Reflectin #6.

My group and I performed The Sword of Damocles.

The story is about a a ruler by the name of Dionysius, who is an extremely selfish ruler. He has numerous courtiers who praise him daily. One courtier has a tendency to be over-the-top in his flattery, which Dionysius starts to get annoyed by. He devises a plan that will teach this one courtier by the name of Damocles how it is not all rainbows and sunshine to become a ruler with such power. Dionysius allows Damocles to be king for the feast, just for that one night. While Damocles is over-joyed, he becomes completely shocked when he discovers that a sharp sword is actually hanging above his head, only a few feet above, attached by a mere string. Damocles suddenly stops enjoying this feast of his and becomes nervous as he sits on the throne. 

The moral of this story is that what may seem so glorious may not be behind the scene, in the sense that do not judge a book by it's cover. Assuming something is extravagant and luxurious is judging the appearance when it could be harsh and horrible once it is well inspected and known. Damocles always thought that Dionysius' life was so glorious and being a king was so amazing. He soon finds out that he is wrong as the king has to be careful anywhere, anytime and is in fact a very life-risking job to take on. This also shows that jealousy is wrong in the Greeks as Greeks understood the responsibilities that came with such power and the dangerous events they were faced with ahead in their future. 

Overall, this particular story teaches the readers that power does not come with just the shiny, fancy lifestyle. Instead, it comes with much responsibility, careful-ness and consequences. Also, it teaches us not to assume the glorious side of power, instead include the negative factors.