Ovid Metamorphoses Titian Perseus and Andromeda

Ovid Metamorphoses Titian Perseus and andromedaAs a painting, Perseus and Andromeda (Plate 3.6) brush aside non declaim the events in the same way as Ovids text, except instead captures the act of Perseus fight with the sea monster. Titians painting could be analyseed a translation of Ovids rime insomuch as the key elements of Ovids romance remain it is au thustic in its representation and in that location are liberal correspondences between the two pieces to exploit it exhaust that Ovids Metamorphoses is Titians original source. Having said that, Titian turnd Perseus and Andromeda for a special(prenominal) individual and purpose, in the manner of other Renaissance artists, and, it was int finaleed to be viewed in concert with the rest of the Poesie (Gould), so the painting could be set forth as a hybrid, or even a refiguration of the Ovidian legend.The painting shows Andromeda chained to a rock, her vulnerable pose contrasting plainly with Perseus powerful lunge. The re is no mention in Ovids text of either Perseus or Andromedas clothing, except for Perseus sandals Titian has respect Ovids work in this aspect, giving Perseus his winged sandals instead of the Pegasus that other artists baffle favoured. Andromedas nakedness in the painting symbolizes her innocence and vulnerability, characteristics likewise sh avow in Metamorphoses (Ovid 670-675), and also reflects the Renaissance culture in which the painting was produced. Gould quotes Titians letters to Philip II as evidence of the erotic aspect of Andromedas nudity, particularly when considered with the other poesia. (Gould) This nudity, when taken together with the bright colours apply for Perseus clothing, places the emphasis clearly on the soon-to-be parallel our eyes are immediately drawn to the helpless girl awaiting deliver by her hero. Ovid also seems to highlight the heros fight, dedicating al to the highest degree a third of the in force(p) memorial to it. Titian parts from hi s source however, by consigning Andromedas parents to the background, if in fact, they appear at all in the extreme right background, a city is visible, and on the shore, a group of people it is not clear however, whether this group includes her parents, or are those mentioned towards the end of Ovids report (Ovid 735). Titian again follows the Metamorphoses with his inclusion of what appear to be shells and coral at Andromedas feet. The shells presumably represent the Nereids and are a monitoring device of the reason for Andromedas fate, objet dart the coral recalling Ovids allegorical description of its creation (Ovid 740-753). The rest part of Ovids biography, Perseus sacrifices to the gods, does not appear in Titians painting. This may be scarce because, in concentrating on Perseus fight with a sea monster, the painting necessarily captures a seascape and the sacrifices that Ovid describes occur on land.In my opinion, Titians representation of Perseus and Andromeda is s ympathetic to his source and invokes the excitement of Ovids own words. The Renaissance representation reflects rough of Ovids more misogynistic elements. My neertheless criticism of the Titian piece is the get wind of Perseus, who seems to me to be falling, not fighting. Personally, this gives the painting a comic aspect that Im sure the artist had not intended and detracts from Ovids own emphatic congress of the legend.Part 2 (75 marks) bring out an essay of not more than 2,000 words on the following.In what ways does Ovid manipulate a myth in order to highlight his report of metabolism? Do you consider that this technique can lessen the myths encroachment and coherence at times? Answer with reference to a specific mythic narrative in Metamorphoses.Ovids epic poem brings together a compendium of casterly unrelated myths connected by a vernacular theme metamorphosis. The shimmys described by Ovid usually occur as a result of love or lust, consensual or otherwise, and are ofttimes used to explain the origins of particular animals, plants or indispensable phenomena. Since Ovid wrote his Metamorphoses, it has often been used as a source of myth, however, when compared to other sources, it is clear that Ovid manipulated the myths, displaying his knowledge of the myths and unite and separating them into newborn forms to suit his own agenda. Of course, it is the nature of myth that they should be moulded and transform in each retelling, and this is evidenced in the extant works of the Grecian tragedians. Ovid is, at times, faithful to his sources, but at others, he appears to delight in his enjoyment of the traditional myths.Ovids chosen theme of break is not solo seen explicitly within the myths, for showcase in Arachnes mutation into a bird of passage (Ovid 6.140-145), but also implicitly in Ovids own transformation of the legitimate version of the myths in the classical world. Homer or Hesiods treatment of myth is serious and deliberate, revealing much about the gods destructiveness, unpredictable moods, loves, and personal vendettas, coming into court to define the authors perceptions of life itself. While the events may be dramatic, irrational or even comical, they are presented as serious perceptions on the way things are. new(a) readers can understand how such(prenominal) tales would explain things such as lifelike phenomena or the existence of certain creatures. Ovids Metamorphoses however, appears to be primarily a collection of stories for the sake of entertainment and Ovids own fame. Whilst some of the myths retain their didactic elements, for example, Teiresias prognostic that Narcissus would live a long life so long as he never knows himself (Ovid 3.348), others appear to simply emphasize the gods desire to punish, for example Dianas punishment of Actaeon (Ovid 3.139-252). In fact, this change in attitude to the myths in the remotion of some of the moral significance can also be described as a metamorp hosis. Ovid also includes other transformations in his epic poem, such as transformations in human culture or in the natural world. Ovid highlights his theme throughout the Metamorphoses, emphasizing that everything changes, and that in fact, is the only constant (Ovid 15.176-452).The transformation of Narcissus is one of the best-known of the Greek myths and has inspired writers and artists for oer two railyard years. There are several extant versions of the myth the most well-known(a) of these is Ovids version, found in Book III of his Metamorphoses (completed 8AD). Until recently, scholarly persons assumed that Ovids version was the earlier however an earlier version was discovered among the Oxryynchus papyri prompting Dr Benjamin Henry, the Oxford scholar who discovered the poem, to claim that the myth was altered by Ovid to broaden its conjure up (Keys). This version, attributed to the poet Parthenius of Nicaea, is thought to have been composed some 40 years out front Ovids version, and ends with Narcissus committing suicide. Conon, a contemporary of Ovids, tells the same myth in his Narrations and like Parthenius, ends it with Narcissus suicide, while Pausanias later version has Narcissus fall in love not with himself, but with his twin sister (Jacoby).Conons version is a more moral telling of the myth that sees Narcissus punished by the gods for his pride and vanity. The young man Aminias omit in love with Narcissus, and, like his fellow suitors was spurned by him, so took his sword and killed himself by the door, calling on the goddess cuss to avenge him. (Atsma) As a result of Nemesis curse, Narcissus fell in love with a reflection of himself in a stream, and in despair and guilt over his treatment of Aminias, Narcissus killed himself. That his death was more brutal than that portrayed in Ovids Metamorphoses is clear in Conons claim that From his blood sprang the flower. (Atsma)Ovids version of the myth begins with Teiresias prophecy that Narcis sus should never know himself (Ovid 3.348), and then digresses with the tale of utter. noise, cursed by Juno for helping Jupiter to secrete his adultery, was only able to repeat the words she heard at the end of a sentence and never reply for herself (Ovid 3.369). When she saw Narcissus hunting in the woods, she, like many others before her, fell in love with him and followed him, retell his last words in an attempt to communicate with him. When finally, feels encouraged enough by his words We must come together (Ovid 3.386) to show herself, he rejects her harshly, Hands off May I die before you bang my body This is an ironic choice of words give his imminent demise, and Ovid is manipulating the olfactory modality here to reflect his earlier description of Narcissus as problematic and royal (Ovid 3.353). Echo was left ashamed and broken-hearted, eventually wasting away until only her voice, an echo, remained. The connection between Echo and Narcissus appears to be Ovids ow n invention since there are no earlier accounts that link the two characters. Ovids departure from the authorized narrative enables him to include two further metamorphoses in this poem. The premiere of these occurs when, in her anger, Juno transforms Echo from the crafty nymph with a prattling tongue (Ovid 3.367) to a unworthy creature (Ovid 3.374) who could only repeat others words, the second when Narcissus rejection of Echo triggers her further transformation into a unsullied voice (Ovid 3.359).The inclusion of Echo in the Narcissus narrative may not have been usual in Ovids time, but my first reading of the Narcissus myth was in Ovids Metamorphoses, so for me, the two characters have become truly interlinked. I am not inclined to pity Narcissus, so for me, the Echo story heightens the tragic timbre of the full narrative. Without the inclusion of Echo, the Narcissus myth becomes simply a story of a proud, arrogant boy acquiring his comeuppance, but Echos story invites compas sion and even a desire for justice. unneurotic with the additional opportunities for metamorphoses that her story provides, Ovids inclusion of Echo as a new part of the Narcissus myth was in my opinion, inspired, and resulted in a more cause story.With his metamorphoses of Echo complete, Ovid returns the focus to Narcissus at the appeal of one of his scorned admirers (Ovid 3.404), Nemesis curses Narcissus to fall in love and never obtain his desire (Ovid 3.405). We then encounter the first of Narcissus transformations the change from thirsting for water to thirsting for himself. Another transformation is Narcissus own character, changing from an arrogant youth with a heart so hard and proud (Ovid 3.354) through love to an anguished youth who welcomes death as an end to his heartache. Ovid subtly alludes to these more implicit transformations that infuse his Metamorphoses.Of course the most explicit transformation of the Echo and Narcissus story is Narcissus own transformation int o the narcissus flower. This is the approach of the myth, the realisation of the theme of metamorphosis. Narcissus metamorphosis is the result of his pride, vanity, and his treatment of his admirers as he rejected others, he is rejected by himself, becoming both the cause and object of unrequited love. stock-still in death, Ovid suggests that his arrogance continues as he crossed the Styx to ghostly Hades, he gazed at himself in the river (Ovid 3.504). Ovid builds the suspense of the transformation itself bit-by-bitly, not revealing the outcome until the final line in the narrative The body, however, was not to be found only a flower with a trumpet of gold and pale white petals (Ovid 3.510). The fact that the narrative ends with the resulting metamorphosis illustrates Ovids desire to highlight his theme. Ovid uses metamorphosis to explore the social and cultural ramifications of the events in his poem, for example, Narcissus harsh treatment of Echo resulted in her transformatio n into a mere voice (Ovid 3.359) Echo essentially lost herself to love.Gildenhard and Zissos believe that the poetic form of Metamorphoses is interrupted by the story of Narcissus, claiming that this confirms that the inclusion of this myth was an afterthought that Ovid mat up was necessary to verify Teiresias prophecies. They believe that the Narcissus myth is a replacement for the Oedipal figure that would be expected at this point in the Theban books, quoting Hardies comments that backside the Narcissus story there hovers the figure of the Sophoclean Oedipus, the glaring absence from the narrative bulge of Ovids Theban books, Metamorphoses 3 and 4, but a ghostly presence in much of the drama of blindness, sight, and insight, particularly of the third book. (Gildenhard and Zissos 3) Their essay explores the intertextuality between Sophocles Oedipus genus Tyrannus and Ovids Narcissus myth, claiming that Oedipus and Narcissus emerge as thematic mirror reflections of each other ( Gildenhard and Zissos 13). Gildenhard and Zissos argue that Ovids inclusion of Narcissus over Oedipus stems from a desire to concentrate on the members of Cadmus family, and that Oedipus tale would not have lent itself easily to inclusion within the tight-knit patterning of Cadmus daughters and nephews (Gildenhard and Zissos 17). However, in my opinion, the story of Echo and Narcissus is simply more appropriate to Ovids chosen theme. Even if Ovid did include it as an afterthought, or a way of proving Teiresias prophecies, he does so in such a way that it amplifies his metamorphosis theme.The story of Echo and Narcissus is one of my favorite classical myths, and also inspired one of my favourite paintings Salvador Dalis Metamorphosis of Narcissus. The tragedy, the anger and the justice of the myth come together with the transformations of the characters to produce a captivating story. The freshness and originality with which Ovid presents a well-known tale engender it uniquely Ov idian. His writing is vivid and the story moves quickly, and whilst some may consider the inclusion of Echo a digression, the narrative still flows. In my opinion, Ovids manipulation of some of the key elements of the myth helps to enhance it further. The Parthenius and Conon versions of the myth that end in the suicide of Narcissus lack the poetic justice of Ovids slow decline. In Ovids versions of the myth, Narcissus gradual fading away mirrors Echos demise, and in this way, once again highlights Ovids theme of metamorphoses. When Narcissus is dying, he is not concerned about the world around him, about food, confuse or sleep he takes his last breath by the characterization he has fallen in love with but can never obtain (Ovid 3.405), and so dies alone, without love. Ovids masterful handling of the narrative gives it an intensity that can be hard to find in retellings of classical myths, but Ovids Echo and Narcissus has stood the test of time and continues to inspire other write rs and artists even today.WORD deal 1829