I admit right at the start of this exegesis that my focus will inevitably spiral into a strange sort of hybrid beast: a colligation of the topics pertaining to the authority and identity of mythological beings from Ovid’s Metamorphoses. In honor of the English language’s unique ability to employ paronomastic devices, I will endeavor to transmogrify one topic into the other and thereby allow the notions of both authority and identity (through Ovid’s mythological structure) to exist in a state of unadulterated symbiosis. Indeed, I am fully inclined to argue that the identity of an individual is often yoked to the amount of authority placed over that person’s life. Identity is largely molded through networks of interactions, and authority maintains …show more content…
Narcissus is so preoccupied with his own identity (or perhaps more specifically, his appearance) that he completely loses sight of others’ needs due to his self-absorption. Throughout the myth, Narcissus repeatedly spurns the advances of potential suitors. He is pathologically drawn to his own appearance or anything that resembles and imitates his own personality. The only voice that he finds pleasure in is Echo’s echo of his own. The first truly passionate reaction Narcissus expresses occurs only after he hears Echo mimic the tail end of his inquiry. The translation states that “Startled, he searched with his eyes all around the glade and loudly shouted ‘Come here!’” (111). Until this moment, Narcissus’s interactions with others are devoid of any emotive qualities. Only when the object of his fascination first tangibly reveals itself (his own voice) does he display any other emotion besides callous indifference. However, the moment Echo reveals herself, Narcissus plunges back into his loveless states and rejects her most severely with the acerbic proclamation of “ May I die before you enjoy my body” …show more content…
Narcissus is only delighted upon sensing an aspect of himself in another. In reality, the curse merely extends that aspect of Narcissus to an unbearable extent. This obsession with his personal being proves to be his undoing. Under the curse, Narcissus remains true to his identity. Even while pining in a wretchedly despairing manner, Narcissus states (rather pretentiously) that “It can’t be my looks or my age that makes you want to avoid me; even the nymphs have longed to possess me!” (114). Narcissus becomes so enamored with himself that he does not even seem to notice the absurdity of his love. Quite obviously, the image inside the pool is Narcissus’ own reflection, but he does not seem to understand that simple fact. Every moment he reaches into the pool to embrace his elusive lover, the image fades and distorts (much to his consternation). In fact, Narcissus becomes so delirious that he even states that “my pain is more since we are not divided by stretches of ocean, unending roads, by mountains or walls with impassable gates. All that keeps us apart is a thin, thin line of water” (114). Obviously, a thin line of water is not separating Narcissus from his reflection. In fact, much more than that is separating the “pair.” Acknowledging the fact that the reflection is merely an image, albeit pleasant, Narcissus will never be able to
As one of the most well known ancient Roman love poets, Ovid has demonstrated bountiful talents within his writing. When reading myths from his book titled Metamorphoses, you gain an enlightening insight of how he viewed mythology. To Ovid, love was the origin of everything. Therefore, it should not come as a surprise that most of his poems relate to the theme of love. However, not all poets are the same and every re-telling of a myth has its own unique perspective. In this paper I will compare and contrast the myth of Medea in Euripides Medea and Ovid’s Metamorphoses Book 7. I will then explain how Ovid’s approach to love and loss correlate to his general approach to myth as a whole. I will support my belief with evidence from Ovid’s Metamorphoses Book 14.
A narcissist is one who believes “he or she is ‘special’ and unique and can only be understood by, or should associate with, other special” people. They exploit others for their own advantage, lack empathy, and are “preoccupied with fantasies” or ideals that can be unrealistic. They believe they are the “primary importance in everybody’s life”. (“Narcissistic Personality”) Henry James’ theme in his short story, “The Beast in the Jungle”, is about a man, who is so egotistical and self-absorbed that he misses what life has to offer him, in particular, love, because of the narcissistic behavior he is doomed to live a life of loneliness and misery.
In trying to answer these questions, I am reminded of an aphorism my brother once shared with me that I've never forgotten: "There are two types of narcissism," he told me, "That of assuming one's experiences to be unique, and that of assuming one's experiences to be universal."
The society in which classical myths took place, the Greco-Roman society was a very patriarchal one. By taking a careful gander at female characters in Greco-Roman mythology one can see that the roles women played differ greatly from the roles they play today. The light that is cast upon females in classical myths shows us the views that society had about women at the time. In classical mythology women almost always play a certain type of character, that is to say the usual type of role that was always traditionally played by women in the past, the role of the domestic housewife who is in need of a man’s protection, women in myth also tended to have some unpleasant character traits such as vanity, a tendency to be deceitful, and a volatile personality. If one compares the type of roles that ladies played in the myths with the ones they play in today’s society the differences become glaringly obvious whilst the similarities seem to dwindle down. Clearly, and certainly fortunately, society’s views on women today have greatly changed.
The case that we will be looking at throughout this paper is that of ‘Joe’ (name changed to so that he/she may remain anonymous. Joe has what is diagnosed by clinicians as narcissistic personality disorder. According to the DSM – IV –TR, this is characterized by ‘a pervasive pattern of grandiosity (in fantasy or behavior), need for admiration and lack of empathy, beginning by early adult and present in a variety of contexts.’ The DSM lists nine criteria and Joe must exhibit 5 or more of them to be diagnosed with narcissistic personality disorder. The first one is Joe has a grandiose sense of self-importance. He is always assuring himself that his needs come before anyone else’s and that he should be recognized for all of his achievements, large or small, in his life. The second characteristic that Joe displays is being preoccupied with fantasies of unlimited success, power, and beauty. He believes that he is the most attractive male of all of his peers and strives to attract as many women as he can and to have a sexual relationship with all of them. He sees no flaws in himself and cannot begin to understand why every woman is not attracted to him. The third characteristic that Joe displays of narcissistic personality disorder is that he lives with a sense of entitlement. He believes that everyone should think the way that he does and the he has the answer to ever problem. The fourth characteristic seen in Joe is that he lacks empathy, showing now sense of understanding towards other’s sorrow. Lastly, Joe is
In this essay I will examine the war-of the-sexes taking place in The Eumenides, the final play of The Oresteia. The plot of The Eumenides pits Orestes and Apollo (representing the male gods and, to a certain extent, male values in general) against the ghost of Clytemnestra and the Furies (equally representative of female values.) Of more vital importance, however, is whether Athene sides with the males or females throughout the play.
Though not the focus of epic poetry, the female characters of this ancient genre play a central role, as they have a great influence on the male heroes they encounter. In a genre which idealizes manliness and heroism—that is, acts of courage, strength, and cunning— women are set in opposition to these ideals and therefore less respected. At the same time, women who attempt to take on more “masculine” roles are vilified. Here, antagonist is defined as anyone in opposition to the hero’s goals. Female agency—their free will and ability to wield power—is directly related to their role in epic poetry; that is, the more agency a female character has, the more antagonistic of a role she plays. This agency is often enacted through sexuality or supernatural
Through observation of symptoms and examination of life occurrences, it is clear that Mr. Z exhibits the characteristics of narcissism. He has a mother that relied upon him as her self-object throughout his childhood and into his early adult years. This provided conflict in that Mr. Z needed his mother as his own self-object, and due to her selfish role-reversal, he did not receive the mirroring necessary to develop a healthy, strong self-structure. S...
The depiction of the Greek and roman myths are given unique insights from different authors. The Hymn to Demeter and Ovid's Metamorphosis provide and insight to Demeter's love for her daughter, Persephone, and explores its affect on the surrounding environments. The theme of separation and isolation is present in both of these myths, however, in Ovid's Metamorphosis, he symbolizes the environment in important events, has characters playing different roles, and empowers female deities.
Willner, Dorothy. “The Oeduipus Complex, Antigone, and Electra: The Woman as Hero and Victim.”American Anthropologist, New Series, Vol. 84, No. 1. (Mar., 1982), pp. 58-78. JSTOR. http://links.jstor.com 6 Dec 2004.
Further, the context in which the myth was written must be taken into account when reading the story. Bronislaw Malinowski in his essay “The Role of Myth in Life” says that “The text, of course, is extremely important, but without the context it remains lifeless” (Malinowski 201). The context that needs to be addressed when reading the myth are the cultural and sociological components that surround a mythological text. This context, consisting of the understanding of the culture in which the myth exte...
The story Arachne is about a young, narcissistic girl named Arachne, meeting her match against a god named Athena. She is defeated and humiliated. She almosts commits suicide by how humiliated she is. She is stopped by Athena, but gets an unusual punishment. The story takes place in Ancient Greece, in a small town not known by a lot. The action begins when onlookers begin to watch Arachne weave in her loom room. They question how Arachne received that incredible skill without having any gifts from the gods. Arachne tells the onlookers that she learned this skill by herself, working night and day. She also challenges
Within the writings of Greek mythology women commonly display certain attributes that the Greek society associated with women or femininity back in the day. A common quality demonstrated amongst the women in Greek society, and more specifically in Greek mythology, is deception. Throughout the Greek literature discussed in class, women have commonly showed their deception and trickery in different ways and for numerous different reasons. The Odyssey, Theogony, and Homeric Hymm all displayed Greek women showing some form of deception within the stories and poems. These stories show various ways and reasons for Greek women being deceiving and disingenuous, reasons for which there needs to be more discussion.
Robbins & Judge (2009) describe narcissism as an individual “who has a grandiose sense of self-importance, requires excessive admiration, has a sense of entitlement, and is arrogant.” Poet Tony Hoagland brought up a valid observation in the textbook about the American culture
young Arachne becomes especially famous with her amazing weaving and spinning. But when Arachne becomes famous she becomes very rude and develops a bad attitude of hubris. She thinks that she is as good as all gods and goddesses. The daughter of Zeus, Athena listens to what Arachne is saying. Athena wants to disguise herself as a crone to warn Arachne about her hubris. Arachne does not listen to the wiseness of the crone and responds very rudely. Then Arachne proceeds to insult Athena. Athena reveals herself as a goddess and