I can't decide if this is a question for /his/ or for /lit/, or if it doesn't belong in either.
How much blame does the Pharaoh of the Exodus deserves for being a hard-ass about letting the Israelites leave Egypt, when it was God, apparently, that 'hardened his heart' to the idea in the first place?
Furthermore, how much blame do the characters of the Aeneid deserve for their actions, when the gods (Juno/Venus) keep on meddling with their heads all the time? e.g. Dido is actuated by Venus' love potion; the war in Latium is triggered by Juno and Allecto.
I can't think for myself so I need others' opinions.
>>1104020
none, Yahweh hardened his heart to show off
>>1104020
>Pharaoh
Pharaoh was fucking retarded, but in a way that is not unreasonably so. He had to maintain his standing as the morning and evening star, why should he let some smarmy kike from the desert tell him to release his impossibly large workforce due to some divine mandate. Was he not the incarnation of a god himself? Why was Yahweh any more powerful than the hundreds of gods that the Pharaoh or Egyptians were aware of? To bow before Moses would be an indication of weak power and weak gods, you don't want the state being all kinds of messed up after hundreds of years of the same political caste system.
However, when you have nation-destroying plagues that will fuck your shit up, then it's probably wise to maybe relent a bit, as opposed to making your people suffer at the hands of a pissed of desert wargod.
>The Aeneid
Dido is inherently portrayed as a tragic figure, despite Rome's beef with Carthage. Dido was merely a stepping stone and a pawn for the rise of Rome, and Virgil is very sympathetic in her portrayal. Roman virtue was all about how you basically have to simply suck it up and do things that are pretty shitty overall, so showing how the Gods are making Aeneas be a dick to people is supposed to inspire virtues that are good for ruling/governing. However, Aeneas could have gone about deceiving Dido in a less assholish way admittedly.
>>1104038
I always presumed this phrase is misunderstood. I think it implies God's actions hardened the Pharaoh's heart indirectly, otherwise it makes no sense for him to keep testing the gyppos if he's halting it in the first place.
>>1104020
https://youtu.be/-tVTEyuCKn4
>>1104124
a catchy song, I must say
>>1104067
>I think it implies God's actions hardened the Pharaoh's heart indirectly, otherwise it makes no sense for him to keep testing the gyppos if he's halting it in the first place
but what about when Pharaoh finally let them go free, only from God to once more harden his heart, causing him to chase after them? here God clearly does not indirectly harden his heart through the plagues and such but intervened for the opportunity to show off by having Moses part the waters
>>1104183
>but what about when Pharaoh finally let them go free, only from God to once more harden his heart, causing him to chase after them? here God clearly does not indirectly harden his heart through the plagues and such but intervened for the opportunity to show off by having Moses part the waters
It could be a situation where Pharaoh is much like "Oh god I just let tens of thousands of my slaves go free, the same dicks who caused the deaths of thousands of egyptian children, fuck them and their dumb god, I'll kill them all." I suppose it depends if you want a more negative view of Yahweh, who'd appear like a edgy teen trying to impress his friends, or if you want a view of Pharaoh being really really salty.
>>1104183
It seems that God's heart-hardening wasn't actually meant to have any effect. Pharaoh was never going to let the Jews-folk leave -- his heart was as already as hard as it needed to be. That Yahweh hardened Pharaoh's heart at all was simply a demonstration of his power and ability to do so, as mr 1st poster says.
at least that's how i see it anyway.
>>1104245
*in this instance
>>1104020
What?
>>1104172
Prince of Egypt is pretty great, tbqh
https://youtu.be/s2A3LaYDlHM
>>1104020
>when it was God
stopped reading there
