In this paper I will look to discuss Greek myths and how they are significant to Death in Venice and how these myths are used as metaphors within the novella. Myths and legends act as a form of moral regulation within society (Morford et al. 2013). They pose an extreme situation followed by what is deemed the “wrong choice” that is followed by extreme consequences to the character’s choice. Within Mann’s Death in Venice there are several instances of Greek mythology being used as metaphors that foreshadow various aspects in the book, such as Aschenbach’s impending death. The novella also makes comparisons between prominent Greek Gods and Myths, the Greek ideal to characters and situations in the novella.
The first myth we encounter is the allusion to Charon the ferryman. In Greek mythology Charon was the son of the Gods, Nox who was the goddess of night and Erebus who was one of the gods of the underworld (Morford et al. 2013). Charon was in charge of transporting the spirits of the dead over the river sticks to the Elysian Fields, or the underworld (Morford et al. 2013). Greek tradition stated that two coins be placed on the eyes of the deceased, so that they could pay the toll across the river or “pay the ferryman” (Morford et al. 2013). In Death in Venice, Mann does not outright say that the Gondolier was Charon, but he does drop some hints, for example on page 36, Aschenbach describes the gondola as:
“…so distinctly black, black as only coffins can be-it conjures up hush-hush criminal adventures in the rippling night and, even more, death itself: the bier, the obscure obsequies, the final, silent journey.”(Mann 2004 pp. 36)
This description fits well with the myth of Charon as he was in charge of the “final journey”. ...
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...e environment, such as with Eos and Poseidon, or to foreshadow events like Aschenbach’s death, with Charon or Narcissus. Myths create an extreme situation followed by extreme repercussions for ones choices in these situations, that aim to educate or inform the reader of the “what can happen”, and what is deemed proper behaviour to avoid these horrible outcomes. In the case of Narcissus, don’t love yourself too much or you will end up killing yourself, if you love someone truly and completely, such as Semele did for Zeus you will eventually be rewarded. In conclusion, the myths placed throughout this novella guide the reader through all of Aschenbach’s deepest thoughts and feelings and eventually lead us to his final end. They demonstrate in a variety of ways the range of emotions that one can feel for a person, and the integration of old beliefs into modern works.
Throughout modern history the ancient Greeks and their stories have influenced our culture and way of life. Many of the ancient Greek myths are those of caution that teach us moral lessons. For example, the myth of Odysseus and the sirens, told by Homer in The Odyssey, teaches us to resist the urge to indulge in temptations. Odysseus and his crew are travelling near the island of the sirens when Odysseus plugs the ears of his crewmates with beeswax and has them tie him to the mast so that he can listen to the sirens’ song and not crash their ship onto the rocks as they pass the island. Odysseus and his crew safely pass the island of the sirens without any casualties and continue on their journey home. Author Margaret Atwood and artist John William Waterhouse both display their brilliant ideas about the myth of Odysseus and the sirens using poetry and painting. Both Ulysses and the Sirens by John William Waterhouse and “Siren Song” by Margaret Atwood use the myth of the sirens to show that during their lives, people often encounter bad temptations that can lead to their demise and should pay no attention to such temptations.
In almost all works of literature, people have used the concept of themes to further deepen the meaning of stories. Themes give stories dimension and allow the stories to have some sort of deep and philosophical lesson. If you look at Homer’s Odyssey and Shakespeare's Julius Caesar, you will find that there are many relatable features concerning the two. Both of these works give themes about life and death to keep the main point of each passage interesting to the readers. One of the major life lessons and themes we see numerous of times throughout each of the texts is the rules of manipulation. Manipulation is very crucial to the survival of the characters in both the Odyssey and play, Julius Caesar. In this essay, I will use evidence from both works to demonstrate how manipulation is used within these texts and why it is used as a strength and a weakness.
In Ithaca, the depth of Joyce's irony is displayed. The denouement of this odyssey is perfect for this story, while at the same time leaving us with the exact opposite of the resolution in the tale the book proclaims to emulate. Odysseus' public apotheosis parallels Bloom's private shame. The concise question and answer format which Ithaca adopts, found no where else in the book, is refereed to by many critics as reminiscent of a catechism. The description is well deserved given the overt religious themes in Ulysses. The almost mathematical precision of the text in juxtaposed with gut wrenching emotion surrounding infidelity. The parallels that one can draw between the characters of Ulysses and the Odyssey are perhaps the deepest in Ithaca while the themes and undertones of the work drift further apart.
The writing style of Edgar Allan Poe shows the writer to be of a dark nature. In this story, he focuses on his fascination of being buried alive. He quotes, “To be buried alive is, beyond question, the most terrific of these [ghastly] extremes which has ever fallen to the lot of mere mortality.” page 58 paragraph 3. The dark nature is reflected in this quote, showing the supernatural side of Poe which is reflected in his writing and is also a characteristic of Romanticism. Poe uses much detail, as shown in this passage, “The face assumed the usual pinched and sunken outline. The lips were of the usual marble pallor. The eyes were lusterless. There was no warmth. Pulsation had ceased. For three days the body was preserved unburied, during which it had acquired a stony rigidity.” page 59 paragraph 2. The descriptive nature of this writing paints a vivid picture that intrigues the reader to use their imagination and visualize the scene presented in the text. This use of imagery ties with aspects of Romanticism because of the nature of the descriptions Poe uses. Describing the physical features of one who seems dead is a horrifying perspective as not many people thing about the aspects of death.
Charon is the ferryman of the dead. Hermes would take the dead souls and guide them to the riv...
Gardner, Helen. “Othello: A Tragedy of Beauty and Fortune.” Readings on The Tragedies. Ed. Clarice Swisher. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 1996. Reprint from “The Noble Moor.” British Academy Lectures, no. 9, 1955.
Gardner, Helen. “Othello: A Tragedy of Beauty and Fortune.” Readings on The Tragedies. Ed. Clarice Swisher. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 1996. Reprint from “The Noble Moor.” British Academy Lectures, no. 9, 1955.
This paper will focus on what Shakespeare actually intended regarding “Othello” and its Aristotelian influences. Aristotle’s concept of the tragic hero is that a hero must meet the following definition, (1) must be a noble man, prince, or person of high estate, (2) have a tragic flaw or weakness in judgment and (3) fall from high to low estate. When Shakespeare wrote about Othello, he envisioned an exotic figure, a North African man, well-educated and although raised in the Muslim faith he converted to Christianity as an adult. Reference to Othello as a “Valiant Hero” (I.iii.49) by the majority of other characters makes his nobility indisputable regardless of his nobility, seniority, wealth, and accomplishments; Othello was an outsider in Venice. Before the reader is introduced to Othello, he is obscurely referred to as he or him and is also called “the Moor” (I.i.57), “the thick-lips” (I.i.66); which are all names implying that Othello is dark skinned.
The Ancient Greeks sought to define how humans should view their lives and how to create an existence dedicated to the basis of the “ideal” nature. This existence would be lived so as to create an “honorable” death upon their life’s end. Within their plays, both dramas and comedies, they sought to show the most extreme characteristics of human nature, those of the wise and worthy of Greek kleos along with the weak and greedy of mind, and how they were each entitled to a death but of varying significance. The Odyssey, their greatest surviving drama, stands as the epitome of defining both the flawed and ideal human and how each individual should approach death and its rewards and cautions through their journeys. Death is shown to be the consequence
Watkinson, A. "Othello: The Ironic Interdependence of Othello and Iago." Novels for Students. 5 November 2004. http://www.enotes.com/othello/743/print
The ¨Masque of the Red Death”, by Edgar Allan Poe, is a dark story representing the overwhelming theme of the power of death. Throughout the story, death is being expressed by the color of black. All life that has been created always has an expiration date established by blackness to perish from this world. The Red Death contributes to the revelers thinking that they are above the blackness of death. Their fear of leaving the world manipulated their ignorant mindset toward death which backfires at them.
It has indeed been suggested that the logic of events in the play and of Othello’s relation to them implies Othello’s damnation, and that the implication is pressed home with particular power in the imagery. This last amounts to interpreting the suggestions of the imagery as a means of comment by the author – the analogy would be the choruses of Gre...
Death in Venice by Thomas Mann, is a story that deals with mortality on many different levels. There is the obvious physical death by cholera, and the cyclical death in nature: in the beginning it is spring and in the end, autumn. We see a kind of death of the ego in Gustav Aschenbach's dreams. Venice itself is a personification of death, and death is seen as the leitmotif in musical terms. It is also reflected in the idea of the traveler coming to the end of a long fatiguing journey.
The purpose of this essay is to examine the conflict between rationality and irrationality in Death in Venice and to assess how this conflict is developed and possibly resolved. This conflict is fought and described throughout the short story with reference to ancient Greek gods, predominately Apollo and Dionysus and through the philosopher and philosophy of Plato. Through contemporary influences such as Schopenhauer and Nietzsche, Mann further reflects on these ancient sources through a modern prism and this he does in this tale of life and death of the protagonist Aschenbach.
Shakespeare has created the character of Othello to be a ‘hero of the ancient world‘ (Helen Gardner,1995), in spite of this there are certain circumstances beyond his control that contribute to the downfall of Othello. Othello proves to himself and everyone around him that he is a noble warrior that deserves a certain level of respect. Society doesn’t have a problem with Othello leading the Venetian army but does oppose to the marriage of Othello and Desdemona.