Sappho's A Prayer To Aphrodite and Seizure Essay

In fragments 16, Sappho claims that mortals cannot compare to the beauty of Helen. Sappho remains simple and to the point with her description of Helen. Unlike Homer, Sappho claims that the cause of

Pain can be expressed in both sorrow and anger. Sappho creates great imagery in this fragmented poem by taking pain into natural moving actions. She expresses how her feelings change from hurt to anger and how heavy pain can really be. Sappho uses physical movement to express her emotions in different directions. She also emphasizes how she sees revenge is the ultimate goal in order to recover from that pain.

Throughout the play A Midsummer Night's Dream, Shakespeare uses both fate and free will to present his philosophy towards the nature of love. The characters struggle through confusion and conflicts to be with the one they love. Although the course of their love did not go well, love ultimately triumphs over all at the end of the play. The chaos reaches a climax causing great disruption among the lovers. However, the turmoil is eventually resolved by Puck, who fixes his mistake. The confusion then ends and the lovers are with their true love. Throughout the play Shakespeare's philosophy was displayed in various scenes, and his concept still holds true in modern society.

Meanwhile, there was the mighty Zeus, the king of the gods, who was married to the goddess Hera. Hera is the goddess of War and Honesty, but she had an awful temper and often took it out on her husband, Zeus. Hera only loved Zeus because he was the king of gods and she wanted some of that power for herself, so she never let him leave her side, and although he was her husband, she talked badly about him, and constantly blamed and insulted him. Aphrodite witnessed this many times and started to feel empathy for Zeus, she knew Zeus was kind and didn’t deserve to be treated like that. At this, anger burned inside of Aphrodite for Hera and what she did to hurt Zeus, and as this anger burned she felt a passion. Aphrodite casually began to develop feelings for Zeus. She always told herself she shouldn’t, that Zeus was married and she needed to stay away, but she couldn’t help how she felt for Zeus.

One of the more memorable scenes in the poem is in Book 14 where Hera distracts Zeus while Posiedon helps the Achaeans make their attack. She receives a magic sash from Aphrodite that is filled with the powers of love and longing. She also elicits the aid of Sleep to put Zeus into a deep sleep after she distracts him with a sensuous act of lovemaking. She does this because Zeus wants no one to aid the Achaeans. But, Hera always seems to get what she wants. This scene is Hera’s “deception of Zeus and hence her triumph” (Berkert) She succeeds in making the father of the gods forget what

Aphrodite represents erotic love as a fascinating form of divine influence. The nude Aphrodite has powerful meaning and

Comparing the Forgotten God of Love in Robert Bridges’ Poem EPÙÓ and Anne Stevenson’s Poem Eros

Sappho’s poem, entitled Fragment 16, is of the lyrical style instead of the epic style we are used to in Homer’s Iliad. The lyrical style of poetry got its name because it was usually accompanied by a lyre while it was recited. It also was used to express more emotion rather than telling a story. This form of poetry seems to be more artistic rather than the story telling of epic poetry of the time. In this poem we are able to use the comparison of different imagery to understand a common theme within the poem itself. The reason for the interesting title of the poem is because most of Sappho’s poetry is now only found in fragmented forms. Most of Sappho’s writing is from 600 B.C.E.

She is talking to a group of young people, who she believes is making fun of her for wanting to praise her for her creativity. She asks them, “My skin with its aging, / My black hair gone white,” (line 107-108). Sappho realized that age cannot be escaped. Even Tithonus whom the gods granted eternal life cannot escape aging. His lover Eos, goddess of light, cannot reverse the effects of time. Knowing that not even a goddess cannot prevent age, Sappho accepts that she will lose her youth and beauty. That she will not be able to dance as swiftly as a fawn like she once could. Sappho, however, is not going to let age depress her. Since it cannot be escaped and it happens to everyone, she is not going to let it sadden her. Losing her youthful beauty will not stop her from seeing the beauty of

Firstly, in the outset of the play, Aphrodite’s speech is necessary for both plot development and characterisation. Her contempt towards Hippolytus and her dark intentions are at first revealed to

Unlike other forms of literature, poetry can be so complex that everyone who reads it may see something different. Two poets who are world renowned for their ability to transform reader’s perceptions with the mere use of words, are TS Eliot and Walt Whitman. “The love song of J Alfred Prufrock” by TS Eliot, tells the story of a man who is in love and contemplating confessing his emotions, but his debilitating fear of rejection stops him from going through with it. This poem skews the reader’s expectations of a love song and takes a critical perspective of love while showing all the damaging emotions that come with it. “Song of myself”, by Walt Whitman provokes a different emotion, one of joy and self-discovery. This poem focuses more on the soul and how it relates to the body. “Song of myself” and “The love song of J Alfred Prufrock” both explore the common theme of how the different perceptions of the soul and body can affect the way the speaker views themselves, others, and the world around them.

One similarity between Sappho and Catullus is their use of neutral to formal diction. Both use phrases that, although seem simple and of neutral diction, are chosen to express their own form of love. However, where Sappho uses a word choice to show a fondness of her daughter and her innocence, Catullus transforms words from the same diction level to show his adoration and longing towards his lover. “I have a small / daughter, called / Cleis,

In calling love “a serious mental disease,” Plato inspired centuries of authors, doctors, and philosophers. Unlike romantic comedy movies and the Top 40 pop songs chart, which idolize love, literature frequently portrays it as a sickness. Both love and mental illness affect brain chemistry, mood, and behavior. In pieces such as Euripides’ Medea, symptoms of love range from mental illness-like ailments to physical manifestations such as a vanishing appetite, concentration, and apparent sanity. In Longus’ work, love is described as having similar traits. Throughout the story of Daphnis and Chloe’s pastoral romance, love drives both of them mad with longing. Love amplifies their innocent feelings for each other, resulting in a disorienting combination of depression and mania. The affliction goes deeper; their total devotion to each other and pastoral

A Similarity of both Apollo and Aphrodite manipulation is the revelations of the motives are revealed before their actions take place. In the first Homeric Hymn to Aphrodite, the story describes the beautiful, virgin goddess who falls in love with the mortal, Anchises. Aphrodite eludes the most powerful Greek god Zeus and in retaliation, Zeus forces Aphrodite to fall in love with a mortal which eventually leads to her falling in love with Anchises and have sex with him. Aphrodite intentions are made clear before any actions take place and is described, “And when she saw him, Aphrodite, lover of laughter, she loved him, and a terrifying desire seized her heart” (Aphrodite 87-88). Comparing this hymn to the second Homeric Hymn to apollo, the story has similarities to the story of Aphrodite. For example, Apollo also reveals his

A lot of inspiring art comes from artists who have experienced excessive trauma which allows them to create such alluring things. People who do not go through intense emotions --whether they be positive or negative-- aren’t able to create art on an sentimental level. People find passion in hatred and love and infuse their emotions into their work which makes them artists who create pieces with so much depth and meaning behind the words. Walt Whitman's piece Sometimes with the One I Love is about just that. Whitman's poem retains the passion that he feels for a woman who does not return the love that he feels for her. Though at first look, the piece seems to be regarding being in love, the understanding behind it is deeper. Through this unrequited love, he is able to create emotional pieces of work. He believes there is no such thing as useless love because though she doesn’t reciprocate his feelings, he is able to translate the passion he feels for her into words on paper.