A sophisticated look into the eight Greek myths that remain the most relevant to us today, exploring their powerful cultural impact from their ancient origins to the present. The Greek myths have been retold countless times, first by the conquering Romans, then through the medieval and Renaissance eras of Europe, and finally finding new expression in masterworks of art, literature and cinema on the global stage. Classical scholar Richard Buxton explores the stories at the heart of this ancient mythology and how they have come to influence our society today.

The Greek legends seem to speak to us universally, their deities tantalizingly human - often indulging in behaviours morally ambiguous at best and obscene at worst - and their heroes dealing with dilemmas and destinies that echo, if exaggeratedly, conflicts in our own lives. The dramatic choices that such figures as Prometheus, Medea and Oedipus face have resonated with audiences over thousands of years. Each chapter focuses on a mythical character and the powerful stories and interpretations that surround them.

Yet the myths' relevance has not been uniform; they shift with the cultural tide. They have endured moments of censure, criticism, and even ridicule, but now their influence can be recognized almost everywhere, from opera to psychology, from fashion to contemporary art. How is it that these tales have retained their power to connect with our own fascinations, fears and desires, though they came from a world very different from our own? Here Buxton charts their cultural impact through a rich variety of re-imaginings, examining the many guises they have taken through the ages and the profound truths that they continue to illuminate.

本书深入研究与我们今天密切相关的八个希腊神话，探讨了它们从古代起源到现在的强大文化影响。希腊神话被无数次重述，先是被征服的罗马人，然后经历了欧洲的中世纪和文艺复兴时期，最后在全球舞台上的艺术、文学和电影杰作中找到了新的表达方式。古典学者理查德·巴克斯顿（Richard Buxton）探讨了这个古老神话的核心故事，以及它们如何影响我们今天的社会。

希腊传说似乎乎在向我们传达着普遍的信息，他们的神灵具有诱人的人性，通常沉溺于行为，往好里说是道德模糊，往坏里说是淫秽。他们的英雄处理着困境和命运，这与人类生活中的冲突是相呼应的。普罗米修斯、美狄亚和俄狄浦斯等人物所面临的戏剧性选择，几千年来一直引起观众的共鸣。每一章都聚焦于一个神话人物，诠释了他们的故事。

然而，神话的相关性并不统一；它们随着文化浪潮而变化。它们经历了指责、批评、甚至嘲笑的时刻，但现在它们的影响几乎无处不在，从歌剧到心理学，从时尚到当代艺术，都能看到希腊神话的影子。尽管这些故事来自一个与我们截然不同的世界，但为什么它们仍能保持与我们自己的魅力、恐惧和欲望的联系呢？在这里，巴克斯顿通过丰富多样的重新想象描绘了它们的文化影响，审视了它们在各个时代所采取的多种表现形式，以及它们继续照亮的深刻真理。