In the city of Glome, they are suffering from droughts, plagues, and the fever. The priest of Ungit decides that they “must find the accursed”. Also, he mentions, “the brute has been seen again”; therefore, they must offer the “accursed” to the brute. When the King hears this he is scared for his own life, but he has no problem offering one of his three daughters. The priest then tells him that he is not the “accursed”, but Psyche, his youngest daughter, will be offered, for she is the “accursed”. With little or no fight, the king gives in to the idea. Psyche would have to offer herself to the brute to salvage the city, or better yet the king’s reign. This could make Psyche the greatest heroine in the city of Glome, for a heroine is a woman that goes out of her way to commit courageous acts and deeds.
Psyche is later confined to the “five sided room” until the morning when she is sacrificed. Orual manages to visit her in the room, thanks to Bardia’s leniency. In that moment, Psyche is so content with her future. It is as if she has no clue of her fate. At this time, a Christian could be sensing an illusion of the greatest hero of all, Jesus Christ. Like Psyche, he too was very content with what was to come. The morning came, from Orual’s perspective, she sees Psyche being escorted to the mountain dressed and painted. Psyche was both calm and content, although later we find she is drugged, as she walks up the mountain. After the sacrifice takes place, everything in Glome seems to change. Finally, rain to end the drought and “the Shennit was full again”. Some fields are beginning to grow crops and the “grass was reviving wonderfully”. It is as if she saved the city, for the fever is diminished, many cattle are saved, and the birds are coming back to Glome. Orual decides that she wants to retrieve the bones of Psyche and bring them back to the palace. She has Bardia take her up the mountain for she has yet to learn how to ride horseback. When they get to the mountain, they notice she isn’t there, but when Bardia discovers a ruby, Orual asks to look around. It is then that she discovers Psyche in the form of living flesh. This too can remind Christians of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Eupriedes, Medea and Sappho’s writing focus on women to expose the relationships between a variety of themes and the general ideal that women are property. The main characters in both pieces of literature demonstrate similar situations where love and sex result in a serious troll. These themes affected their relationship with themselves and others, as well as, incapability to make decisions which even today in society still affects humans. Headstrong actions made on their conquest for everlasting love connects to sacrifices they made to achieve their goal which ultimately ended in pain. Love and sex interferes with development of human emotions and character throughout the course
The epic poem Gilgamesh is the first heroic epic of world literature. The role of the primary mortal woman mentioned in it is only to benefit and please men, and with little or no consideration as to how she feels...
The tasks Venus require Psyche to perform are to separate the grains, get the precious wool from the fleeces, and to return with the box of beauty from Proserpina. As stated in the story, Venus said, “Take and separate all these grains into their proper parcels, and see that you get it done before evening.” The first task Venus ordered Psyche to do was to separate the wheat, barley, millet, beans, and lentils used to feed her pigeons. In addition, after Psyche performed this task with the help of the ants, Venus wanted Psyche to get the fleeces from the sheep. On page 1135, it said, “Venus ordered Psyche to be called and said to her, ‘Behold yonder grove which stretches along the margin of the water. There you will find sheep feeding without a shepherd, with
“Remember we are women, we’re not born to contend with men” (Sophocles, 18). The popular literary works, Antigone and A Doll’s House, written by Sophocles and Ibsen, are two famous tragedies that have been performed and read throughout the decades. Although countless audiences have been entertained by these well written plays, few would care to guess that many lessons and several unfortunate truths can be found with a less than tedious inspection of the characters and the reactions they give to their circumstances. The two main characters in these stories, Antigone and Nora, face adversities and problems that are amplified by their society’s views on the rights and abilities of women. The two main male characters in these plays, Creon and Helmer, cause the greater part of the struggle that the female protagonists face. The difficulties that Helmer and Creon create during the plot of these stories are the cause of three major characteristics of what one would consider typical to a headstrong man in a leadership position. The three features of Creon and Helmer that lead to the eventual downfall of Antigone and Nora, are pride, arrogance, and ignorance.
The book then talks about viewpoints of women, both real and those who face tragedy. Women during this time were very secluded and silent, but the heroines contradicted that. This chapter talks about the images of women in the classical literature in Athens, and the role they had in society. Many tragedies were ones that formed by mythes during the Bronze Age. It showed the separation in what made women heroic, rather than average. While viewing other Scholarly sourcese, Pomerory writes her own theory, she used others
In The Golden Ass, Lucius draws a strong parallel between the stepmother’s story and that of Meroe, the evil, old witch who kills Socrates when he tries to escape her lustful affections. The stepmother is metaphorically likened to a witch because doing so comments on the danger of a weak-natured woman who holds a position of power. Although no magical evils, such as the spells that Meroe casts upon Socrates, manifest themselves in the story of the stepmother, the emphasis on the unnatural transformation in her disposition and the perverse and sinful nature of her wanton affections symbolize her witchlike nature. The similarity between the two stories helps to fortify the connection between witches and women in a position of power, which ultimately condemns the latter while simultaneously upholding male legacy.
The heroine of this story is the fearless and honorable girl, Antigone. She acted more motherly than sisterly, always seeking honor and caring for her fallen family. The villain would be the king, Creon, who was increasingly more concerned about his own personal authority and welfare. He thought of himself as the supreme ruler over the city and felt that all people should obey him in all things, great and small, just and unjust. Only God, Himself, should have this honor!
Which is caused by the narrator having a male perspective. The narrator does not give the women and credit or redeeming qualities. All the women follow a general stereotype. If they tried to break away from the stereotype, they would me more important and influential characters. Paquette, a chambermaid in the Baron’s castle, is described as “a pretty and obedient brunette” (5). She is identified obedient not because of her job as a chambermaid, but because she is willing to exploit her soul and body to the men around the castle. In regards to the old woman, she doesn’t even have an actual name, which does not matter since is ugly and useless. The old woman has the mindset that she is; an object; a mistake; a disgrace. That her time has passed as a beautiful useful woman. All the rape and abuse has physically affected her and she is out of luck. In fact, she is lucky if men talk to her, or even look at her without
In the Antigone, unlike the Oedipus Tyrannus, paradoxically, the hero who is left in agony at the end of the play is not the title role. Instead King Creon, the newly appointed and tyrannical ruler, is left all alone in his empty palace with his wife's corpse in his hands, having just seen the suicide of his son. However, despite this pitiable fate for the character, his actions and behavior earlier in the play leave the final scene evoking more satisfaction than pity at his torment. The way the martyr Antigone went against the King and the city of Thebes was not entirely honorable or without ulterior motives of fulfilling pious concerns but it is difficult to lose sight of the fact that this passionate and pious young woman was condemned to living imprisonment.
The character of Antigone in Sophocles’ play, Antigone, is one of the most controversial tragic characters in classic literature. The war in her city has torn her family apart, caused the death of both her brothers, and created a reason for her to fight against the King, her uncle. Her uncle, Creon, makes a ruling that her brother, Polynices, is not to be buried because he is a traitor, but according to her religion, her brother’s soul will not go to the afterlife until he is buried. In defense of her brother, she buries his body illegally and is subsequently sentenced to death. With her complex patterns of thought, bold actions, and the end she encounters, the character of Antigone causes debate among critics as to whether or not Antigone is in fact a tragic heroine. She can be perceived as a martyred hero, dying for love and religion, or as a fanatic woman who lacks the ability to think rationally. The way in which Antigone’s role is interpreted can further help to interpret Sophocles’ view of women and politics. In taking the view that she is a hero who died for her beliefs, it shows that Sophocles was aiming to prove that women deserve to be treated as equals and as citizens of Greece.
The dilemma of identifying the true hero, or heroine, of Sophocles’ Antigone has tortured students for years. It is indeed a difficult decision to make. The basis for this decision is what the reader perceives to be Sophocles’ dramatic issue in this play. The dramatic issue of the play is twofold: Antigone is a fanatic who is driven by her religious fever to bury the body of her criminal brother, Polyneices, against the edict of Creon. In the second part, Sophocles shows how the new King Creon’s refusal to change his decision in the face of adversity is admirable, but at the same time his political morals end up destroying his family. His fall from grace is tragic, whereas Antigone's fall is welcome. In this manner, Sophocles sympathizes with Creon, and thus he becomes the hero of the Antigone.
With his chin rested upon his immaculate palm, Hypnos inquired, “My dear, what do you so desire to have awaken me with such sweet music?”
In Till We Have Faces, C. S. Lewis retells the myth of Cupid and Psyche from the point of view of Psyche's sister, with powerful insight into the nature of human affection and the relationship between human and divine. In the original myth, Psyche is the youngest of three princesses, so beautiful that men begin to worship her instead of Venus. The goddess avenges herself by commanding that Psyche be exposed on a mountain to die, but her son Cupid secretly rescues her, having fallen in love with her. He hides her in a palace where he visits her nightly, but he forbids her to see his face for fear of his mother. After a time Psyche is granted a visit from her sisters; seeing the splendor of her palace, they are jealous. They tell her that her "husband" must be some horrible monster, and they persuade her to disobey the god's command and light a lamp while he sleeps, to see if it is not so. This she does, but he wakes and rebukes her, and she goes into exile to be tested until worthy of her husband. Lewis's retelling makes the god's palace invisible to mortal eyes; thus Psyche's sister Orual, the narrator of the tale, can insist it is not jealousy but concern for Psyche that motivates her to act as she does. Told from Orual's point of view, the story shows her journey to self-discovery and understanding--her quest to find her face, for as she learns, the gods cannot "meet us face to face till we have faces"--until we know our own selves. Faces are thus a strong source of imagery and symbolism in the book. One's face is a reflection of one's soul and true character. It is, symbolically, one's identity. The faces of Orual and Psyche, of Ungit and her son the God of the Grey Mountain, give us insight into their ...
Even in today’s society, gender roles play a part in how people view the world. Although more important than the gender roles are the emotions that antagonize the psyche of the human. Medea shows how jealousy can lead to revenge and influence bad decisions and ruin or even end lives. Ironically, the decisions she makes to kill her children, leaves Jason helpless much like a Greek wife during this time. She removes the opportunity for him to voice his opinions, needs, and desires. This flip of traditional gender roles shows how gender roles are not a reliable way to view a society.
The two sisters of Psyche were envious when they learned that Psyche’s lover was the God of Love. The two sisters offered themselves as a replacement for Psyche by climbing a crag and casting themselves.... ... middle of paper ... ... Love knows no bounds.