The Ovid Myth Gender Perspective - Essay Example

The Ovid Myth gender perspective Thesis Gender roles are established by the various societies’ dis s. The identity ofgender can be viewed as one of the earliest social categories that individuals learn to apply to themselves and also to other people. The identity of gender is referred to as the correct labeling of self and others as female or male. Gender identity is the sense of an individual of identifying or belonging to either male or female. Throughout societies, almost every aspect is based on whether an individual fits into the masculinity or femininity role. According to some scholars, gender is the collected notions of being credited to the physical sex identity. The biases are predominant. The man and the woman are subdued from expressing themselves based on how they individually relate to their masculinity or femininity. The roles of gender are preconceived notions that society has based on the gender of an individual. In addition, gender is a persistent feature of the day to day life that establishes normalized behaviors and character traits for each. The identity of gender generates normalized behaviors and character traits for each, holding them answerable for even the most trifling actions. It is also the social, psychological and cultural dissimilarities between males and females. Most scholars hold the belief that dissimilarities in sex are because of the differences in the behavior and thinking of the male and the female. They contend that the identity of gender is established through socialization and that it structures every facet of the life of an individual. Centuries of traditions have made it possible for men and women to define the roles of gender in the society. In the society, men and women have been defined by gender roles throughout their emotions and activities. For instance, in the antique Greek society throughout their history, women and mens roles have always differed. The traditional roles were clearly cut and were defined. Women were seen the weaker sex. Interestingly enough, despite the customary role of submission of women, they had a more complex role and image in the society as compared to the rather simple role men played. According to Karras (1255), a number of intellectuals have come to approve that the roles of gender were more significant in the primeval world. The concept relates to Ovid’s poems since as a male poet, he had the probability to break the rules of his gender. The identity of gender has been conformed from the beliefs of the society and traditions. It is the classification by which one defines either masculine or feminine. The paper below explains how gender was formed through the ancient society and the consequences gender had on individuals. The paper also examines how individuals reacted and dealt with the consequences of the gender identity. Gender perspective of the Ovid myth The Ovid myth gives regards to the feminine principle of the split. The Ovid females seem to live beyond dichotomy that defines the womans behavior in literature and the Christian tradition. Ovid elevates Themis dominion and presence. Themis is the goddess who established the Delphi Oracle prior to Apollo getting hold of the temple. She emerges from the creation of post-diluvian and teaches Deucalian and Phyrra that the earth is lifes source. In Metamorphoses book I, the goddess instructs the surviving couple to go to the temple, cover their heads, loosen their robes and throw their mothers bone behind them. Therefore, the human soul lives inside these stones, the mother earth bones. The riddle having been solved, the couple throws stones over their shoulders and the earths children are born (Ovid and gender principles, par. 6). Ovid conveys the notion of dominance and power through gender exploration. Ovid depicts a very macho society in which men are always heads. He typifies masculinity and femininity in ways that are distinctive. Masculine roles are linked with hunting, strength exaltation and violence. Roles of the female are linked with physical prowess, beauty appreciation and more femininity traditional aspects such as motherhood. Ovid appears to be more fluid when he attributes the roles of gender of men and women respectively. Case in point is Atlanta, who portrays characteristics that appear very masculine such as her hunting and sports likings and her ease in killing the physical inferior. Atlanta takes on the role of masculinity to signal her power and dominance. Ovid also adds depth layers to a character metamorphosis. In the poem, a character transforms corporeally to some animal or plant form prior to adopting a more depiction of the feminine gender. The metamorphosis takes place so as to communicate subordination and eventually illustrate the change in the identity of a character. Ovids poem uses roles of gender to illustrate the dominance concept over other characters efficiently. It accomplishes this by attributing the masculine traits to the most dominant character and feminine traits to the character that is subordinate stressed through their transformation. In Cygnus’s death, the poem starts with two very masculine characters who exult in violence blood and combat. Their fight for dominance is drawn out and surrounded by death that appears to enhance their masculine characteristics. At the time of Cygnuss death, the poem expresses that he has transformed from the powerful warriors portrayed earlier, to a swan because he lost through transformation. Gender role imparted to him is altered by Ovid and eventually how his inferiority and power loss is conveyed (Garcia, 1). Cygnus is described as having a neck that is undulating and bruised beak, a description that presents him nearly as feminine in his beaten state. His beaten state is through his esthetic appreciation. He is portrayed as beautiful through his elegant feature. The roles of gender that have changed for Cygnus depict power destruction and his identity as he can no longer speak. Also, there is a shift of gender roles in the case of Acteon. The poet portrays him as a character who is very masculine, depicting him as a leader who has great power over his men who follow his instructions to the letter. This appears to be the poet’s way to illustrate the initial dominion of Acteone. This goes on when Acteone initially meets Diana. Diana appears to be the powerless one here since she cannot hide herself from Acteone’s stares. The illustration of what he sees is Dianas beauty that is ethereal and godly. The poet shows the feminine characterization of Diana through the appreciation of her esthetics and her powerlessness enhanced by her beauty amplification. Diana is described as a dawn cloud, and the surrounding is a winking reflections twilit grotto (Garcia par, 1). Ovid also shows the sudden shift in tone from the beauty glorification of Diana to violence exultation by conveying her fury and power. She has changed from a vulnerable, even though, beautiful goddess to an angered and powerful goddess. This is depicted when she is enraged at Acteons voyeurism. In page (108), she raged for a weapon so that her arrows would drive through his body. Dianas power is stressed by contrast with Acteones transformation into a hart. Acteone takes on the feminine traits. His esthetics are appreciated as being very elegant with long arms and slender legs. In his transformation into a powerless character, feminine traits are portrayed through his features that are described as very slender and elongated. Further, Acteones transformation is shown to powerlessness to speech loss that also illustrates identity loss. Cygnus and Acteone see their identity destruction and a reverse in their gender roles through their change. Consequently, Ovid creates a depth to metamorphose. Adonis and Venus seem to express the ambiguity notion by illustrating the characteristics in line with both gender roles. Throughout the land, Adonis is seen to be incredibly beautiful, hence portraying characteristics of a female. Nonetheless, his likings for hunting appear to depict him as masculine. However, there is a great sense of gender roles where Venus instructs Adonis to caution him on wild animals’ dangers and of shunning the gods. Looking very similar to Venus is Atlanta through the way she is depicted. However, her traits are more distinct. Clearly, Atlanta displays her masculine role adoption through her physical prowess and also through losing her. It should be taken into consideration that Atlanta does indeed portray feminine traits with bigger appreciation being accredited to her beauty. Gender role at a level that is more distinctive is also shown when Hippomenes takes the dominance of Atlanta. First, he wins a race against her then marries her and consummating their marriage. There appears to be power loss in their consummation description. There is no mutuality in their coitus. In fact, there seems to be violence in the dominance that Hippomeness shows. Here, Ovid uses characterization and language to denote gender roles and power. Ovid also illustrates gender neutrality through Hermaphroditus just as suggested by his name. Hermaphroditus is of mixed gender. Even though he is beautiful, Hermaphroditus also shows strength and does not allow Salmaicis to take him fully. Also, Salmaicis also illustrates how gender roles appear not to depict power in this. Salmaicis is the one who portrays a tendency for violence and the power usage. Salmaicis and Hermaphroditus story enhance the notion that power is expressed through gender roles. It appears as if Ovids characters are under fates lashing and there is a consistent struggle for dominance so that they may indeed break away (Garcia, par. 5). In addition, in Amore, Ovid makes use of an extended military metaphor that establishes a gendered contrast for sexuality. The Amore celebrates transgressions from Lex Julia. Lex Julia is a sequence of laws that laid the groundwork for suitable sexual behaviors and described punishments for deviant sexual acts. The compilation of Amore by Ovid evidences his transgressions of society and gender. His poems are so vibrant he appears as a character both in forms of masculinity and femininity. Even though he seems to be masculine, he becomes an effeminized male in other poems through the more passive behaviors and thoughts that he portrays. The metaphor of the military and his aggression are a support in maintaining a masculine tone of the poems. However, there are instances that his voice of femininity emerges, and he shifts out of his zone of the gender of masculinity. He shifts to a sexual role that is passive in the female realm. Nevertheless, Ovid is an Amore victim in both the masculine and feminine persona (Rutter, 46). According to Rutter (47), The Amore elicits the sexual victimization notion concerning violent sexuality and love power that was written in relation to the Roman emperor, Augustus. Conferring to Lex Julia, a woman could be sentenced to death regardless of being raped since a raped woman was seen to have lost her honor. In Ovid’s time, women were perceived to be sexually passive. According to Rutter (47), the penetrator held the power and was a figure of masculinity. The notion of being victimized and victimizing others contributes to the concept that the masculinity and femininity of Ovid are expressed concurrently. Being in love is tantamount to being enslaved, and Ovid makes use of imagery to illustrate that love can become violent. Ovid also states being pierced by Cupid arrows. The metaphor of the military is a case in point that Ovid feminizes himself (Rutter, 47). All those who were punctured by Cupid’s arrow were females. They were victimized in a passive manner and must give in to their penetration. The male is in control. Control of the man over sexuality is a fundamental feature of looking at sexual behaviors in antique times. Men were perceived to have better control than women. Moreover, they were thought to have control over women as their sexual victims. In some instances, women are the victim of the rage of a lover. The agency by Ovid is compromised by his maturity and once again, he becomes a man that is feminized. He is indecisive, disappointed by his woman over a petty issue. He pulls her hair. His violence against the woman is femininity characteristic. According to Cahoon (297), the attractions of the woman are her soldiers in a violent war. Nonetheless, Ovid’s critics have expressed the horror of violence that makes his poems appear warlike. They do contend that he is a pornographer encouraging the reader to enjoy the violence inflicted on the women. It is recognizable that the representation of women by Ovid is the site of violence. After much war violence, the winner usually gets a prize. In Ovid’s military metaphor case, the woman becomes the prize, hence becoming objectified. Critics of Ovid have also devoted a good deal of attention to the attitude of women towards women. In fact, feminist critics have argued that his myth ought to be interpreted as a critique. In addition, not only does Ovid present the woman as an object intended to advance his poem, but the womans marketability is closely associated with the arousal of the male sexual desire. All in all, Ovid throws the woman into a passive role without power over herself. However, some scholars agree with Ovid. They state the military metaphor is an actual way to capture the attention of the reader because the love and war parallel is also corresponding to numerous aspects of the gender. In the Amores, the poet transgresses gender and the bounds of the society to interpret and explore sexuality. Ovids technique of writing in numerous voices permits the reader to understand a gender scale. Work Cited Garcia Cesar. The relationship of power and gender roles in Ovid’s Metamorphoses copy. Available from:http://www./4610825/The_relationship_of_power_and_gender_roles_in_Ovids_Metamorphoses_copy Karras, Ruth Mazo. “Active/Passive, Acts/Passions: Greek and Roman Sexualities.” The American Historical Review 105(2000): 1250-65. Available from: https://scholar.google.com/scholar?biw=1047&bih=672&noj=1&um=1&ie=UTF-8&lr&q=related:lOAoCKCo7OfxpM:scholar.google.com/ Ovid and gender principles. Available from: http://public.wsu.edu/~hughesc/ovid.htm (2015). Rutter, Lauren. "Ovid’s Military Metaphor and Gender Transgression in Amores." Comparative Humanities Review 2.1 (2014): 6. Available from: http://digitalcommons.bucknell.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1033&context=chr Read More