The Eternal Drama: The Inner Meaning of Greek Mythology

This book is an excellent overview of the "inner meaning," thus the psychological value of the unconscious images that are represented in Greek Mythology. If the reader is not interested in that, I would not buy it. The material here is for learning more about the language of the psyche. The book covers all of the major figures of Greek Mythology that are most relevant to understanding the inner meaning of various symbolic forms as they might appear in dreams or other spontaneuous productions from the unconscious. Other reviews of mythology such as Bulfinch's or Edith Hamilton cover the basic "facts" or objective features of mythology, while this book again is focused on relating the figures of Greek Mythology as part of the living heritage of the psyche, the collective unconscious. In this respect, the book is most valuable.

In addition to the Greek myths and heroes, the author analyzes the Trojan War, Greek drama (Oedipus), oracles, Dionysus, Orphism, and the Eleusinian Mysteries. Unfortunately, he does not always establish the psychological truth of his interpretations which therefore lack authority. Jungian psychology claims that our dreams are a form of personal mythology in which our private concerns are made into myth. I find this a credible arguement because my dreams frequently contain mythological content, usually a monster that I slay.