Daphnis And Chloe Relationship

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In Daphnis and Chloe, there are twenty one instances of crying. Of the twenty one instances, it is Daphnis who is crying thirteen times. No other character cries more than twice, and for four of the eight occurrences of others crying, Daphnis is also crying. Chloe, Daphnis’s counterpart, cries only twice, even though she is two years younger than him. Of the eight characters who cry, five are male. Although it is noticeable that Daphnis cries far more than other characters, he is not weak or inferior because crying is not associated with fragility or femininity as it is today; instead, it is regarded as a regular and respected aspect of one’s life. Perhaps within the theoretical events, characters did cry more times, but it was not depicted: …show more content…

Although Daphnis is two years older than Chloe, he is less mature than her: he is prone to outbursts of crying and “[realized] what love meant” (29) some time after Chloe did. Therefore, he does not have the position of power and dominance men often have in the relationship, so he will not take advantage of or harm Chloe unlike the majority of men in the narrative attempt to. However, Daphnis is depicted as especially kindhearted because even though these other male characters do despicable things, they themselves are not despicable: Dorcon “[makes] a beast of himself” (32) and attempts to rape Chloe, but he saves Daphnis’s life; Pan chases a girl “with the intention of offering her violence” (65) but is revered and saves Chloe’s life. Even after Daphnis has sex and therefore attains the upper hand in the relationship, he still cries often and demonstrates sensitivity. He avoided having sex with Chloe despite his desires, “for he did not want her to scream at him as if he were an enemy, or cry as if she were hurt, or stream with blood as if he had murdered her,” (82) as he was told would happen. Daphnis loves Chloe and values her wellbeing over his personal sexual desire even though that is the opposite of what he has seen other men do throughout his life. His newfound higher status in the relationship is used instead for teaching and …show more content…

In the same vein that Daphnis, nor any other character, can control their tears, one cannot control how, when, with who, or if they fall in love. Love occurs suddenly to Daphnis and Chloe and comes on so strongly it is likened to a “strange disease” (31) from which they both “suffer[]” (28, 31). In fact, tears are considered an “immediately recogniz[able]...sign[] of love” (116); crying and love and inextricably linked. Daphnis cries so often because he is in love and this is the power love has over someone. When Daphnis refrains from having sex with Chloe in fear it will harm her, it is in contrast to the behavior he has seen displayed by other men because true love and care are instinctive, not taught. Even after having sex, Daphnis still cries numerous times because crying is not purely associated with youth and ignorance but is a common, innate practice, especially when one is in love. Daphnis’s “burst into tears” is regarded as what “lovers usually do” (88). Crying is natural in both senses: inherent, but also correlated to nature itself; at Dorcon’s funeral, “some pitiful moos were also heard from the cows...this...was the cows’ way of mourning for their departed herdsman” (40-41). If one is inclined to do the immoral thing, nature reminds them of goodness: Lamon’s first instinct when he finds

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