History of English Literature

The Transformation of Daphne
1.Ovid uses the theme of Cupid’s Revenge in this story is by telling that cupid took revenge on Apollo because he Ridiculed Cupid’s Power. Apollo, who had successfully killed python, a legendary sea serpent, mocked him by saying: “O, Silly Youngster”.”What are you doing with such weapons? Those are for grown-ups!” ”The torch, my boy, is enough for you to play with to fear love-fires burning.” It raised Cupid’s anger and wanted to take revenge on him. He shot Apollo using his golden and sharp arrow, so that he fell in love with Daphne. He also shot Daphne using blunt arrow to drive all love away from Daphne. It made Apollo follow her everywhere and ask her to be his wife. But she was afraid of him. Moreover, she didn’t want to get marry with anyone. She chose to be a laurel tree. So, Apollo only can have the laurel tree, not Daphne.
2.The qualities that were traditionally associated with Apollo are…
Never fail in wounding beast or mortal
Lord of Delphi
Jove’s son
Revealer of past, present, and future
God of song, poetry, athletes, and healing
3.The illustrations that shows the readers divine beings are capable of human emotions :
God had a feeling of love, ex: Apollo loved Daphne. The evidence is “Apollo loves at first sight, he wants to marry Daphne, he hopes for what he wants.”
Arrogant, ex: Apollo was too proud of himself. The evidence is “You don’t know it is you run away from. I am lord of Delphi…”, “I never fail in wounding beast or mortal, and not so long ago I slew python”.
Angry, ex: Cupid was angry at Apollo. The evidence is “Your bow shoots everything, Apollo may be. But mine will fix you. You are far above all creatures living, and by just that distance your glory less than mine.”
The illustrations that show the limits of God’s power:
Apollo who loved Daphne, but she did not love him
Diane, the virgin Goddess love Apollo, but he did not love her
Daphne turned into a laurel tree.

4.Traditional symbolic of laurel tree :
Green
Shining

The traditional symbolic of laurel tree are described in the last two paragraph. The writer says, “When her limbs grew numb and heavy. Her breaths…her shining.” Apollo says,” Let the laurel be green and shining..”

The Flight of Daedalus and Icarus

1.The tyrant in the story is king Minos. He controlled earth and ocean. So, the citizens, including Daedulus must ask his permission if they wanted to pass through his authority area. For his own sake, he also did not let Daedulus and Icarus, his son, to leave the island. Because he was an asset for Minos.
2.Things that foreshadow the ending :
Daedalus made wings from feathers and wax
He and Icarus escaped from the island by flying through the air and using the wings.
On the sky, Icarus flied too high
The Bonds of the Icarus wings were loosened, the fastening melted, her /his moving arms held in the desert of air.
The wax was gone
Icarus fell down to the sea.

The poet makes sure that the readers emotions are aroused by telling chronologically the process of how Icarus fell down to the sea.
The strongest emotion at the end is tragic
3.In this story, there are some actions that symbolize something, such as :
The action when Daedalus wanted to go back Athens, his homeland, can be seen as the presumptuous pride of humans. He did it because he was so proud of his homeland.
The action when Icarus fell down from the sky shows the rashness or impetuosity of heedless youth. Because he flied too high, the bonds of the wings were loosened and the wings were gone. So, he fell down to the water/ses. His heedless had caused his death.
The action when Daealus created wings using feathers and wax shows the Boundless of human inspiration. So, human can make everything he wants, based on what his mind thinks about something.

Orpheus and Eurydice in the underworld

1.Orpheus was a singer and a poet. There, he used poetical words and music in begging. Hades to bring Eurydice, his wife, back to the world with him. His words and his music really touched other people, so did Hades and Persephone, Hades wife. They could feel what Orpheus felt: grief, the power of love, his strength, from his words and his music. That was why Hades not Persephone had harshness to refuse him. To take Eurydice back. The Evidence :
“And with his words, the music,
Tantalus tried no more to reach the water,
And Syphus…The furies weft..
Neither the king not the concord….him
And they called her, Eurydice.”
2.There are some illusions used by the writer to symbolized something, such as :
The allusion of Tantalus, who was a former king punished by hunger and thirst, can be found in the last paragraph, line 3, 4, 5. It is showed when Orpheus sat beside the bank, in filthy garments, and tears, without food for seven days, waiting for Eurydice
The allusion of Syphus, who had been condemned to endless fruitless labor, can be seen in the fact that Orpheus had to start from the beginning of his attempts to take Eurydice back to the above world. The reason was because he broke the condition.
The allusion of the furies, who were tormented and punished criminal, is showed when Orpheus broke the condition given by Hades. He had promised Hades not to turn back his gaze, or the gift would be in vain. It was proved when he had to get the fact of loosing Eurydice for the second time. It was his punishment of disobey Hades.
3.Orpheus was given a gift by Hades. Hades let Eurydice back to the world above, but with one condition. It was Orpheus must not turn back to look at her until they had safely arrived in the world above. Unfortunately, he broke it/disable the condition, finally, Eurydice disappeared, which meant she went back to the underworld.
4. I do not think that Hades was malicious or insincere in granting the wish of Orpheus because merely he canceled it. In underworld he was the leader, so he had rules in leading it, just like when he granted. Orpheus wishes with a condition. I believe that this was one of rules in underworld. So, he just followed the rule.
The evidence: “Neither the king nor consort had harshness to refuse him. And they called her, Eurydice….., with the new shades of hell. And Orpheus received her, but one term was set: he must not…..,or the gift would be in vain.”

* I think the poet does not want us to blame Orpheus for not observing the condition that had been imposed. We can see it from the language he uses. He does not use satirical language or harsh words in telling it, Just like in these sentences, “looked back in love and she was gone, in a moment.”
He also tries to be neutral in telling it, either blaming or standing up for Orpheus. There he tells that. Orpheus broke the condition, but he also tells how Orpheus loved his wife so much, so that he decided to look back to her. I think he lets the readers have their own opinion (blaming or thinking him right), not to persuade the readers. The evidence:
“When he, afraid that she might falter, eager to see her looked back in love-and she was gone, in a moment,”
“This privilege for my wife, one thing is certain: I do not want to go back either, triumph. In the death of two.”
“One thing, only: He loved her. He could hardly hear her calling: Farewell !! When she was gone.”
“In vain the prayers of Orpheus and his longing. To cross the river once more, the boatman…and tasting. No food whatever. Trouble, grief…he wondered on.”

* Of course, he wants the readers to get massages from the myth that above all powers humans have, there is the strongest power, God. If god wants something happens, then something happens, even the strongest human cannot prevent it. So, no matter how hard God’s rules. We must obey them, because it is for our own sake.