely leaves the underworld. He rules the dead assisted by various demonic helpers, such as Thanatos and Hypnos, the ferryman Charon, and the hound Cerberu’s. Spenser’s poem used a lot of metaphor to stand for the evil forces so as to convey the heroic knights.

The epoch of Renaissance has witnessed a particular development of English drama.

There were emerging a group number of great dramatists, such as Christopher Marlowe, William Shakespeare and Robert Greene. There’s no doubt that all of them have allusively cited from the Greek and Roman mythology at all times in their works. Therefore, I’d like to take one of them, William Shakespeare, for instance.

Certainly, William Shakespeare is the most influential writer in all of English literature.

Also, he is the most important playwright of the English Renaissance. During the 22 years of his literary career, he produced 37 plays, 54 sonnets and some famous long poems. No wonder people say that Shakespeare belongs to the 16th century.

Shakespeare embraced the English Renaissance movement through his works in many

works. His works always shine with the flame of humanity. In his plays, Shakespeare showed his great knowledge of the ancient Greco-Roman mythology, while previous playwrights would have put little attentions on it. Since Shakespeare, we can definitely find that he retold some classic stories of ancient Greek and Roman myths. Lots of ancient Greek and Roman mythological images were cited, which played an important part in Shakespearean dramas.

On the one hand, Shakespeare used the images or plots of Greco-Roman myths directly to

create his works. In this way, he produced Troilus and Cressida, which borrowed a lot of ideas from Homer’s Iliad. In this work, he told two stories for us, one is the ten-year Trojan War, the other is the tragic love story between Troilus and Cressida. Shakespeare tactfully dealt with the war and love, and reflected a theme of the change of the human nature and value. Also, the long poem Venus and Adonis, which contents are nearly unchanged from the Greco-Roman myths, only some plots have a little updated or rewritten.

On the other hand, Shakespeare drew on the theme or plots of the Greek and Roman

myths, and produced a number of excellent works. Midsummer Night’s Dream, one of the greatest comedies of William Shakespeare, described a group of young people who condemned the church’s asceticism, and sought for free marriages. This comedy has drawn a plenty of inspirations from the Greek and Roman myths. In my opinion, it is a great masterpiece, which showed perfect combinations of ancient Greek and Roman myths and the realistic society of author’s times. Hamlet, one of the greatest tragedies of Shakespeare, it is generally regarded as Shakespeare’s most popular play on the stage. The famous line in the play “To be, or not to be” by Hamlet is often quoted by people. With the development of psychology, some people used the concept of the Oedipus complex to analyze the character of Hamlet.

Macbeth is also one of the Shakespeare’s greatest tragedies, which basically talked about

the rise and decline of Macbeth on his way of being a king. If we read the whole play, we can easily know that the fact that the good-natured Macbeth turned his ambition into wild scheme is largely because of the witch’s temptation and his wife’s influence. Obviously, the three witches are the personification of Medea. Medea is a sensual and charming sorceress of Greek mythology. She was wounded by Ero’s arrows, took Jason’s part in recovering the Golden Fleece and eventually became the hero’s wife. However, in the end, Medea didn’t get her happiness, because of the Jason’s betrayal. Thus, she chose vengeance at last. William Shakespeare took in this attacking character,

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and then opened a new expressional route in his tragic drama, Macbeth.

“Round about the caldron go; In the poison’d entrails throw,－ Toad,that under cold stone Days and nights has thirty-one Swelter’d venom sleeping got… Boil thou first i’ the charmed pot… Fillet of a fenny sanke

In the caldron boil and bake; Eye of newt and toe of frog, Wool of bat and tongue of dog,

Adder’s fork and blind-worm’s sting, Lizard’s leg and howlet’s wing,－ for a charm of powerful trouble Like a hell-broth boil and bubble… Scale of dragon, tooth of wolf, Witches’ mummy, maw and gulf Of the ravin’d salt-sea shark, Root of hemlock digged i’the dark. Make the gruel thick and slab.”

[Shakespeare: Macbeth ACT IV SCENE I]

2.2 On the Use of Greek and Roman Myths in British Romantic Poetry

Romanticism is one of the important trends of thoughts, which flourished in literature,

philosophy, music and art in Western culture during most of the 19th century. The English Romantic period is an age of poetry. The glory of the age is seen in the poetry of William Wordsworth, Coleridge, Gordon Byron, Percy Bysshe Shelley and John Keats.

At first, we have to mention a great person, who is best known for his translation of

Homer’s Iliad －Alexander Pope. Moreover, he used a great number of the Greco-Roman myths in his works. By the middle of the eighteenth century, a large number of English folk literature works about mythological research in England were translate and published. It is because of this special kind of historical background; a group of English Romantic writers had realized the impact of the mythology. So, they consciously applied lots of classical myths into their works.

George Gordon Byron has made a great contribution to the English literature. Commonly

known as Lord Byron, George Gordon Byron was a leading figure in the English Romanticism. Don Juan is his masterpiece. The story of the poem takes place in the latter part of the 18th century. In the third chapter of Don Juan －The Isles of Greece, Byron referred to Phonebus and Delos

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Island. Phonebus was also called Apollo in the Greek mythology. Like other Greek deities, Apollo had a great number of epithets applied to him, reflecting the variety of roles. The God of Light or Sun was very commonly used by both the Greeks and Romans in Apollo’s role. In association with his birthplace, Mount Cynthus on the island of Delos, Apollo was also called Cynthius and Delius. Byron mentioned them here because he wanted to remind Greek people about the ancient Greek civilization. He tried to use the power of the myths to boost people’s patriotic feelings and fight for the country.

Shelley once said: “Poetry is the record of the best and happiest moments of the happiest

and best minds” (P.B.Shelly, 1818). He is widely considered to be among the finest lyric poets in the English language. His representative work, Prometheus Unbound, is a lyrical drama in 4 acts, which used the name of the Greco-Roman mythological image directly as the title. According to myths, Prometheus was best known as the benefactor who brought fire to mankind. Zeus let the other gods chain Prometheus to a rock on Mountain Caucasus, where a hungry eagle ever tore at his liver. The liver ever grew again. Prometheus Unbound, which was written in 1819, was based on Aeschylus’s Prometheus Bound. However, great Shelley gave us a different vision of the end of this story. With the support of Gaea, Asia and Herakles, Prometheus got freedom again in the end. Zeus was driven from a position of power by them. Prometheus bound became Prometheus Unbound, Prometheus triumphant. This symbolized the victory of mankind over tyranny and oppression, and the regeneration of humanity. Shelley believed that the people would get victory through the revolution.

John Keats sought to express beauty in all his poems. He was fascinated by the beautiful Greco-Roman myths and sought a lot of inspiration from these magic myths. In 1818, Keats created Endymion, which was based on the Greek mythological story of Endymion and the Goddess of moon. Endymion was a handsome shepherd who kept his sheep on Mount Latmus. Selene was the moon Goddess, and she felt in love with the mortal Endymion. She asked Zeus to grant the handsome man eternal youth so he would never leave her. Zeus called for the young shepherd, and asked him to choose between death in any form and eternal youth in perpetual dreamy sleep. He chose the latter. So, Selene visited him where he slept, kissing him every night. In the beginning lines of the Keat’s Endymion is the best known in English poetry “A thing of beauty is a joy forever” (Keats, 1818: Endymion). Keats’ leading principle is “Beauty is truth, truth beauty.” In his

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creative process of this poetry, Keats tried his best to make it become a masterpiece of beauty and truth.

2.3 The Mythological Complex of English Novelists and Dramatists in the Period of Realism

Realism is the main trend of the literary thoughts since the late 19th century. The two great

contributions made by the 19th century and 20th century critical realists lies in their perfection of the novels and dramas. Novelists and dramatists made use of the form of novels and dramas for full representation of social and political events, and of the fate of individuals and of whole social class. Being one of the representative works of the western culture, Greco-Roman mythology still had a great impact on this period in England. Obviously, the life-force of the myths is durable.

First of all, I’d like to talk about Charlotte Bront?, who is the writer of Jane Eyre. She

introduced the first governess novel in the history of English literature. She is considered as the pioneer of the feminism and the feminism literary. At her time, the status of women is lower than men. However, there was a strong women’s consciousness included in the ancient Greek myths. In the mythology, there were also a group of common women struggled for their independence, love and equal rights with men, such as Medea, Phedr, Atalanta, Athena and so on. In Bront?’s novels, the most outstanding theme is that female requires the strong desire of an independent. If you have read Jane Eyre, you will find there are so many names of the characters of Greek mythology. Especially, those educated gentlemen and ladies used the Greco-Roman myths flexibly.

George Bernard Shaw, a giant of English theater, who is regarded as the greatest

dramatist since William Shakespeare. He won the Nobel Prize in 1925. His plays often deal with existing social problems. Greek and Roman mythology provided him with abundant materials. These materials were the important source of blazing his inspiration on writing his great comedy Pygmalion. George Bernard Shaw used one of the images of the Greek mythological story as the title of the play. In Greek myths, Pygmalion was a gifted Cypriot sculptor, who made a stone statue of a beautiful woman. After seeing the beautiful stone woman, he was “not interested in other women.” This statue was so fair and realistic that he fell in love with it. He asked the Greek Goddess to bring the beautiful status to life. In the end, his wish came true.

Based on classical myth, Bernard Shaw’s Pygmalion plays on the complex business of

human relationships in a social world. Phonetics Professor Henry Higgins tutors the very cockney

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Eliza Doolittle to speak correctly and beautifully like a real lady. Eliza Doolittle went through a series of self-realization and spiritual development, and finally became a fair lady. However, much to his surprise, Phonetics Professor Henry Higgins fell in love with his own “work” －the flower girl. He proposed to the transformed fair lady, letting go of his pride. Although this play has the same theme as the Greek story, at the same time, the playwright added a new dimension to the meanings of it. It is really a typical work of contrastive humorous art.

Therefore, if the writers appropriately use some classic images, plots, or themes of the

myths into their creation, their works will be more persuasive and popular among the audiences, because in this way the works will more easily capture the heart of the audiences.

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Chapter Three Realistic Significance of Studying Greek and

Roman Myths

3.1 Stimulate Modern People’s Imagination

The Greco-Roman mythology was the product of the ancient people’s imagination. From

some perspectives, mythological thinking is a good way to save the decline of the modern imagination. We always admire the pure unbridled and vivid imagination of them. In the contemporary era of information explosion, we receive all kinds of information instead of thinking by our minds. We suffer from a horrific imaginative poverty. As Baudelaire said that, “Imagination is the queen of all kinds of ability.” (Baudelaire, 1854:3)

The Chinese culture has a long history, while it is a mode of early-maturing culture. To a

great extent, it pays too much attention on humanism and empiricism. Mix all these together with the traditional teaching method “Listen-and-repeat”, Chinese people always lack of imagination and the ability of self-reflection. For instance, the development of Chinese TV amusement programs is a good example to show this issue. In recent years, China has become a paradise for trading overseas’ program mode. Lots of popular TV programs have imported from the oversea, such as “the Voice of China”, “I am A Singer”, “Where Are We Going, Dad”, “Chinese Version of Running Man” and so on. According to incomplete statistics, it showed that China’s imports more than 20 species overseas’ program mode every year since 2008, including those from America, Korea, Netherland and so on. Moreover, in this year, it has reached a record of more than 30 kinds of program models, which are introduced from abroad. Up to a point, the reasons behind this copyright trading are obvious. From my point of view, the biggest reason is lacking imagination of Chinese television entertainment. The original ability’s deficiency will lead audiences’ sensory overload. Introducing TV skills from other countries can not run in a long term. The key to improve the quality of our TV program is to create imagination and enhance the awareness of innovation.

3.2 Practical Significance for English Learners

On the one hand, Greco-Roman mythology is undoubtedly the crystallization of western

civilization. Greco-Roman myths are often populated with fantastic gods and heroes, which inspire

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our imaginations. It has greatly enriched the treasury of western literature and English vocabulary. A large number of English words are derived from Greco-Roman mythology. The effect of classical myths is being felt everywhere. It covered a wide range from everyday words, place names, religion, arts, and philosophy to natural science. To some extent, the understanding of Greco-Roman mythology can not only help us to arouse our enthusiasm of learning English, but also help us to remember the English vocabulary better in the first place. Meanwhile, if we are familiar with the plot or images of the Greco-Roman myths, we’ll have a better appreciation and comprehension of classic works of western cultures.

On the other hand, the ideology of the myths of Greece and Rome has deeply influenced

the whole western world. As an English learner, understanding the knowledge of ancient myths of Greek and Roman is very significant. Also, it is really good for us to do effective and successful multi-cultural intercommunication. Talking to a foreigner, it is not difficult for us to find that they are very familiar with allusions and they can skillfully use allusions to communicate with you. These allusions largely come from the ancient Greco-Roman mythology. Proper application of mythological stories can enhance good language expression and the arts of communication. If we can also understand and communicate with them by these profound allusions, it can also show our respect for western culture. So, as an English learner, in order to clear up the misunderstandings and understand the real meaning when communicating with foreigners, we must acquaint with or understand some famous Greco-Roman myths in cross-cultual communication.

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Conclusion

As we all know, the Greek and Roman mythology are outstanding literature works, and

are handed down through the generations of western people in all aspects of their life.

From the above analysis of the three trends of thought in Britain, including Renaissance,

Romanticism and Realism, as well as the excellent writers and their great works. We can see the influence of the Greco-Roman mythology upon the English literature is beyond description. The shadow of these fantastic tales can be found everywhere. Furthermore, learning Greco-Roman mythology can help us better understand and appreciate many classical works. This thesis has also told the practical significances of studying Greco-Roman mythology. Those fantastic images and stories in the mythological world can inspire our imaginations. As a product of the imagination, learning Greco-Roman mythology is a good way to help modern people to become more productive. Last but not least, if we don’t understand the Greco-Roman mythology, we cannot correctly understand the thinking of western culture and people. It will be a barrier to international communication. However, if we acquire more knowledge of the Greek and Roman mythology, it will become the foundation for the cross-cultural communication.

All in all, through the analysis of the influences of the Greco-Roman mythology in

English literature, I felt the magical power of the ancient charming myths. No doubt; the profound and immoral Greco-Roman mythology has the permanent charm and gives us the wisdom and enlightenment. As an English learner, it is definitely necessary for us to know more about the classical Greco-Roman mythology.

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