Mia Pollini
Lino 4
Comp Lit 30A
Winter 2018
Pygmalion and Galatea: An Myth Analysis of Ovid’s Metamorphoses
Ovid, a Roman poet during the reign of Augustus, curated and developed a collection of myths in his lengthy work Metamorphoses, which explores the numerous tales of transformations ranging from people into laurel trees to escape infatuated gods to ivory statues being kissed into life by their sculptors – which is what happens in the myth of Pygmalion and Galatea. Despite Pygmalion being misogynistic, cowardly and contradictory, his has an inarguably happy ending (which is unusual for most of the myths in Metamorphoses) while other artists and heroes, like Orpheus for instance, who go through great lengths to achieve their virtuous
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In Pygmalion’s myth, the sculpture (also named Galatea) is referred to as a “consort”, which is often defined as a wife, husband, or companion, in particular, the spouse of a reigning monarch. Plus, when she “opened her eyes to the sunlight… she first looked on her lover and heaven”, implying that Pygmalion is both her lover as well as her creator and her ruler. Furthermore, Pygmalion is resolute and dedicated not only to his principles, celibacy, and hatred of women who he deems impure but goes on to channel his human emotions into art and in a way becomes godlike in that he creates (or is the creator) to the most beautiful thing on the Earth. On a more literal and earthly plane, the myth itself explains why the island of Paphos received its name – named after Pygmalion’s daughter with Galatea. Additionally, Pygmalion’s great-granddaughter is Myrrha, who then lusts after her own father (and Pygmalion’s grandson). Fatum comes into play, suggesting maybe perversion begets perversion and so his line is punished in the long run. Plus, Myrrha and her terrible lust for her father mirrors Pygmalion’s contradictory hatred and desire for women; she cannot relate normally to her father, ending up hating herself and her feelings, while still wanting him at …show more content…
The transformative power of love, whether it be personal love or love personified in the figure of Cupid. Unlike the predominantly romantic notions of love that were "invented" in the Middle Ages, Ovid depicted love more as a dangerous, destabilizing force than a positive one (an exception in Pygmalion’s case) and demonstrates how love has power over everyone, mortals and gods
It is significant that nearly every major character makes an allusion to one or more Ovidian myths, suggesting their awareness, as well as the audience’s familiarity, with Ovid’s texts. This is made most obvious with Titus’ declaration of revenge, in which he invokes an Ovidian narrative, “For worse than Philomel you used my daughter, and worse than Procne I will be revenged” (Act V, Scene II). The characters are strangely and unnervingly aware that their lives are constructed and defined by Ovidian principles. Moreover, the characters employ the model of the Metamorphoses as a basis of their actions. For instance, Aaron, the primary villain of Titus Andronicus who first plants the machinations of Lavinia’s rape, instructs Tamora and her sons, “Philomel must lose her tongue today,” (Act II, Scene I).
The Odyssey: Developing the Plot of an Epic and Creating Love Through the Use of Similes The odyssey is an epic poem reflecting on the journey of its main character, Odysseus’s journey home from the Trojan war. Odysseus is a prestigious figure in ancient Greece after using his intelligence and wit to defeat the Trojans in the Trojan war. He is a well-spoken, quick thinking, determined, and respectful person all around, and uses his charm and knowledge to make his way home to Ithaca where his wife and son are. Although Odysseus is smart and reasonable, Athena, the goddess of knowledge, many of the other immortal gods, nymphs, and at some point, even the dead help Odysseus along his journey by providing him with information that would help him overcome things that he would have not if he had not gotten the
In order to depict many different images of love, William Shakespeare writes about the challenges of love between Romeo and Juliet. The playwright presents several aspects of love, such as unrequited, parental, and romantic love. Shakespeare’s message, while originating in the 1500s, is not unique to themes of love. In fact, this theme resurfaces many times throughout the history of literature. For instance, Zora Neale Hurston visualizes different images of love in her 1937 novel Their Eyes Were Watching God.
Sixteenth-century society did not think of or accept female same-sex relationships, and the gods’ plans for Galathea and Phillida reflect the sentiments of the time. Neptune says their love is “strange and foolish, for one virgin to dote on another, and to imagine a constant faith where there can be no cause of affection” (5.3.1084-5). Venus, on the other hand, approves of the relationship, but only if either Galathea or Phillida transforms into a man. While Galathea and Phillida both approve of the decision, the heteronormative view of love still shines as the best version; in modern contexts, this ending questions the validity of Lyly’s definition of love. If Galathea and Phillida’s love is already pure and true, they should not have to change.
In The Odyssey, references to musicians or poets like the author, Homer, are often used to enhance the story and the character of the poem’s hero, Odysseus. Homer inserts himself and his identity as a storyteller into his story this way, creating a comparative relationship between himself and his hero. Homer’s comparative relationship, expressed through the use of the character Demodokhos, the use of deities, and descriptions of Odysseus himself, stresses the importance of storytellers as most fit to understand heroes and their stories. As directed by the poet, storytellers in the poem are most able to provide insight into those they speak about because of the similarities between them and their heroes. Directly embodying Homer and other poets,
Love, an intense feeling of deep affection. In Homer’s epic The Odyssey, almost all of the main characters do certain actions because of love. Love is a very powerful thing that one cannot see but knows is there and can feel it inside. It is in our lives everyday. In Homer’s epic The Odyssey, a major theme is that love is the force behind everyone's actions.
Hundreds of years before the birth of Christ, the ancient greeks believed in several gods and goddesses, as well as heroes and beasts that are recorded in poetry. In a renowned collection of epic poems that brings these age-old characters to life, Homer’s “Odyssey”, we learn about the protagonist, the king of Ithaca, and his eventful return to his home and family. On his homeward journey, this king, Odysseus, faced many obstacles but, with his intelligence, loyalty, and strength, he was able to overcome every barrier, from angry gods to mutinous friends. One of several external conflicts in the Epic that Odysseus faces is his interaction with one of the story’s antagonists, the cyclops, Polyphemus. While guests in Odysseus’ were supposed to
Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “The Birthmark” is a short story illustrating the struggle of a man who is obsessed with his wife’s one imperfection. The protagonist has dedicated his life to science, but his passion becomes his fault when it leads to his wife’s death. Hawthorne uses allusions, symbolism, and his characters to send the message that being imperfect is part of being a human being and that one cannot “play God.” The message permeates this nineteenth century short story allowing it to continue to be relatable today.
His past experiences has led him to believe that love should be masked by lies that in a sense it should the truth should be a voluntary definition behind love. In Plato’s Symposium, Aristophanes’ delivers a speech about his experiences of have loved or being in love. Aristophanes’ speech captures how powerful the feeling of love, that since birth love has condition our lives involuntary and will remain so. Love to Aristophanes’ is a form of completion that a lucky couple receives once the meet each other. This completion is empowered by an enormous amount of love, intimacy, and affection that neither bonds can be separated.
Many see love as a positive quality and for the most part it is. It gives us compassion for our fellow man, allows us to bond with each other, and care for our families. But it also has self-destructive properties too. In Thucydides History of the Peloponnesian War, the Athenians feel a really strong patriotism to their city and empire.
During the plot of the poem, mythological gods and goddesses are present in people’s lives to aid them when problems arise. In the text, the gods play a prominent role in helping Odysseus travel safely home, blessing men and women, and aiding during a war between two powerful leaders. Even though these stories were written thousands of years ago, they are still applicable to many societies
The individuals possessed by ideal love are not the only ones who are affected by it. In Romeo and Juliet, Friar Lawrence’s first reaction to Romeo’s drastic change of “love” was shocking : “Holy Saint Francis, what a
A mythological story can express a valuable message to its readers, advising them to choose a certain path when making decisions and to stray away from what can harm them. It can also give an artist, whether it is a painter or a poet, the inspiration to express their intake of what was given to them. The expression can show support of a character’s decision, show sadness towards a character’s place in the myth, or relate the myth to a real-life occurrence. When poet Eavan Boland was reading Book 1 of Ovid’s Metamorphosis, she wanted to express a different meaning of the story of Daphne by writing “Daphne with her Thighs in Bark”. She did this by using a feminist approach while looking back at Daphne’s fate.
Pygmalion (…through a Feminist Lens) “Pygmalion was written to challenge the class system, traditional stereotypes and the audience’s own views.” Pygmalion is a play which is written as a Romance in Five acts by an Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw. The name of this play is taken from a Greek story named ‘Pygmalion’ where the main character Pygmalion sculpts a woman figure and falls in love with her and later staring her statue becomes his only motto of life when the Greek Goddess Aphrodite impressed by Pygmalion’s devotion to that woman figure, magically transforms the sculpture into a living being naming her ‘Galatea’. In this play, the role of Pygmalion is played by Higgins (someone who is the creator, the God, the father) and that of Galatea by the flower girl- Eliza (who is child, the weak and the one being corrected.) (The play was first presented to the public in the year 1912.
During the setting and the publication of Pygmalion in 1912, sexism was slowly in decline; however, just the idea of sexism existing in the first place was what prompted Shaw to criticize all of society in his play Pygmalion. And it is quite clear that he was calling “attention to questions of femininity and gender” because of how “the title of Shaw’s play is taken from the myth of Pygmalion” (LitChart Sited). Similarly, in both the play and the myth, the protagonist is seen creating their own “perfect” ideas of what a woman is and how a woman should act (LitChart). In Shaw’s doing so of this, he is trying to show society how “unrealistic and even unnatural the expectations that society has for women are” (LitCharts).