ipl-logo

Pity In The World Of Prometheus Bound

266 Words2 Pages

Prometheus Bound, even in the world of Greek tragedy, is marked by its concern with pity. Pity drives nearly every event of the plot. Prometheus is bound on account of his pity for man, Hephaestus wavers in his dreadful task out of his own pity for the titan, the Oceanids are present for scarcely any purpose but to pity Prometheus, Ocean is compelled to visit by his pity, and Io is told to stay and chat so that she might be soothed by the pity of her Oceanid aunts. The centrality of this emotion demands a simple question: what is the nature of pity in the world of Prometheus Bound? We shall discover, in seeking to answer this question, that there are three claims about the dangers and limits of pity lurking just below the surface of the tragedy.

Show More
Related

  • Odysseus And Telemachus Transformation

    1044 Words  | 5 Pages

    Laura Ross World Literature to 1650 ENGL 2410-N01 23 September 2015 Telemachus and his transformation “Long before anyone else, the prince Telemakhos now caught sight of Athena—for he, too, was sitting there, unhappy among the suitors, a boy, daydreaming” (Homer 277). Odysseus’ son, Telemakhos is depressed about his situation at home with the suitors, and lacks the strength to change it. Odysseus is presumed dead, and his wife Penelope is doing everything she can to avoid having to choose one of the suitors as her new husband. Telemakhos must learn that he cannot stay a child forever; he is old enough to take a stand against the suitors! Telemakhos matures into a man by a series of events: setting sail to Pylos in search of his father, standing

    Read More

  • Odysseus 'Eurylochus In Fagles' The Odyssey

    207 Words  | 1 Pages

    He is included in the poem so he will be represented as an ally and a foil for Odysseus to highlights the leadership of Odysseus. This will examine both the straight meaning and the deep meaning for what happened with Eurylochus and reasons he did what he did. One of

    Read More

  • Odysseus Dialectical Journal

    315 Words  | 2 Pages

    Having been stuck on an island for many days with our food supply now empty, us men are willing to do almost anything to fill our stomachs. As a group, we have been through so much turmoil, and have lost some men along the way. I have never agreed much with our leader, Odysseus, for he was the one that usually caused all our troubles. However, for once I like his suggestion to leave “The Cattle of the Sun God’s” heifers alone. Consequently, this time it was the fault of a man I once thought to be smart, Eurylochus.

    Read More

  • Odysseus To Telemachus Literary Devices

    506 Words  | 3 Pages

    Joseph Brodsky, the poet of “Odysseus to Telemachus”, successfully conveys the feelings of a homesick man -- Odysseus from The Odyssey -- longing to see his son, Telemachus, once more by both relating it to The Odyssey and using assorted literary devices. The poem is three stanzas long, and formatted like a letter from Odysseus to Telemachus -- which allows the reader feel as if they are catching a glimpse into the heart and despair of Odysseus while he is journeying back home. In “Odysseus to Telemachus”, Odysseus first contemplates the events of the Trojan War, but finds that he cannot even recall who the victor was -- despite having been a main contender in it himself. Afterwards, he begins to describe his current location: a dirty island housing pigs, buildings, weeds, and plants.

    Read More

  • Figurative Language In The Odyssey

    232 Words  | 1 Pages

    The ‘Odyssey’ is a well known book based around Greek myths and Odysseus’ journey back home as he attains help from the Gods. In ‘The Odyssey’, Homer is able to use figurative language to express a recurring theme of vengeance. In Homer's ‘Odyssey’, he manages to express a theme of vengeance by how Odysseus is struggling with the consequences of revenge and how he deals with that. In book twenty-two Odysseus confronts the suitors about trying to seduce his wife while he was gone, when he reveals himself as Odysseus some of the suitors immediately try to compensate for the wrongs they’ve done.

    Read More

  • What Is Margaret Atwood's Interpretation Of The Odyssey Sirens

    399 Words  | 2 Pages

    Thesis: In Homer’s “The Odyssey”, translated by Robert Fagles, sirens have been portrayed as manipulative and deceiving creatures, who trick men by using their bewitching song as a form of flattery in order to draw men to their island and eventually to their death. However Margaret Atwood’s interpretation of sirens offers a different perspective, in “Siren Song,” sirens are portrayed similarly to Fagles interpretation, but instead of bewitching men through flattery, men are drawn to the island by sirens mocking damsels in distress to tempt the men's inner hero. Body 1: Topic sentence 1 (flattery): “‘Come closer, famous Odysseus-Achaea's pride and glory- moor your ship on our coast so you can hear our song!’”(19-20).

    Read More

  • Tears In The Odyssey

    512 Words  | 3 Pages

    Odysseus, just like the woman, has to live with the losses and the suffering of the war, while his dead comrades, like the widow’s husband, do not. In this instance, the woman is representative of all the women in the Trojan War who lost their husbands due to Odysseus’ wrath. He does not cry for his own glory, but rather he empathizes with the widow, and therefore, identifies with all of his victims. Alcinous, through this similarity between Odysseus’ tears and the tears of the female victims of war, is able to see that Odysseus’ connection to the Trojan War is one filled with the pain of losses and guilt, but also the pain of having to carry these memories. These two aspects of pain can only coexist in a person if his identity is the Odysseus being portrayed in these songs.

    Read More

  • Penelope In The Odyssey

    794 Words  | 4 Pages

    In Homer’s Poem, The Odyssey, Penelope is the exceptionally patient and clever spouse of the infamous hero, Odysseus, and the mother of Telemachus. One poignant factor of Penelope’s character is her patience and devotion which is displayed throughout the poem. With her husband absent for a great majority of her life for the later of twenty years and his location unknown, Penelope stays, patiently awaiting Odysseus’ return, all whilst preserving their estate and raising her son by herself. Throughout this time, she had many persistent suitors in pursuit of her, abusing her husband’s absence.

    Read More

  • Odysseus And Greed In Homer's The Odyssey

    1277 Words  | 6 Pages

    Penelope, his wife, is greatly affected; as many greedy suitors disrespect her and move into their home to try and win her hand in marriage. Throughout ‘The Odyssey’, the greed and folly of men play a huge part in increasing the difficulty and severity of Odysseus’s situations and ultimately change his fate and the directions of his journey. The greed and folly of men are largely represented by Penelope’s suitors. In the very first book of The Odyssey, the disgusting actions of the suitors were introduced to the readers.

    Read More

  • Women's Role In The Odyssey Essay

    522 Words  | 3 Pages

    “The Odyssey,” written by Greek poet Homer is an epic tale depicting the brutally enduring quest home of the Greek hero, Odysseus. Within this heroic story, women play a very large and pivotal role in Odysseus’s trip home from the Trojan War. In his attempt to get back to his wife, Penelope, Odysseus’s progress is constantly hindered by the intervention of women who will do anything in order to either convince the heroic figure to stay with them or have him killed. The intentions of the women in the epic are all very different but one of the most prominent roles lies in the seductresses and the alluring women who will deeply influence Odysseus. Most importantly, Penelope plays a large role in portraying the importance of women’s roles in the story.

    Read More

  • Odysseus Use Of Justice In Homer's Odyssey

    1399 Words  | 6 Pages

    While Odysseus’ actions taken to punish the suitors may appear immoral in modern society, by considering the ways in which modern society differs from Homeric society, Odysseus’ actions are just in the context of the poem. As violence has an extremely negative connotation in modern society, the use of the death penalty is morally ambiguous, and is a highly debated topic; however, violence is far more legitimized in the society of the Odyssey, and therefore, death is a far more acceptable form of punishment. This idea is exemplified by the way in which violence is discussed between characters within the Odyssey. In particular, this general acceptance of violence is demonstrated through the fact that many of the characters within the Odyssey share an almost unanimous belief that the suitors should be put to death to pay for their crimes.

    Read More

  • Aeneas Vs Odysseus

    626 Words  | 3 Pages

    “The Odyssey.” The Norton Anthology of World Literature, Norton, 2001, pp. 225–530. Lawall, Sarah N., and Maynard Mack. “The Aeneid.”

    Read More

  • Odyssey In The Penelopiad

    919 Words  | 4 Pages

    The purpose of this parallel theme in common is to draw attention to Penelope’s struggles in the time of the Odyssey, which helps the responders to empathize with Penelope during her times of weeping, and distress. Hence Atwood’s modern perspective benefitting contemporary readers to enjoy the concepts and

    Read More

  • The Chorus In Sophocles Electra

    746 Words  | 3 Pages

    Sophocles’ Electra is a well-known Greek tragedy, set place at Mycenae after the Trojan wars. In the tragedy Electra plays one of the most important roles among the Chorus. The Chorus often sympathises with Electra and also helps the reader (or the audience considering it was written as a play) to understand the events better. The Chorus shares emotions with Electra, such as her grief and frustration, or her joy upon the return of Osteres. In my essay I will discuss the importance of the Chorus and how to the presence of the Chorus guides the audience.

    Read More

  • Greek Tragedy In Toni Morrison's Beloved

    1540 Words  | 7 Pages

    Sethe and her daughter are isolated from the community due to Sethe’s killing of her youngest child, an action Sethe justifies as “put[ting] my babies where they’d be safe” but one which Paul D sees as a love “too thick” (Morrison 193). Her misjudgment fits Aristotle’s description of the fatal flaw. The trauma she experienced as a slave made her justifiably determined to not let her children return to slavery, but her panicked actions resulted in her isolation the community. As her isolation is caused by herself rather than an external force such as slavery, she is a fitting model for a Greek tragedy protagonist. Sethe’s “thick love” continues to linger after the killing, as she says she wanted to die alongside her youngest child after she killed her so she can continue to take care of her daughter, and states “[Beloved] is mine” after her realization that Beloved is her daughter (Morrison 241).

    Read More

More about Pity In The World Of Prometheus Bound

Open Document