Ancient Greek Gods and Goddesses

It is interesting that Trollope makes repeated references to Greek Gods and Goddesses, since the story is about members of a different religion. This could indicate that all religions face the same problems with applying ancient ideas to modern situations. When Eleanor decides that she must sacrifice herself for her father's sake, she is inspired by the myth of Iphigenia, who sacrificed herself for her father. Tom Towers sees his office at the Jupiter (which is another name for Zeus, the Greek king of gods) as Mount Olympus, as though ordinary mortals can not enter, and he sees himself as a god, shaping the reality of all the people.

The comparison of the characters to heroes and heroines from ancient myths hints at the cruel, detached nature of most gods and goddesses of old. Often in Greek myths, the gods seem to be playing...