Aphrodite Essay Research Paper The image that

Aphrodite Essay, Research Paper

The image that has been produced over clip about the Goddess of Desire, the celebrated Aphrodite, is one of a longhaired beauty, siting atop a crenation shell to confer her beauteous admirations upon the mortal Earth and Olympus. This is an icon of muliebrity and flawlessness, the most arresting of the already stately Gods and goddesses. Doves and sparrows are her opposite numbers as is the sweet and playful Cupid in subsequently Roman myths. However, this apparently unflawed image of daintiness and animal delectations is far from perfect. In fact, when looked at a little more closely, the bearing of Aphrodite becomes distorted, her beauty playing out to really be her expletive. In the following pages we will dig into the true nature of the Love Goddess, contemplate the beginning of her & # 8216 ; workss & # 8217 ; and so find how high a pedestal she really rests upon.

Possibly it would be best to get down with the arising beginning of the goddess. She was non born to any parents but instead came into the existence in a really violent and monstrous mode. She was born from the sea froth environing the unsexed genitalias of Uranus. During a household bicker, the agitated Cronus decided to break up his ain male parent & # 8217 ; s sexual variety meats. Surely this explains the sensualness that was passed down to Aphrodite, as offspring from these discorporate objects. However, it besides goes that while she is this emblem of beauty and passion that she should besides be a symbol of violent aggression. As it becomes evident in narratives of her assorted Acts of the Apostless and interactions with other Gods, goddesses and persons ; Aphrodite is far from guiltless. In fact she has the ability to be down right vindictive and cruel.

Possibly one of the Tell tale marks of this goddesses afflicted image is that her beginning of power comes from a charming girdle. Whenever she wears this girdle it is said that all who see her will fall in love with her. The girdle is non merely an point of vesture ; instead it is one that produces an feeling of limitation and use. A girdle is worn to do a adult female & # 8217 ; s figure appear more bosomy and virile, it is meant to bring forth attraction. Correspondingly, Aphrodite is known as an self-seeker with really adept techniques. However her tactics are normally infantile which can merely be expected when her arm is an undergarment.

Writes Stephen L. Harris and Gloria Platzner of California State University, & # 8220 ; Aphrodite is diversely redefined as a coquette who seduces work forces for the merriment of it, as a kept woman or lover, or as a prostitute. Consequently, she remains tempting, but her power is drastically diminished: in a universe in which matrimony is sanctified, she has no legitimate societal topographic point & # 8221 ; ( Harris & A ; Platzner pg. 98 ) . So it is such that despite an outward presence of incomparability, Aphrodite falls despite herself into the common function of the beautiful enchantress. The nature of her myth is much in the same tendency as the scriptural figures of Jezebel, Delilah and possibly even Eve. Her muliebrity is her defect and her expletive.

Possibly it is unjust to set all of the incrimination on Aphrodite herself. After all fabulous existences are designed to function as a representation of the mortal race, merely on a higher graduated table. The myth of Aphrodite, in the visible radiation of the symbol, is a statement on the catastrophe of the female race. That is to state that possibly in the creative activity of this narrative the Ancient Greeks had in head a spot of modern women’s rightist theory. Throughout history Grecian adult females were

among the most liberated, this being seen anyplace from the land and concern having Spartan adult females to the celebrated adult females of Lesbos.

Possibly we should look at the words of one of the earliest modern women’s rightists, Mary Wollstonecraft & # 8211 ; a famed female writer in the eighteenth century & # 8211 ; in efforts to separate something near to a in-between land. In her eminent essay, A Vindication of the Rights of Women, she writes:

& # 8220 ; Women are, in fact, so much degraded by misguided impressions of female excellence, that I do non intend to add a paradox when I assert, that this unreal failing produces a leaning to tyrannise, and gives birth to craft, the natural opposition of strength, which leads them to play off those contemptible infantine poses that undermine respect even whilst they excite desire & # 8221 ; ( Wollstonecraft pg.104 ) .

There are eternal illustrations of merely this type of cunning and misrepresentation in Aphrodite & # 8217 ; s history. One such word picture is in the narrative of the princess Smyrna ; & # 8211 ; in it the married woman of King Cinyrus the Cyprian crow aloud that her girl, the princess, is more beautiful than the goddess Aphrodite is. Out of her ain jeal

ousy and amour propre Aphrodite causes Smyrna to hold sex with her ain male parent, the King, while he is in a bibulous daze. While the princess is still bearing the kid, the King finds out about this foolishness and in a fury chases his ain girl, exerting a blade with purposes of killing her. Despite herself, the goddess takes sympathy and turns Smyrna into a sweet cicely tree, a historically sexy beginning. When the King splits the tree in half out comes the beautiful babe Adonis whom Aphrodite saves and turns over to the underworld goddess Persephone for safe concealment. Resultantly Persephone and Aphrodite both autumn in love with the gorgeous person and have rather a hassle to win his fondnesss. In this narrative, even the sad and despondent Despoina joins in the bitchiness ( Graves pg.69 ) .

But this is far from being the lone narrative to picture the goddess Aphrodite in such an unprestigious mode. In fact she has personal businesss with many of the other Gods of Olympus bearing rather a few kids as a consequence. Despite the fact that Aphrodite was married to the feeble Smith-God Hephaestus, she cheated on him clip after clip. Some of her other adventures were with the Gods Hermes, Poseidon, Dionysus and many others every bit good as persons. Not to advert that she is good known as the lover of the God of war, Ares. Her relationship to Ares is instead specifying as both are depicted as passionate but without really crisp perceptual experiences. Actually, both are by and large portrayed as being down right slow and cockamamie ( Graves pg. 67 ) .

In one hardly mentioned but noteworthy myth, Aphrodite even has a run in with the baronial Athena. The Fates & # 8217 ; lone map for the goddess Aphrodite was love doing therefore her individual mindedness and instead excess trade name of narratives. One twenty-four hours Athena discovered the goddess weaving affectedly on a loom. Feeling that the promiscuous goddess misused her trade, Athena made rather a commotion and was ready to even denounce the act of weaving. As a consequence, Aphrodite ceased to weave and apologise with much seriousness to the goddess and ne’er took up a weaving loom once more. Because of Athena & # 8217 ; s nature, this myth is non meant to be a narrative about competition between the two goddesses, but instead is a telling minute that shows Aphrodite can merely be outside of the kingdom of domesticity. In fact, she can merely have on the mask of lover and lovemaker, even despite her ain wants.

In relation to the spectrum of power between the Gods and goddesses, Aphrodite & # 8217 ; s topographic point falls instead low. Her actions are looked upon as arch and problem starting as she is subsequently linked with the kid Cupid. Her repute becomes a spot of a gag between the male Gods and the female goddesses by and large disapprove of her. Her ain ailment matched hubby acquired her from her adoptive male parent Zeus merely because of stuff wealth, significance that she is a goddess easy acquired by those who should hold been her equal. Thus the apparently powerful Love Goddess is really comparatively powerless.

Writes Wollstonecraft:

& # 8220 ; [ Women ] have been drawn out of their sphere by false polish, and non by an enterprise to get masculine qualities. Still the regal court which they receive is so intoxicant, that till the manners of the times are changed, and formed on more sensible rules, it may be impossible to convert them that the bastard power, which they obtain, by degrading themselves, is a expletive. . . & # 8221 ; ( Wollstonecraft pg.107 ) .

It seems that centuries subsequently, and even later still, the myth of Aphrodite still prevails. Wollstonecraft seems to hold hit the capable affair right on the caput. Aphrodite is so in her ain right a goddess. She is physically beyond comparing but alas, even she can non get away from the stiff graduated tables of justness. Even with the authorization of legendary beauty the Torahs of nature and equality determine her ultimate destiny. The narrative of the Love Goddess is so more than meets the oculus. From this decision it is non surprising that the common respect to Aphrodite is one in which merely her beauty is recognized but non her existent footing.

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 & A ; Co. , Inc. , 1993.

Graves, Robert. The Grecian Myths, Complete Edition London, England, Penguin

Books, 1960.

Harris, Stephen L. & A ; Gloria Platzner. Classical Mythology, Images and Penetrations

( Second Edition ) . Mountain View, California, Mayfield Publishing Co. ,

1998.