Death Motif Of Death

756 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: The concept of afterlife in greek culture

In modern society, death is the end of all things. Death brings nothingness to some and a second chance at life to others; a new and better life than what can be lead on Earth. This idea of the life beyond death was celebrated and anticipated by the ancient Greeks. Death brought with it a reunion of loved ones, an existence with eternal youth, and an abundance of happiness. The most important aspect of this experience, however, was the continuation of love and marriage after death. Several ancient myths delve into this “til’ eternity do us part” motif, exhibiting distinguishing characteristics such as sexually suggestive imagery, the strong influence of Eros, and the reestablishment of oikos in the afterlife. The first is that of Orpheus and …show more content…

This imagery of the veil alludes to the everlasting love existing between the two lovers, as well as their shared hopes of marriage. Once bloodied and torn to shreds by the lioness, however, the veil signifies the destruction of this desire to marry, a realization felt by Pyramus upon finding the veil’s remains and then felt by Thisbe after witnessing Pyramus perish: Pyramus “...took the sword which hung from his waist, and thrust it into his side...” (Ovid, Meta., 97). The depiction of the bloodied sword, especially after Thisbe thrusts it into her own body, represents the consummation of marriage; more specifically, it communicates the process of rupturing the female hymen during intercourse. Death is the force that separates these lovers, and Thisbe took it into her own hands to insure that they would be together again. The imagery laced throughout this myth, as discussed, also shows the theme of marriage. Interpretation of the “marriage and death” motif is made easier in the following myth, Admetus and Alcestis, due to the oikos persisting after

Show More
Related

  • Free Essays - Comparing Odysseus and Medea

    696 Words  | 2 Pages

    This theme of death giving meaning to life is prevalent throughout the Odyssey. Hell is death, heaven is now, in life, in the field of time and action.

    Read More

  • Gilgamesh And The Cannibal Spell For King Unis Analysis

    2043 Words  | 5 Pages

    As a natural phenomena that occurs frequently yet is still not completely understood, death has confounded and, to a certain degree, fascinated all of humanity. Since the dawn of our species, people have tried to rationalize death by means of creating various religions and even attempted to conquer death, leading to great works of literature such as the Epic of Gilgamesh and the Cannibal Spell For King Unis. Considered one of the earliest great pieces of literature, the Epic of Gilgamesh tells an adventurous yet profound tale about the god-like king of Uruk, Gilgamesh, and his quest to find immortality. While his name now lives on through the Epic, Gilgamesh did not attain eternal life as the plant of immortality was stolen from him by a snake.

    Read More

  • Zora Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God as a Creation Story

    2560 Words  | 6 Pages

    Now, one of the main problems of mythology is reconciling the mind to this brutal precondition of all life, which lives by the killing and eating of lives. You don’t kid yourself by eating only vegetables, either, for they, too, are alive. So the essence of life is this eating of itself! Life lives on lives, and the reconciliation of the human mind and sensibilities to that fundamental fact is one of the functions of some of those very brutal rites in which the ritual consists chiefly of killing—in imitation, as it were, of that first, primordial crime, out of which arose this temporal world, in which we all participate. The reconciliation of mind to the conditions of...

    Read More

  • The Folly Of Human Nature In Homer's Odyssey

    1021 Words  | 3 Pages

    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

    Read More

  • marriage and funeral in ancient greece

    2321 Words  | 5 Pages

    Marriage in Classical Athens was inevitable. It was a part of life. Everyone had to get married, just as everyone had to someday face death. Although most people would not see a connection between marriage and death, the Greeks did. Both define an irreversible physical change—the loss of virginity and the loss of life. This idea of loss, rebirth, and renewal are present in both wedding and funeral. This is evident in the way wedding and funeral ceremonies complement each other in character and content. Both ceremonies are interwoven with ritual meaning and overlapping rites.

    Read More

  • Interpretation of Love in Plato’s Symposium

    1776 Words  | 4 Pages

    The meaning of love is as intricate and unique as the purpose that it serves. It seems that the nature of love is found in the mind, the body and the soul. In Plato’s Symposium each member of the drinking party gives their own interpretation of love. As each speaker engages in their discourse, the concept of love is evaluated from different angles. According to Phaedrus, homoerotic love is the highest form of love and that sacrificing oneself for love will result in a multitude of rewards from the gods, while Pausanias believes that there are two forms of love: Commonly and Heavenly. As a physician, Eryximachus claims that love appears in every part of the universe, including plants and animals and that protection results from love. Before starting his speech, Aristophanes tells the group that his discussion about love may seem completely absurd, as he explains that in the beginning one body had two people who were eventually split in half by Zeus. This is meant to explain why people are constantly looking for their “other half”. Moreover Agathon, the poet the symposium is celebrating, critiques the previous speakers by stating that they failed to praise the god of love. He claims that love rejects feebleness and embraces youthfulness while also implying that love creates justice, courage and wisdom.

    Read More

  • Death and Immortality in The Epic of Gilgamesh

    1379 Words  | 3 Pages

    Death and Immortality in The Epic of Gilgamesh The search for immortality has been a major concern for many men and women all throughout history. True love and immortality in life would be a dream come true to many. To spend time with a special someone, the person one feels closest to, and never have to say good-bye would greatly appeal to most people. But when death steps into the picture, even with all the pain and devastation, one starts to re-evaluate themselves. In The Epic of Gilgamesh, Gilgamesh explores the possibility of immortality following the saddening death of his friend and brother, Enkidu.

    Read More

  • Forms of Love in Plato's Symposium

    2571 Words  | 6 Pages

    Love, in classical Greek literature, is commonly considered a prominent theme. Love, in present days, always appears in the categories of books, movies, music, etc. Interpreted differently by different people, Love turns into a multi-faceted being. In Plato’s work Symposium, Phaedrus, Pausania, Eryximachus, Aristophane and Agathon, each of them presents a speech to either praise or definite Love. Phaedrus first points out that Love is the primordial god; Pausanias brings the theme of “virtue” into the discussion and categorizes Love into “good” one or “bad” one; Eryximachus introduces the thought of “moderation’ and thinks that Love governs such fields as medicine and music; Aristophanes draws attention to the origin and purposes of Love; Agathon enunciates that the correct way to present an eulogy is first to praise its nature and gifts.

    Read More

  • Symbolism Of Death

    853 Words  | 2 Pages

    In “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson, she speaks much about tradition in a small town in which many have been lost over the years. The black box, which Shirley speaks about in the beginning of the story, is of great importance. The black box represents the entrapment of tradition and the change over time. It is the trapping of tradition because now that it is worn and ragged they still do not want to change it because it is tradition. Along with the box changing many people’s views on The Lottery, it also lets the town’s people stand strong by themselves. Shirley Jackson in “The Lottery” uses symbolism and irony to foreshadow death.

    Read More

  • Analysis: Life Inspired By Death

    3175 Words  | 7 Pages

    Life and death are dualities. These two immaterial forces culminate into a beautiful and tenuous composition creating an awareness of abject mortality that indirectly contributes to the breadth and depth of human existence. This existence or being is marked by an incessant love of life, influenced by the pervasive knowledge of eventual death. The characters in Mrs. Dalloway endeavor to grasp the meaning of both life and death through the act of resistance and/or acceptance of the impermanence of human existence as it relates to them personally and to those around them. Nietzsche’s interpretation of the themes of life

    Read More

  • Role Of Death In Chronicle Of A Death Foretold

    1441 Words  | 3 Pages

    Santiago Nasar is going to die. There is no doubt, no questioning, no second-guessing this reality in writer Gabriel Garcia Marquez's book, Chronicle of a Death Foretold. Set in a small Colombian town during the early 50s, Santiago Nasar is a young and rich man destined to die at the hands of the Vicario brothers for deflowering their sister, Angela Vicario, of her virginity. To restore honor to their family name, the two brothers plot to kill the accused protagonist of the alleged crime. However, while Santiago remains in the dark to his impending demise, the rest of the town, aware of the murder plot, does nothing to prevent it. In the wake of the murder, the townspeople desperately want to believe that Santiago Nasar was ill fated to die in order to evade the moral guilt of having killed an innocent man in their ritualized society.

    Read More

  • Socrates Arguments On Immortality

    1137 Words  | 3 Pages

    Socrates was a philosopher who was true to his word and his death was ultimately felt by his closest friends and followers. In Phaedo, Socrates is met with his closest friends during his final hours as they await his death. At this point Socrates is prepared for death and seems to welcome it. Although death may seem like a scary inevitable fate that we all must face at one point; Socrates saw death as a privilege mainly because he believed that the soul was immortal. As a result, Socrates provides arguments as to why he believed the soul was immortal and even though all his arguments lacked unconvincing evidence, he does bring up good points. In this paper I will talk about Socrates’ most and least convincing arguments on immortality, and explain what Socrates’ problem was with Anaxagoras.

    Read More

  • The Relationships of Fate, the Gods, and Man in "The Iliad"

    1440 Words  | 3 Pages

    To view the links that are instilled between mortals, immortals, and fate in The Iliad, it is worthwhile to examine each on its own to observe how they connect. The characteristics of the three are inherently unique in relation to each other, though in some areas there is overlap. Man is defined as a mortal, someone who can die from old age and disease. Products from mortal and immortal procreation, such as the hero Achilles, fall into a sort of category all their own, but Achilles himself suggests that he would die from old age if he were to return home (9:502-505). In this weakness of the flesh they differ from the immortal gods, who cannot die from natural causes. Nevertheless, the gods share the imperfections of man: disloyalty, deceit, anger, and even lust. They see themselves as above man, and yet their actions are often as selfi...

    Read More

  • The Theme of Death in Poetry

    829 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Theme of Death in Poetry Robert Frost and Emily Dickinson are two Modern American Poets who consistently wrote about the theme of death. While there are some comparisons between the two poets, when it comes to death as a theme, their writing styles were quite different. Robert Frost’s poem, “Home Burial,” and Emily Dickinson’s poems, “I felt a Funeral in my Brain,” and “I died for Beauty,” are three poems concerning death. While the theme is constant there are differences as well as similarities between the poets and their poems. The obvious comparison between the three poems is the theme of death.

    Read More

  • Homer’s Iliad – Searching for Meaning in Tragedy

    1807 Words  | 4 Pages

    Death is a great wave whose shadow falls upon the lives of all beings below Olympus. Amidst this shadow and its immediacy in war, humans must struggle to combat and metaphysically transcend their transitory natures. If they fail to forge a sense of meaning for themselves and their people in what often seems an inexorably barren world, they are lef...

    Read More

More about Death Motif Of Death

Open Document