Aphrodite Essay, Research Paper
The image that has been produced over time about the Goddess of Desire, the renowned Aphrodite, is one of a longhaired beauty, riding atop a scallop shell to bestow her beauteous wonders upon the mortal earth and Olympus. This is an icon of femininity and perfection, the most stunning of the already statuesque gods and goddesses. Doves and sparrows are her counterparts as is the sweet and playful Cupid in later Roman myths. However, this seemingly flawless picture of delicacy and sensual delights is far from perfect. In fact, when looked at a little more closely, the mien of Aphrodite becomes distorted, her beauty playing out to actually be her curse. In the next pages we will delve into the true nature of the Love Goddess, contemplate the source of her ‘deeds’ and then determine how high a pedestal she actually rests upon.
Perhaps it would be best to begin with the originating source of the goddess. She was not born to any parents but rather came into the universe in a very violent and grotesque manner. She was born from the sea foam surrounding the castrated genitals of Uranus. During a family spat, the agitated Cronus decided to sever his own father’s sexual organs. Certainly this explains the sensuality that was passed down to Aphrodite, as offspring from these disembodied objects. However, it also goes that while she is this emblem of beauty and passion that she should also be a symbol of violent aggression. As it becomes apparent in stories of her various acts and interactions with other gods, goddesses and mortals; Aphrodite is far from innocent. In fact she has the ability to be down right vindictive and cruel.
Perhaps one of the tell tale signs of this goddesses afflicted image is that her source of power comes from a magic girdle. Whenever she wears this girdle it is said that all who see her will fall in love with her. The girdle is not simply an item of clothing; rather it is one that produces an impression of restriction and manipulation. A girdle is worn to make a woman’s figure appear more curvaceous and virile, it is meant to produce attractiveness. Correspondingly, Aphrodite is known as an opportunist with very skillful techniques. However her tactics are commonly childish which can only be expected when her weapon is an undergarment.
Writes Stephen L. Harris and Gloria Platzner of California State University, “Aphrodite is variously redefined as a flirt who seduces men for the fun of it, as a mistress or lover, or as a whore. Consequently, she remains alluring, but her power is drastically diminished: in a world in which marriage is sanctified, she has no legitimate social place” (Harris & Platzner pg. 98). So it is such that despite an outward presence of incomparability, Aphrodite falls despite herself into the common role of the beautiful temptress. The nature of her myth is much in the same trend as the biblical figures of Jezebel, Delilah and perhaps even Eve. Her femininity is her flaw and her curse.
Perhaps it is unfair to put all of the blame on Aphrodite herself. After all mythical beings are designed to serve as a representation of the mortal race, only on a higher scale. The myth of Aphrodite, in the light of the symbol, is a statement on the calamity of the female race. That is to say that perhaps in the creation of this story the Ancient Greeks had in mind a bit of modern feminist theory. Throughout history Greek women were
among the most liberated, this being seen anywhere from the land and business owning Spartan women to the renowned women of Lesbos.
Perhaps we should look at the words of one of the earliest modern feminists, Mary Wollstonecraft – a celebrated female author in the 18th century – in attempts to distinguish something close to a middle ground. In her eminent essay, A Vindication of the Rights of Women, she writes:
“Women are, in fact, so much degraded by mistaken notions of female excellence, that I do not mean to add a paradox when I assert, that this artificial weakness produces a propensity to tyrannize, and gives birth to cunning, the natural opponent of strength, which leads them to play off those contemptible infantine airs that undermine esteem even whilst they excite desire” (Wollstonecraft pg.104).
There are endless examples of just this type of cunning and deception in Aphrodite’s history. One such depiction is in the story of the princess Smyrna; – in it the wife of King Cinyrus the Cyprian brags aloud that her daughter, the princess, is more beautiful than the goddess Aphrodite is. Out of her own jealousy and vanity Aphrodite causes Smyrna to have sex with her own father, the King, while he is in a drunken stupor. While the princess is still bearing the child, the King finds out about this folly and in a rage chases his own daughter, wielding a sword with intentions of killing her. Despite herself, the goddess takes sympathy and turns Smyrna into a myrrh tree, a historically aphrodisiac source. When the King splits the tree in half out comes the beautiful baby Adonis whom Aphrodite saves and turns over to the underworld goddess Persephone for safe hiding. Resultantly Persephone and Aphrodite both fall in love with the gorgeous mortal and have quite a scuffle to win his affections. In this story, even the sad and despondent Persephone joins in the cattiness (Graves pg.69).
But this is far from being the only story to depict the goddess Aphrodite in such an unprestigious manner. In fact she has affairs with many of the other gods of Olympus bearing quite a few children as a result. Despite the fact that Aphrodite was married to the lame Smith-God Hephaestus, she cheated on him time after time. Some of her other escapades were with the gods Hermes, Poseidon, Dionysus and many others as well as mortals. Not to mention that she is well known as the lover of the god of war, Ares. Her relationship to Ares is rather defining as both are depicted as passionate but without very sharp perceptions. Actually, both are generally portrayed as being down right slow and silly (Graves pg. 67).
In one barely mentioned but notable myth, Aphrodite even has a run in with the noble Athena. The Fates’ only function for the goddess Aphrodite was love making thus her single mindedness and rather redundant brand of stories. One day Athena discovered the goddess weaving affectedly on a loom. Feeling that the promiscuous goddess misused her craft, Athena made quite a ruckus and was ready to even denounce the act of weaving. As a result, Aphrodite ceased to weave and apologized with much earnestness to the goddess and never took up a weaving loom again. Because of Athena’s nature, this myth is not meant to be a story about competition between the two goddesses, but rather is a revealing moment that shows Aphrodite can only exist outside of the realm of domesticity. In fact, she can only wear the mask of lover and lovemaker, even despite her own wants.
In relation to the spectrum of power between the gods and goddesses, Aphrodite’s place falls rather low. Her actions are looked upon as prankish and trouble starting as she is later linked with the child Cupid. Her reputation becomes a bit of a joke between the male gods and the female goddesses generally disapprove of her. Her own ill matched husband acquired her from her adoptive father Zeus only because of material wealth, meaning that she is a goddess easily acquired by those who should have been her equal. Thus the seemingly powerful Love Goddess is actually relatively powerless.
Writes Wollstonecraft:
“[Women] have been drawn out of their sphere by false refinement, and not by an endeavor to acquire masculine qualities. Still the regal homage which they receive is so intoxicating, that till the manners of the times are changed, and formed on more reasonable principles, it may be impossible to convince them that the illegitimate power, which they obtain, by degrading themselves, is a curse . . .” (Wollstonecraft pg.107).
It seems that centuries later, and even later still, the myth of Aphrodite still prevails. Wollstonecraft seems to have hit the subject matter right on the head. Aphrodite is indeed in her own right a goddess. She is physically beyond comparison but alas, even she can not escape from the rigid scales of justice. Even with the empowerment of legendary beauty the laws of nature and equality determine her ultimate fate. The tale of the Love Goddess is indeed more than meets the eye. From this conclusion it is not surprising that the common regard to Aphrodite is one in which only her beauty is recognized but not her actual basis.
Abrams, M.H. General Editor of The Norton Anthology of English Literature.
(Sixth Ed. Vol. II) Excerpt: Mary Wollstonecraft, A Vindication of the
Rights of Women. New York, New York, W. W. Norton & Co., Inc., 1993.
Graves, Robert. The Greek Myths, Complete Edition London, England, Penguin
Books, 1960.
Harris, Stephen L. & Gloria Platzner. Classical Mythology, Images and Insights
(Second Edition). Mountain View, California, Mayfield Publishing Co.,
1998.
Другие работы по теме:
Venus Aphrodite Essay Research Paper In the
Venus (Aphrodite) Essay, Research Paper In the begining, there was Chaos. From Chaos and Mother Earth came the first race of Greek deities, the Titans. These first gods were ruled by Saturn, who had received the prophesy that his son will over throw him. Well, he ate all his children save one, the one his wife, Mother Earth (Gaia) placed on an island.
Image Of God Essay Research Paper Then
Image Of God Essay, Research Paper Then God said, “”Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the sky, and over the cattle and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth. So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.
Our Superficial World Essay Research Paper Our
Our Superficial World Essay, Research Paper Our Superficial World Mostly everything in our world is based on outer beauty of people and objects. Society has a fixed image of beauty. Woman should be skinn with blond
La Pieta Essay Research Paper To see
La Pieta Essay, Research Paper To see a scorned, beaten, and crucified man lying dead in the arms of his mother is an image, which can inspire overwhelming emotions within the heart of an observer. Yet, for the longest time I’ve had such difficulty looking at Michelangelo’s Pieta or any piece of art in this way.
Writing A Poem Essay Research Paper Writing
Writing A Poem Essay, Research Paper Writing a Poem It is beyond reason; there is no motive, no explanation Why it is, I do not know because there is cause, no clarification.
Atalanta Roman Heroine Essay Research Paper AtalantaAtalanta
Atalanta- Roman Heroine Essay, Research Paper AtalantaAtalanta was a great heroine, athlete, and hunter. As an infant, she was abandoned and raised by a mother bear. Her father had left her on a mountainside, because, like many people at the time, he was disappointed at having a daughter and not a son. The she-bear nursed her and cared for her, and Atlanta learned great hunting techniques.
Iconography And Iconology Of A Contemporary Image
Essay, Research Paper Looking at the art of the past, we see many images depicting nude women. From Botticelli’s The Birth of Venus to Ingres’s Grande Odelisque, many artists like the idea of painting a woman in the nude in an interesting pose. Even modern images in contemporary magazines depict nude images.
Greeks In Art Essay Research Paper Aphrodite
Greeks In Art Essay, Research Paper Aphrodite represented in Art As the goddess of love and beauty, Aphrodite holds great power over both mortals and immortals. Therefore, it should come as no surprise that she is featured in numerous myths, poems and plays; likewise, there are many representations of Aphrodite in sculpture and painting.
Aphrodite Essay Research Paper Aphrodite is the
Aphrodite Essay, Research Paper Aphrodite is the, goddess of fertility, love, and beauty. Homer designated her the child of Zeus and Dione. Hesiod?s account of her birth is more popular, she supposedly rose from the foam of the sea where Uranus? genitals had fallen after severed by Kronos. Aphrodite was married to Hephaestus.
Frege Against Idealism Essay Research Paper Frege
Frege Against Idealism Essay, Research Paper Frege vs. Idealism In a nut shell Idealism is the position that IDEAS, not objects, are the basis of reality. So for idealists the meaning of an expression is the idea associated with that expression. For example, if one were to think of a lamp , then under the idea theory of reference the visual image that we pull up would be the meaning of the expression lamp .
Creative Writing Hephaestus And Aphrodite
– The Dispute Essay, Research Paper Creative Writing: Hephaestus and Aphrodite – The Dispute As Hephaestus was walking down Rhea Street on Mount Olympus, he noticed his
Stereotypes Essay Research Paper Stereotypes are essentially
Stereotypes Essay, Research Paper Stereotypes are essentially assumptions that are made about a person or group’s character or attributes, based on a general image of what a particular group of people is like. Just as people assume that all cars have four wheels, while all bicycles have two, they also assume that all men have certain attributes that differ from women.
Hippolytus Essay Research Paper HIPPOLYTUSThe acting is
Hippolytus Essay, Research Paper HIPPOLYTUS The acting is Hippolytus was very good. In particular, Caitlin Bopp, who played Aphrodite, and Keith Hale, who played Theseus, stood out. Caitlin did a great job in playing a seductive, vengeful Goddess. She fell into the role perfectly and I noticed little things such as eyes movements that made it seem like her character was in control of the scene.
Aphrodite Essay Research Paper Bullfinch
Aphrodite Essay, Research Paper Bullfinch once said ?Mythology is the handmaid of literature…?. That means that mythology is necessarily subservient or subordinate to literature. I personally think that
Aphrodite Essay Research Paper Bullfinch once said
Aphrodite Essay, Research Paper Bullfinch once said, Mythology is the handmaid of literature Yet, I disagree with this statement. Mythology is not subordinate to literature, but instead it reveals an important part of history. Through a greater understanding of mythology we can comprehend ancient cultures better.
Comparison Of Bacchae Essay Research Paper Comparison
Comparison Of Bacchae Essay, Research Paper Comparison Of Bacchae and Hippolytus In the plays Bacchae and Hippolytus, many similarities and differences exist between the relationships of the characters. One similarity between the relationship of Pentheus and Dionysus in Bacchae and that of Hippolytus and Aphrodite in Hippolytus are the tragedies caused by the gods to these characters.
Dont Forget Essay Research Paper It is
Dont Forget Essay, Research Paper It is not a thing of the past, rather a clear vivid image I remember, I remember as if it had happened yesterday. We were called to go fight, Go to Europe and liberate.
The Impact Of Women In The Iliad
Essay, Research Paper The Impact of Women in The Iliad Women have always been recognized for their strong influence on the actions of men. Because of his love for Delia, Samson told his secret of his power and ended up losing it. In Shakespeare’s Macbeth, Lady Macbeth urged Macbeth to commit murder. More recently, Eleanor Roosevelt strongly influenced the decisions that Franklin D.
The Greeks Vs Their Gods In Hippolytus
Essay, Research Paper The Greeks vs. Their Gods in Hippolytus The play Hippolytus by the Greek playwright Euripides is one which explores classical Greek religion. Throughout the play, the influence
Femininity In Greek Myth Essay Research Paper
Is femininity in mythology? Yes because there is a division between men and women in mythology. Biology tells us that we are two different people. Men and women see the world in different ways. Women are passive, intuitive, submissive, and subjective. Women value love, communication, beauty, and relationships.
Teen Smoking Essay Research Paper There are
Teen Smoking Essay, Research Paper There are many factors that author use in each of their stories to help the reader imagine what the setting look likes. In Pat Conroy, the author describes how the air smells and what the land looks like at different times of the year. This is some of the things that he gives you to help image the setting of the story.
The Truth Essay Research Paper I
The Truth ? Essay, Research Paper I think that all the answers are in the religious teachings. In the beginning god made man in his own image and that was Adam.
Greek Gods 2 Essay Research Paper Greek
Greek Gods 2 Essay, Research Paper Greek Gods Zeus is the king of all the gods. Zeus had to kill his father who eats Zeus s brothers and sisters, so that he can free them. He than had to marry his sister Hera. He was not always with Hera, but with mortal women. Hera the wife of Zeus is always jealous of Zeus sneaking of to another women and gets angry all the time.
Image Of Color Essay Research Paper I
Image Of Color Essay, Research Paper I had a friend he is kind and handsome, but in fact he is very sensitive about his balding crown. I didn?t care about his baldness, but I didn?t want hurt his feelings. So, I always try to avoid a topic about hair.
Literary Techniques Essay Research Paper 1 ImageryImagery
Literary Techniques Essay, Research Paper 1. Imagery Imagery is one of the main techniques used through out Waiting for Godot. The first image that appears is a tree. This simple tree in the middle of a desolate setting alludes to many symbols. To start, the tree represents the Tree of Knowledge, for it creates a reverse Garden of Eden.
Diversity Essay Research Paper Diversity and the
Diversity Essay, Research Paper Diversity and the Mass Media The question of weather the media?s role in establishing racial and ethnic equality is not only very easy to answer but needs to be answered. People need to think of how important it is. People tend to under estimate this power and hate to admit that the media shapes our opinions about people.
What Is It Mean To Be A
Human Essay, Research Paper The Old Testament begins with creation of earth and lives on earth. After that we read about creation of different creatures and creation of a man. God made man and female in his image and put him above all other creatures. God creates man from dust and put him in the Garden of Eden. He also creates woman from man’s rib.
St Augustine Essay Research Paper Augustine of
St. Augustine Essay, Research Paper Augustine of Hippo (354-430 AD) took great pains to create and project a powerful image of himself beyond the churches and towns where he wrote and taught in Roman
The Roman Empire Essay Research Paper Greek
The Roman Empire Essay, Research Paper Greek culture laid the foundation for the Roman Empire. The Roman people wanted to be like the Greek people. For example the Romans made a sculpture of the Greek goddess Aphrodite. The Romans recognized the Greek art and architecture to be very well done. Since the Romans likes these traits of the Greek they used the Greeks ideas and created there own.
Chaucer 2 Essay Research Paper Chaucer already
Chaucer 2 Essay, Research Paper Chaucer already summarizes the characteristics of the Knight as making up a perfect gentle-knight, and the many deeds of valor add more credence to Chaucer s summary. The modest bearing is contrary to the “lad of fire” and although the Squire had “wonderful strength and agility”, he did not use it to the full extent that his father used his own.
Manifest Destiny Essay Research Paper Manifest DestinyWhat
Manifest Destiny Essay, Research Paper Manifest Destiny What does the painting Manifest Destiny represent? Does it show an image of hope, or one of despair? To answer a question like this one would have to understand what manifest destiny is.
Health Essay Research Paper Peoplewho have low
Health Essay, Research Paper People who have low self image, and low self esteem, are unhappy with whom they are in life. Things that are done well are often taken for granted. Where as mistakes are heavily