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Examples Of Deception In Myrrha And Cinyras

Decent Essays

Name: Kamine Deonarine
Professor: Harold Ramdass
Class: Great Works Literature 1
Deception, “Good or Bad” “Myrrha and Cinyras” a Greek tale written by the Roman poet Ovid, depict the ways in which a deceitful act was carried out by Myrrha and her accomplice, the nurse to deceive her father, the King, in getting him to satisfy her insatiable desires. Another form of deception occurred in “Jacob and Esau” from the Hebrew Bible, where Rebekah plotted against her older son, Esau, to accommodate her younger and favorite son, Jacob to receive a blessing that was not intended for him. Both Isaac and Cinyras were deceived by their kin to fulfill their desires, however the nature of deception in “Myrrha and Cinyras”, deception is seen as an …show more content…

Such example of deceit is used when Myrrha disguises her identity in darkness to have sexual intercourse with her father (Line 560-565). Another example is referenced when the nurse chose a convenient time to perform this act, that is, when Cinyras was drunk and Myrrha’s mother was off to the sacred festival (line 526-528). The nurse played an essential role in allowing Myrrha to deceive her father, as she is often seen as the mastermind behind this sinful act; but Ovid maintains the idea of how Myrrha was in a world of fantasies, unable to control her inner desires, then tries to suppress her emotions by taking her life, when her accomplice intervened and threatened to tell if she does not disclose her troubles. Thus, the nurse’s deception can be justified in trying to save Myrrha from death. This excerpt is illustrated in line (465-470, pg. 1107 Another incident of this trickery can be seen in “Jacob and Esau”, where Rebekah, was seen as the main mastermind that plotted this plan to deceive her son Esau, so that Jacob can get his blessings. Rebekah’s actions were foreshadowed in the very beginning when God revealed what is going to happen during her pregnancy (Line 23). Rebekah knew that Esau has a forgiven nature and once he finds out the truth, he will forgive his brother over time. Her actions can be justified because she is thinking in the long run that if Esau receives the blessings, there will not be enough …show more content…

He then says “Ah, the smell of my son is like the smell of the fields that the Lord had blessed” (Genesis 27:27). This statement shows that Isaac knows it is Jacob, because it was not applicable to Esau since he was a hunter, while it was Jacob who worked the fields. A similar occurrence can be seen in “Myrrha and Cinyras”, where the first night Myrrha disguises her identity and Cinyras addresses her by calling her daughter (ln 561-563). This simplifies that both Isaac and Cinyras has some sort of knowledge of the deception that

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