Ovid's Metamorphose

412 Words1 Page
bulb-icon

Recommended: Ovid's theme of transformation in metamorphosis

In his Symposium, Plato offers a different version of the story of Orpheus and Eurydice. In his account, Orpheus is depicted as a wimp rather than a lover. In Ovid’s Metamorphoses, when Orpheus is heart-wrenched over the loss of his love, he mourns her death by playing music so beautifully it moves the gods, leading Hades to invite Orpheus to the Underworld. There, he is offered a deal: if he walks back out of the Underworld to the land of the living without looking back to see if Eurydice is following him, they can both stay alive together. However, if he turns around, she will be pulled back to the Underworld and stay there. Sadly, Orpheus turns around towards the very end, unable to continue without seeing his love. Thus, in this version, Eurydice dies a second time and stays in the Underworld without Orpheus. Plato, however, takes a very different path. Rather than mourning the …show more content…

Orpheus not being a musician (due to Plato’s supposed hatred of music) both changes the course of the story and removes the romantic element from which inspiration can be drawn from; in Ovid’s account, Orpheus and Eurydice’s love was so strong that a mortal moved the gods to award him the opportunity to save the soul of his loved one from the depths of the Underworld. Plato crushes those romantic thoughts by not making Orpheus a musician, stripping a major component of his identity. Without the music, Orpheus is but a man who loves a woman. The development of Plato’s version is not very inspiring: his supposed love with Eurydice was rubbish, with him not even willing to take his own life in order to be reunited with her. Whereas Ovid presents Orpheus as a hero of sorts, Plato offers him up as a pathetic poser, unworthy of Eurydice. Ultimately, with the grim ending of Plato’s account of the Greek myth, it can be said that Plato’s version is hopeless and depressing in comparison with Ovid’s more positive

Show More
Related

  • The Lord Of The Rings: Human Action Myth

    702 Words  | 2 Pages

    Furthermore, Ovid illustrates fate as a concept that not only supports the powers of the Gods, but also challenges it. The readers view many cases in which mortals suffer horrible fates due to the passion of the Gods. Thus, they pray to the Gods to escape or go opposite of their already destined fates quite similar to how Frodo did when he was given the opportunity to destroy the One Ring (the “Mount Doom” scene in the film), but could not. This sort of opposition to fate due to uncontrollable forces can be seen with the mythological roles of Hercules, as well as Orpheus in the sense of how either one of them are recognized for their accomplishments and success.

    Read More

  • Contrasting the Black Orpheus Film and the Greek Myth of Orpheus

    1246 Words  | 3 Pages

    The first factor that is different is Orpheus has a girlfriend before he ever meets Eurydice. His girlfriend, Mira, is very controlling of him. She is very jealous after he meets Eurydice at the depot, but he does not even ask her name. When Orpheus and Mira go to the registry to get a marriage license, the clerk asks if Mira is Eurydice based on the myth and upsets her. As they enter the registry, Mira is telling Orpheus to do certain things to look nice, while another woman is helping her man fix his tie. This shows how controlling she is. Orpheus asks if Mira got what she wants as they leave the registry, but she wants something else. To celebrate the engagement, Mira wants Orpheus to buy her a ring, but he has to use his money to get a guitar he had on reserve. Then Mira just wants him to pick out the ring and she will loan him the money, but he doesn’t have time, so she buys an expensive ring while he gets his guitar. Orpheus is like a caged bird with Mira because she keeps ...

    Read More

  • Sympathy For Io In Ovid's Metamorphoses

    532 Words  | 2 Pages

    There were two major rape narratives in the Metamorphoses: one in Book I, when Jupiter rapes the nymph, Io; and one in Book II, when Jupiter rapes Diana’s follower, Callisto. After the first instance, Ovid sympathizes considerably with Io. First, he addresses her with the title “fleeing girl” (Ovid 9), which gives her the characterization of being innocent and unwilling towards Jupiter. In addition, after the rape, Io is turned into a heifer then taken away from her home to be kept in captivity by Argus, which makes the readers sympathize with her because she is being held against her will for being the victim of rape. Lastly, Ovid conveys sympathy for Io when she looks into a river and sees that she is a heifer and becomes “terrified of herself”

    Read More

  • The Film Black Orpheus and the Myth of Orpheus and Eurydice

    1257 Words  | 3 Pages

    The story of Orpheus and Eurydice is one that has been passed down through generations for thousands of years. Almost every generation has heard a rendition of how Orpheus and Eurydice fall in love with one another and are eventually parted by death. I say rendition because this myth is passed on by word of mouth, which in return causes the story to change depending on the story teller. This may also have a great deal to do with the different interpretation people form about the story. Black Orpheus, directed by Marcel Camus in 1959, is an interpretation or modern rendition of the Greek myth, Orpheus and Eurydice. Although this film does not adapt the literal meaning of the Greek myth in every scene, I do believe that many scenes adopt the symbolic nature of the film, particularly the decent to the underworld.

    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

  • Comparing the Film Black Orpheus and the Original Greek Myth

    1362 Words  | 3 Pages

    The characters in the movie, Black Orpheus, are significantly altered from the Greek myth. In the myth, Orpheus and Eurydice are together from the beginning and are completely in love. Everyone is happy for their love and the only thing that stands in their way is death. In the movie, however, this is notably changed. Orpheus begins as a streetcar conductor that was engaged to Mira, giving the idea that Orpheus was in love with another woman. We quickly see that this is not the case as Orpheus is always very curt and rude with his fiancée. They are slated to get married, but there is an eerie feeling in the air that something is about to go wrong.

    Read More

  • Ovid's Metamorphoses

    336 Words  | 1 Pages

    Ovid's metamorpheses........The claim of irresistible impulse is a defense in some jurisdictions. The irresistible impulse tests asks if, at the time the crime was committed, a mental disease or disorder prevented the defendant from controlling his or her behavior.

    Read More

  • Oedipus the King: The Tragic Flaws Of Oedipus

    1052 Words  | 3 Pages

    The great Sophoclean play, Oedipus Rex is an amazing play, and one of the first of its time to accurately portray the common tragic hero. Written in the time of ancient Greece, Sophocles perfected the use of character flaws in Greek drama with Oedipus Rex. Using Oedipus as his tragic hero, Sophocles’ plays forced the audience to experience a catharsis of emotions. Sophocles showed the play-watchers Oedipus’s life in the beginning as a “privileged, exalted [person] who [earned his] high repute and status by…intelligence.” Then, the great playwright reached in and violently pulled out the audience’s most sorrowful emotions, pity and fear, in showing Oedipus’s “crushing fall” from greatness.

    Read More

  • Hesiod’s Theogony

    1326 Words  | 3 Pages

    Hesiod’s Theogony has transcended generations, delivering to vast audiences the traditional stories of the Greek gods as well as ancient Greek conceptions of the world. One particularly well known aspect of the Theogony, the section that tells the tale of Prometheus, is unique in that it has little intrinsic worth; its value is in its ability to enhance other stories and conceptions. Across the globe, people know well the story of the one who deceived Zeus and stole fire for man, but few recognize its role in Hesiod’s work as a whole. The story of Prometheus serves two primary purposes for Hesiod and his audience. First, it solidifies Zeus’s position as king of the gods, providing one of the first characterizations of his temperament, and second, it serves as a mode of explanation for those evils in the world which plague mankind.

    Read More

  • The Myth of Eurydice

    1154 Words  | 3 Pages

    As the play begins, the dialogue between Orpheus and Eurydice reveals that the two are definitely very affectionate toward each other. As Orpheus explains his song he has written for Eurydice, he tells her, “your hair will be my orchestra and – I love you.” It is apparent that the two are very fond of one another and wish to spend every moment in each other's arms. However, their love is not perfect; Orpheus appears to value his music more than his lover. When asked what he is thinking about, Orpheus simply replies “music.” He is constantly thinking of music, hearing music, writing music. He once tells Eurydice he is thinking of her, but shortly after admits, “and music.” Eurydice is not oblivious to Orpheus's love for music, and this sometimes upsets her. The first scene shows how different the two characters really are; Orpheus loves music while Eurydice enjoys reading books. However, they are still madly in love with one another. The opening scenes of the play set a beautiful stage for an imminent tragedy.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Myth By Natasha Trethewey

    869 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the story of Orpheus and Eurydice, the two get married but Eurydice quickly perishes. Overcome with grief Orpheus convinces Hades to let him bring back Eurydice to the world of the living. He agrees but on one condition; Eurydice has to walk behind Orpheus and he cannot look back to see if she's following. Orpheus agrees, but when the couple are just about to leave Erebus, Orpheus looks back to see his lover. With a final "Farewell" Eurydice

    Read More

  • Analysis of King Midas and the Golden Touch

    1396 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Editors of Encyclopædia Britannica. "Orpheus (Greek Mythology)." Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica, n.d. Web. 30 Mar. 2014.

    Read More

  • Homer's Odyssey as a Moral Epic

    2530 Words  | 6 Pages

    A large number of the works of ancient poetry and literature have been said to carry a moral undertone. Homer's 'Odyssey' is no exception. This essay explores the moral positions that the poem seems to adopt. Subsequently, it will show that while the 'Odyssey' is indeed a moral epic, the moral position of the main characters themselves, namely Odysseus and the Gods, can, at times, be questionable.

    Read More

  • Comparing Oedipus and Job

    1014 Words  | 3 Pages

    An interesting and important aspect of this Greek notion of fate is the utter helplessness of the human players. No matter the choice made by the people involved in this tragedy, the gods have determined it and it is going to come to pass. T...

    Read More

  • Transformations in Ovid's Metamorphosis

    1371 Words  | 3 Pages

    Transformations from one shape or form into another are the central theme in Ovid's Metamorphoses. The popularity and timelessness of this work stems from the manner of story telling. Ovid takes stories relevant to his culture and time period, and weaves them together into one work with a connecting theme of transformation throughout. The thread of humor that runs through Metamorphoses is consistent with the satire and commentary of the work. The theme is presented in the opening lines of Metamorphoses, where the poet invokes the gods, who are responsible for the changes, to look favorably on his efforts to compose. The changes are of many kinds: from human to animal, animal to human, thing to human, human to thing. Some changes are reversed: human to animal to human. Sometimes the transformations are partial, and physical features and personal qualities of the earlier being are preserved in mutated form.

    Read More

More about Ovid's Metamorphose

Open Document