Portrayal of Aphrodite in Literary Works - Research Paper Example

?The Portrayal of Aphrodite in Literary Works since the Ancient Times till the Baroque Period First and College Note Student’s First and Last Name, Department..., University of... [Student’s First and Last Name] is now at Department of..., University of... This research was in part supported by the grant awarded to [Student’s First and Last Name] by [Sample Grant Programme]. Correspondence concerning this research paper should be addressed to [Student’s First and Last Name], Department..., University of..., [Address] Contact: Abstract The present essay deals with various modes of portrayal of the character of Ancient Greek goddess, Aphrodite, in belles-lettres (fiction) in the course of progressive development of literature. It will be argued that the changes in perception of Aphrodite’s image have been connected with the gradual shifts from mythological through religious to modern philosophical outlook, and that in different epochs the character of Aphrodite was used to convey radically different discursive meanings. Keywords: history of literature, mythology, Ancient literature The Portrayal of Aphrodite in Literary Works since the Ancient Times till Post-Modernity Introduction There exist different interpretations of myths in the context of literary works, with Ruthven (1976) presenting an especially coherent view of the various aspects of myth in literature. The purpose of the present study will be to provide a complex analysis of changes in representation of Aphrodite, the Ancient Greek goddess of love, sexuality and beauty, in literature. The temporal boundaries of the study extend all across the historical spectrum, with the representations of Aphrodite in Ancient, Medieval, Renaissance and Baroque literature being expounded and compared. Consequently, the main body of the essay will be constructed in accordance with chronological order. The main purpose of the present study is to show the connection between evolution in perception of Aphrodite as a literary character and the changes in general outlook of writers, and the larger society as well. Therefore it should be noted that in order to understand the image of Aphrodite the connection between literature, mythology and religion needs to be assumed. Interpretation of the Image of Aphrodite in Ancient Literature The perception of character of Aphrodite in the period of antiquity was invariably tied to the mythological and broadly religious attributes and functions, which were associated with this goddess. The very tale of her birth was closely connected with the concept of primal, chthonic powers that symbolized the notion of life force. For instance, according to Hesiod (Theog., 189-206), Aphrodite was born out of the seed of Uranus, when the latter was gelded by his son, Cronus, in a bid for power. When the seed of Uranus fell into the sea, it came into contact with the primal force of the Earth and from this Aphrodite was born. Her traditional epithet, Anadyomene (“the one rising from the sea”), indicates that the connection between the concepts of primal life force and carnal love among humans was keenly felt by the Ancient Greeks of Hesiodean period. The association between the image of Aphrodite and the concept of primal life force in Hesiodean theogony is further substantiated by Hesiod’s mentioning that the Erynies and Gigantes were born at the same time as Aphrodite, albeit out of Uranus’s blood, not seed. This would mean that initially Aphrodite was viewed as one of the oldest powers in the universum, rather than a mere progeny of Zeus. Further traces of archaic vision of Aphrodite’s nature and powers are enhanced by Hesiod’s mention of Aphrodite’s connection with Erotos, initially an ancient deity spawned by Chaos (Theog., 116). Erotos is later mentioned as a progeny of Aphrodite (Theog., 934), finally being depicted as a child-like god of love, rather than a potent chthonic entity. This reading of the image of Aphrodite is enhanced by Lucretius’s depiction of the goddess as the cosmic function of love, In De rerum natura, Lucretius describes Venus (the Roman representation of Aphrodite) as an animating principle that gives life and coherence to nature and the Universe itself. Lucretius eulogizes Venus/Aphrodite as the deity “that beneath the gliding stars / Makest to teem the many-voyaged main / And fruitful lands – for all of living things” (De rerum natura, I, 1). The Lucretian representation of Aphrodite is boiled down to the identification of the goddess as a life force as such, without taking into account her traditional mythological attributes. This is altogether unsurprising, as Lucretius was a sceptic with regard to validity of the myths and Homerian religion itself, and therefore was not bound by their conventions (Morford, Lenardon, & Sham, 2011, p.707). At the same time, many other writers and poets of the antiquity resorted to realistic approaches while depicting Aphrodite. For instance, Apollonius Rhodius in his poem Argonautica pictures Aphrodite as a tender and delicate young woman, a wife of Hephaestus, who lies in her bed, combing out her golden hair, while hosting her guests, Hera and Athena (Argonautica, III, 36-51). Likewise, Sappho (Poem 1) viewed Aphrodite as an intimate protector of companionship, rather than an archaic goddess of raw sexuality, which is constantly in touch with human affairs on the Earth and is ready to provide help to the lovers and the loved. Therefore it should be concluded that the image of Aphrodite in the period of antiquity was viewed in the two-fold way by Ancient Greek and Roman poets and writers, with the result that Aphrodite was perceived simultaneously as the manifestation of raw and potent life force (Hesiod, Lucretius) and as a more ‘mundane’ expression of romantic life and carnal pleasure. This double interpretation of the character of Aphrodite signifies that the goddess was identified with many natural and societal phenomena, which were regarded as indispensable for human and universal existence. The Representation of Aphrodite in the Medieval Literature The dominance of Christianity in the West led to significant changes in representation of ancient deities, especially those who were associated with ‘pagan’ values and carnal desires. The literature took on highly moralistic and allegorical character, with the ancient myths being interpreted as mere allegorical fables. For instance,  Fabius Planciades Fulgentius, one of the most influential mythographers of the early Medieval period, the author of Mitologiae (the late 5th to the early 6th century) specifically intended to demonstrate the allegorical nature of ancient myths, believing that behind “fictional invention of the Greeks” some greater “allegorical significance” was inferred (quoted in Tinkle, 1996, p.55). Consequently, Fulgentius, using allegorical hermeneutics, treated the image of Aphrodite (referred to as Venus) as a combination of certain “allegorical truths”. In particular, Fulgentius construes the myth of Aphrodite’s birth from the severed genitalia of Uranus as a natural allegory, where crops are cut down and engorged by the belly, represented by the sea, leading to emergence of lust, or Venus (Mitologiae, 1.2, 2.1). In case of a famous narrative in Iliad, where Aphrodite appears in the scene with Paris and the golden apple (the Judgment of Paris), Fulgentius believes that her image corresponds to the symbol for devotion to pleasure that constitutes a voluptuous path in life, as opposed to contemplative path represented by Athena, or active path symbolized by Hera (Mitologiae, 2.1). Likewise, Fulgentius views Aphrodite as representing lust in the analysis of the myth of her adultery with Ares (2.7) or in the story of Psyche and Erotos (3.6). In general, Fulgentius definitely regards the character of Aphrodite as a symbol for ephemeral carnal lust that he found to be ultimately antagonistic to the Christian moral values. Such an unfavourable representation of Aphrodite is visible in other early Medieval mythographies as well. For instance, Isidore of Seville (ca 560-636) used etymological hermeneutics to construe the name of Aphrodite as arising out of the term aphros, which referred to the foam and blood of coitus (Etymologiae sive origines, 8.11.76-77). Therefore Isidore concludes that the Ancient Greeks constructed the image of Aphrodite to refer to the fact that bodily humours and heat are connected with sexual desire; at the same time, he connects the sexual desire represented by the goddess to the vice of gluttony, inferring that sexual intercourse is invariably connected with heavy eating and drinking (Etymologiae sive origines, 1.37.9). These, and other disparaging and naturalistic representations of Aphrodite in the early Medieval didactic and mythographic literature are mainly predicated upon the anti-sexuality stance taken by the Christian Church in that period, and could be explained by this very stance. The rise of relatively secular lyrical poetry of the High Medieval period signified the relative changes in the treatment of Aphrodite/Venus as a symbol for romantic love, rather than for “base” carnal pleasure. The older, cosmological representation of Aphrodite as a universal power of love and life force also sometimes surfaced in the High Medieval literature. For example, Christine de Pizan, a famous Venetian female poet (1363 – circa 1430), treated Aphrodite as a deity representing femininity as opposed to mere love or desire. Likewise, the interpretation of Venus in some other medieval poetry works suggests that she was often associated with alma mater, the universal Mother, and even compared with Virgin Mary as a symbol of feminine principle (Tinkle, 1996, p.109, 112). At the same time, the depiction of Aphrodite and Erotos/Amor as protectors of love and the loved was rather widespread among the courtly poets of the High Middle Ages. For instance, in the Romance of the Rose by Guillaume de Lorris and Jean de Meun (written circa 1230-1275), Aphrodite and Erotos are portrayed as noble figures presiding over the protection of courteous love that are dressed in the lavish garments. While the figure of Amor/Erotos is given greater precedence in the poem’s symbolism, the significance of Aphrodite/Venus is still retained there, as she is depicted as a vaguely cosmological force standing behind Amor. Nevertheless, she is no longer ascribed a function of generative power, as in Lucretius, with the image of Nature substituting Aphrodite for this role. Therefore it may be concluded that the dominance of the Christian religion led to a temporary downgrading of the image of Aphrodite in the judgment of both commentators and writers. Nevertheless, the blossoming of lyrical poetry in the period of High Middle Ages led to a definite reappraisal of the character of Aphrodite that paved the way for a more positive assessment of the latter in the Renaissance and Baroque literature. The portrayal of Aphrodite in the Renaissance and Baroque Literature While the image of Aphrodite in Medieval poetry was still predicated upon the dominance of specifically Christian religious and cultural values, the portrayal of the goddess in the poetry and other genres of literature in the Renaissance and Baroque periods (the 14th to 17th centuries) was deeply influenced by the rediscovery and reinterpretation of mythology and literary legacy of antiquity. The cosmological aspect of Venus/Aphrodite as a universal life – and love – force was renewed by Geoffrey Chaucer in his House of Fame, with Venus Anadyomene described as a universal force of sensuality that unites the human beings together (Tinkle, 1996, p.118). The imagery used by Chaucer in this book directly contradicts the courtly interpretation of Venus of the Romance of the Rose and other similar poems, restoring the notion of universal love, not limited to upper classes. The other important poet of the early Renaissance period, Giovanni Boccaccio, presented his on interpretation of the image of Venus/Aphrodite in Teseida, where the goddess is viewed as a protector deity of all love and procreation, which restores Aphrodite to her previous prominence. In the same vein, such Renaissance poets as Pietro Crinito (circa 1465 – circa 1507) attempted to tread close to authentically mythological representations of Venus/Aphrodite, celebrating the might of Aphrodite in Horacian stanzas (Revard, 2011, p.147). Nonetheless, such a ‘mythological’ interpretation of Aphrodite/Venus was far from original, and thus could not be taken as an authentic reinterpretation of the image. The representation of the image of Venus in the Baroque period was more ‘traditional’ in a sense that it basically followed the allegorical and lyrical modes of interpretation of the image of the goddess that was introduced by Renaissance poets. The example of Edmund Spenser’s The Faerie Queene, specifically, the short poem “Muiopotmos, or The Fate of the Butterfly”, shows that Venus was still conceived primarily as a potent force of life and nature (Grant, 1979). However, there appear the first instances of more ‘modern’ interpretations of the goddess of love, i.e. as the symbol of romantic feelings as such. For instance, Venus and Adonis by William Shakespeare portrays Aphrodite/Venus not as a mighty goddess possessing magical powers, but as a grief-stricken young woman who mourns her beloved. In that sense, the representation of Aphrodite in Baroque poetry constitutes a transitional stage towards modern, more allegorical and less metaphysical interpretation of the image of this goddess. Conclusion In total, it should be noted that the image of the goddess of love and procreation, Aphrodite, was continuously reinterpreted by various Ancient, Medieval and early modern authors, who depicted her both as a universal life force and the specifically love goddess, whose main function was to aid the lovers. The early Medieval epoch, with its ascetic mores, was characterized by especially negative view on Aphrodite, as she was considered to be a blind force for carnal excesses. The renewal of interest towards antiquity that was experienced in the period of Renaissance meant that the image of Aphrodite was reinterpreted anew, being construed as a combination of concepts of universal life power and lyrical love. To summarise, it should be said that Aphrodite was perceived by various authors in different way, yet the core of mythological essence of this character was preserved through the ages. References Grant, P. (1979). Images and ideas in literature of the English Renaissance. Amherst: University of Massachusetts Press. Morford, M.P.O., Lenardon, R.J., & Sham, M. (2011). Classical mythology. 9th ed. Oxford, New York: Oxford University Press. Revard, S.P. (2001). Pindar and the Renaissance hymn-ode, 1450-1700. Tempe, AZ: Arizona Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies. Tinkle, T. (1996). Medieval Venuses and Cupids: Sexuality, hermeneutics, and English poetry. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press. Read More