Analyzing the Fall of Phaethon

Michelangelo’s two presentation drawings, Fall of Phaethon, were constructed in 1533 for his male lover Tommaso de’ Cavalieri (Huges). Their relationship was “acknowledged” by “ Michelangelo’s immediate circle” and “the papal court.” These two presentational drawings were just one of the conventional exchanges of gifts between the two lovers. The two presentation drawings were not completed at the same time. The one with black chalk on grey paper was the first draft. The larger one on white paper was highly finished after Michelangelo received Cavalieri’s comments. To show how Michelangelo dealt with the myth of Phaethon in his two drawings of the scene, this essay will compare the scene Michelangelo adapted to its original text and the difference between the two drafts.

The fall of Phaethon originated from Book Two of Ovid’s Metamorphosis. Phaethon is the son of the Sun god Phoebus, who promised Phaethon anything to testify their parent child relationship. Phaethon insisted to drive his father’s chariot regardless of his father’s warnings. In response, Phoebus, while not able to break his promise, accepted his son’s reckless request. Unfortunately, Phaethon fell from the chariot and caused chaos on earth, and Jupiter responded by shooting a lightening bolt to him to death. At the end, Phaethon’s sisters turned into trees and his cousin turned into a swan as a punishment on their sympathy towards the reckless boy.

Each draft of The Fall of Phaethon contains three vertical sections, which represent three moments in Metamorphosis. The top section depicts the moment when Jupiter is preparing to throw the lightening bolt from the sky. The middle section depicts the subject matter of Phaethon and the horses falling from the chariot w...

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...e who manages clouds in the sky.

Overall, Michelangelo used a reason-and-effect order to present a tragic moment. To meet Cavalieri’s suggestion, he made addition and subtraction to produce to final drawing, which result in a better sense of balance, movement, efforts, and emotions. His choice of The Fall of Phaethon, which is the turning point of the story in Ovid’s Metamorphosis, possibly echoes his pessimism towards his love relationship with Cavalieri. Michelangelo may use the story of Phaethon as a metaphor of his situation as a man who overreaches something that is prohibited. Phaethon’s death caused by the authority Jupiter could possibly be an allegory of the consequence to Michelangelo since we know that the papal authority acknowledges his relationship with Cavalieri. Michelangelo might be worried since in the fall of Phaethon’s relatives are implicated.