The Greek God of love, Eros, was a symbol of romantic affection throughout Greek history. Different time periods depict Eros in a different light, as portrayed in Bridge’s poem in 1899 and Stevenson’s poem in 1990. Although both these works are an ode and appreciation for Eros, Bridges’ portrays him as a powerful and idyllic deity while Stevenson displays him as a worn mortal. In Bridges’ poem, the speaker uses diction with negative connotations to paint Eros as a revered and pure holy figure, a leader of humanity calling him the “Idol of the human race. (2) Bridges makes Eros seem detached from humanity, implying that he is so pure and otherworldly he is untouchable to mere mortals. He elevates Eros to such a revered standard, but also that
In Bridges’ poem “EPΩ∑”, more formal language is used to shine Eros in a more of a “god-like” light. The rhyme scheme of the poem is “AABB”, which is a traditional style, and matches with Bridges’ “traditional” depiction of a god. He praises Eros, calling him the “idol of the human race” and a “tyrant of the human heart.” The use of the word “tyrant” deviates from its normal context. It’s
In the poems, “EΡΩΣ” by Robert Bridges and “Eros” by Anne Stevenson both have similar yet distinct concepts of the God of love. “EΡΩΣ” describes the concept of love as being conflicted between humans view of Eros as the god of love and lust; where as Stevenson’s poem describes Eros as being bruised and beat up as a result of this constant misunderstanding by humanity. Thus, both poems are similar with their description of Eros’ constant struggles with human nature.
Stevenson and Bridges both begin Eros with a question, indicating the speakers’ desires to reach the god of love. But, the speaker in Bridges’s poem uses an apostrophe in his question, “Why hast thou nothing in thy face?” The question creates a distance between the god and the speaker, and reveals the mysterious nature of Eros. Bridges’ Eros is expressionless and inscrutable. In contrast, Stevenson’s speaker asks “for love” and is surprised by who shows up. She asks, “But help me, who arrives?” This question expresses her surprise and disappointment that Eros is ugly...
In classical Greek literature the subject of love is commonly a prominent theme. However, throughout these varied texts the subject of Love becomes a multi-faceted being. From this common occurrence in literature we can assume that this subject had a large impact on day-to-day life. One text that explores the many faces of love in everyday life is Plato’s Symposium. In this text we hear a number of views on the subject of love and what the true nature of love is. This essay will focus on a speech by Pausanius. Pausanius’s speech concentrates on the goddess Aphrodite. In particular he looks at her two forms, as a promoter of “Celestial Love” as well as “Common Love.” This idea of “Common Love” can be seen in a real life context in the tragedy “Hippolytus” by Euripides. This brings the philosophical views made by Pausanius into a real-life context.
In the Symposium, a most interesting view on love and soul mates are provided by one of the characters, Aristophanes. In the speech of Aristophanes, he says that there is basically a type of love that connects people. Aristophanes begins his description of love by telling the tale of how love began. He presents the tale of three sexes: male, female, and a combination of both. These three distinct sexes represented one’s soul. These souls split in half, creating a mirror image of each one of them. Aristophanes describes love as the search for the other half of your soul in this quote: “When a man’s natural form was split in two, each half went round looking for its other half. They put their arms around one another, and embraced each other, in their desire to grow together again. Aristophanes theme is the power of Eros and how not to abuse it.
The playwright claims that if we were to stumble again, as humans had done originally, we can expect a similar fate. As he explains, “There is fear, then, that if we are not orderly in our behavior to the gods, we shall be split again…”(193a). He revisits this moment in his myth to convey the idea that Eros also acts in conjunction with our faith towards the gods. Eros, a being who helps us to find happiness, also allows us to live cohesively with the Olympians, a process that seldom happens in the world. He is said to be “…our guide and general” (193b). In addition, Aristophanes states, “Let no one act contrary to Eros…for if we become friends and reconciled to the gods, we shall find out and meet with our own favorites, which at the moment few do”(193b). In these lines, the reader is able to realize that by following Eros, we are able to bring about our ancient nature while also appeasing the deities who rule over us. In Aristophanes’ final mention of the god, he claims, “…Eros… benefits us the most by leading us to what is our own…while we offer piety to the gods…and by his healing make us blessed and happy”(193d). We gather from this description, that it is Eros who helps us to be content mortals which altogether affirms that it is he who conducts us towards unification and
Athena was the virgin daughter of the great god Zeus and she was also one of the great
In "Eros" by Robert Bridges and Anne Stevenson show a different prospective of the Greek mythology god of love. Robert Bridges poem shows an admiration and idolization for Eros. Unfortunately, Anne Stevenson poem shows how Eros is being degraded by the human. Even though both poems are talking about Eros the ideas are drastically different, but the tone is similar, however, both use similar and different techniques to upbringing their poems.
Love, in classical Greek literature, is commonly considered as a prominent theme. Love, in present days, always appears in the categories of books, movies or music, etc. Interpreted differently by different people, Love turns into a multi-faceted being.
The Greek god of love, Eros, is seen in varying perspectives. To some, he is a powerful force that takes a leadership role in life. He is mighty and unwavering. To others, he is a servant of the people. One such concept of servitude is portrayed in the poem “Eros,” written by Anne Stevenson. Through the use of rhyme, alliteration, and other literary devices, Stevenson produces the reader with a clear image of a beaten god. Because of this, “Eros” can easily be approached with the formal critical strategy.
In the Aeneid, love is depicted as an uncontrollable emotion. Venus and Juno promote the romance between Dido and Aeneas. Dido, the queen of Carthage, begins to fall in love with Aeneas, even though she has vowed to her late husband that she would set her “face against marriage” (Virgil 975). Aeneas falls in love with Dido and remains with her in Carthage, even though he knows that he must continue his travel to Rome. Love is a passion which consumes the soul in spite of its will. It is an “inward fire” (Virgil 976). Juno arranges it so that Dido and Aeneas consummate their love in a cave during a storm. Again, mortals have little or no control over their loves. The gods are the ones who cause people to fall in love.
The visual images of Eros described in each poem convey a drastically different type of god. Robert Bridges depicts Eros as a perfect, unearthly being using metaphor, elated language, and formation of the poem. Bridges relates Eros to an “idol of the human race” (2), suggesting that he reins above the earthly beings of the planet in a god-like nature. The metaphor he uses to call Eros a “flower of lovely youth” (4) delivers the images of beauty and perfection to the god. Bridges continues using euphoric language by describing Eros with “exuberant flesh so fair” (7) as well as an “unchristen’d smile” (15) which emphasizes the impeccable and supernatural qualities of the deity. Bridges describes Eros “With thy exuberant flesh so fair / that only Pheidias might compare,” (7 -8). Bridges uses Pheidias, the Greek sculptor, to compare Eros to a statue, which is the ultimate form of everlasting flawlessness. The uniform rhyme scheme, as well as the shape of the poem, stanzas similar in length, provides a smooth rhythm that stresses the total flawlessness of Eros.
First, to get back on track, it is important to look at the three separate levels of love, and it would make sense to first look at eros. Eros is a romantic love, the kind of love one would have towards a beautiful object, or person. It is that sexual drive that is most apparent at the early stages of a relationship. This could be considered to be the first definition people would think of when questioned about the meaning of love. In fact in a more layman attempt at understanding eros one can think of the feeling one has during a crush, where a person’s affections are aimed at a single individual.
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.
The earliest literary embodiment of the Greek myths is in the poems of Homer. Here the tales appear in their simplest and most naïve form. The Gods are be...