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agon, debate or contest between two characters in Attic comedy, constituting one of several formal conventions in these highly structured plays. More generally, an agon is the contest of opposed wills in Classical tragedy or any subsequent drama. The Old Comedy of Greece, introduced into Dionysian festivals in 487 bc and surviving in the works ...
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Sep 17, 2024 · In Greek mythology, Agon means the spirit of contest and struggle, an idea part of ancient Greek life. Think about the excitement of a sports championship today, or in a spelling bee; these events mean the heart of Agon, where the drive to do well and face challenges was valued a lot. It’s not just about winning or losing.
- What Is An Agon?
- Example of An Agon
- Greek Language and Agon
- Greek Stories Involving Agons
- Bibliography and Further Reading About “Agon” and Its Role in Greek Thought
The word agonin Greek is the root of our word “agony”, and it means a fight. The Greeks tended to see pretty much everything that happened as a fight between two sides, even things that seem to us like they only have one side.
Memorizing your lines for the play, for instance, is an agon, a fight, between you and the play. Getting up in the morning when you are tired is an agon between your nomos and your physis(or an agon between your desire to do well in school and your desire to watch late-night television).
Even in ordinary conversation, the Greek language puts a fight into nearly every sentence. In Greek, “I went to the story, but he stayed home,” is set up as an agon between the two opposing parts of the sentence.
Practically all Greek stories involve an agon in some way. But the story of Atreus and Thyestes is a good example, or the story of Achilles and Penthesileia.
Philosophy and Science in Ancient Greece: The Pursuit of Knowledge, by Don Nardo (2004). For teenagers. Don Nardo has written many books for young people about the ancient Greeks. The Cambridge Companion to Greek and Roman Philosophy, edited by David Sedley (1997). Homo Necans: The Anthropology of Ancient Greek Sacrificial Ritual and Myth, by Walte...
AGON (Agôn), a personification of solemn contests (agônes). He was represented in a statue at Olympia with haltêres in his hands. This statue was a work of Dionysius, and dedicated by Smicythus of Rhegium. (Paus. v. 26. § 3.) Source: Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology.
4 days ago · "agon" published on by null. Greek word meaning ‘contest’, used to define the conflict which lies at the heart of Greek tragedy, transmuted into a clash between two principal characters, sometimes with a hint of ...
From agon; to struggle, literally (to compete for a prize), figuratively (to contend with an adversary), or genitive case (to endeavor to accomplish something) -- fight, labor fervently, strive. see GREEK agon
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Definition of Agon. The agon is the conflict between the two most central characters in a literary work. It could be a physical battle or a debate in regard to a specific ideology. Any kind of competition within literature, if it occurs between the antagonist and protagonist, can be referred to as an agon. The word is rarely used today, but it ...
