The Similarities and Differences Between Greek and Roman Literature of the Myth of the Abduction of Persephone/Proserpine

The “Tale of Philomene and Tereus” is an epic poem, written by John Gower, that is heavily based on a greek mythology. It focuses on the story of Philomene and how she is continuously raped by her sister’s husband who later became very angry at her for exposing his secret to his wife, Progne. This story begins in a the castle of Pandion, the king of the land.

Lizeth Marin Honors Introduction to Literature Period 3 18 April 2008 Odysseus: Hero or Villain? Heading home, to Ithaca, Odysseus is faced upon many obstacles that he and his men try to overcome, but in the end substantiate that Odysseus is a villain. “The old soldier in despair: He has spent ten years (seven of them as Calypso’s not entirely unwillingly captive) trying to get home” (652, summary). Evidence proves that Odysseus is a villain, because he tries to convince that he was kept unwillingly by Calypso. However, it is true that Odysseus was kept as Calypso’s captive for a time. Yet he can still be judged as a villain, because he does not just stay as a prisoner, no, he assists Calypso by being with her for the pleasures that

These two female characters are especially enticing to Odysseus because they are goddesses. Though it is evident that Odysseus longs to return

“Go in peace” she replied, “and be happy in your daughter; I have lost mine.” (Bulfinch’s Mythology, pg 54, para 1). The farmer and his daughter sat with Demeter and cried with her. They invited her to stay for the night and introduced her to the sick son of the farmer. Demeter healed the boy and tried to make him immortal, but was stopped by the farmer’s wife. Demeter left the farm still searching for Persephone. Demeter came across a river nymph that knew what happened to Persephone. She dared not to tell, because she fears Hades. The nymph did give Demeter the girdle that Persephone dropped. Demeter sure her daughter was dead blamed the earth. Blaming the earth Demeter stopped fertilizing the land. The cattle died, the crops weren’t growing, there was too much sun and rain. Seeing this the nymph told the goddess what she saw. The goddess Demeter heard this and rode her chariot to meet Zeus. Zeus agreed to help,

-Ovid’s depicts the most significant story about Pygmalion. Venus is furious because the women who worshipped her in Cyprus denied that she was divine, and they were the first women to ever become prostitutes.

Throughout his encounter with the dead, Odysseus meets women of deceit reflecting his concern toward his homecoming. As he shares his expeditions to the Phaeacians, Odysseus describes his encounter with the spirit of Epicaste who married her son, Oedipus, after he murdered his father (Od. 11.307−310). Moreover, he encounters Eriphyle who “lured her lawful husband to his death” for gold which she prominently wears around her neck (Od. 11.369−371). The purpose of these women reflects Odysseus’ own apprehensions about his wife, Penelope, and son, Telemachus. Since he has not seen his

The islands of Circe and Calypso in Homer’s Odyssey are places where Odysseus’ most challenging problems occur. In contrast to battles with men, Cyclops, or animals, sexual battles with women are sometimes much more difficult to win. These two female characters are especially enticing to Odysseus because they are goddesses. Though it is evident that Odysseus longs to return to Penelope in Ithaka, it sometimes appears that he has lost vision of what life was like with a wife, a son, and with thousands of people who regard him as King. Although his experiences on the islands of these goddesses were similar in that he was retained from Ithaka for the longest periods of his adventure, these goddesses and the

The dashing hero of Homer’s The Odyssey is one who does not go unnoticed by the many women he meets on his arduous journey back to his hometown. In the story, there are three women whose fascination with Odysseus serves as a necessary point for consideration. Between the shallow love of Circe, the queen of Aiaia; the forceful acts of Kalypso, the imperious nymph; and the pure and sincere love of Penelope, Odysseus’ faithful wife; the many lovers that pursue Odysseus each have a unique perspective of the unquestionably alluring [traveler].

Women are portrayed as seductresses. Odysseus and his crew arrive on the island of Circe, lured in by the sound of her voice. Homer describes her as "Low she sang/ in her beguiling voice,

After she was wronged by her brothers, she was no longer the same kind and loving goddess as before. She then fell in love with a mortal, Jason. Zeus was against any god/ goddess falling in love with any mortals, so in response he struck Jason with a lighting bolt. On top of all that, Persephone, Demeter’s only daughter, was abducted by Hades.

The story of Persephone is one of love, jealousy, growth, and death. Persephone was known for her beauty and all of the Gods wanted to marry her, but it was Hades who ultimately fell in love with her and got the honor of being her husband. This was no ordinary marriage, Hades and Zeus compromised on the arrangements of the couple, after Demeter, Persephone’s mother, was furious at how Hades had, more or less, kidnapped

The widely accepted myth about Hades and Persephone was also told of Pluto and Proserpina in Roman myth. Pluto and Proserpina are almost exact replicas of their Greek equivalents, as the Romans' ideas about the spirits of the underworld were very vague before adopting Greek mythology. Venus, in order to bring love to Pluto, sent her son Amor, also known as Cupid, to hit Pluto with one of his arrows. Proserpina was in Sicily, at the fountain of Arethusa near Enna, where she was playing with some nymphs and collecting flowers, when Pluto came out from the volcano Etna with four black horses. He abducted her in order to marry her and live with her in Hades, the Greco-Roman Underworld.

Persephone is the daughter of Demeter the goddess of nature and Zeus the god. Her symbol is the torch her roman name is Proserpine and her husband is Hades. She is the Queen of the underworld and spring. She was also called Core (Cartwright). This paper it will be talking about Persephone the Queen of the underworld and spring and how she got abducted, her powers, and what’s her basic background.

Abduction of Persephone as coming-of-age The myth of Persephone is one of the oldest of all Greek myths. Her story is a representation of some of the most universal concepts about life and death. In her youth, Persephone symbolizes the powerful bond between a mother and a daughter and the often difficult transition from maidenhood to marriage. Interpreting the story less as a mother’s loss for an abducted child, and more as a teenager’s rebellion for the sake of identity formation, is, by no means, easy, but it is necessary in order for a woman to achieve self-actualization and potentially grow into a mother herself.

The key Greek values displayed in our myth is the mother to child relationship. Demeter and Persephone near the beginning of the book would always be near one another and seemed almost inseparable. (Hamilton, 49) The emotion that Demeter feels from the loss of Persephone shows the strong bond between mother and child. Another would be Coming to Age as each child will have to eventually grow up and their own decisions.