Essay Week 2: Infidelity of Jupiter

Several of the stories found in Ovid's Metamorphoses (Books 1-4) included the characters Jupiter and Juno, king and queen of the gods. In every story including these two characters, there was a general theme that one could easily pick up on: Jupiter cheats on his wife. It is seen over and over again. It leaves the reader with several questions. Why is Jupiter so unfaithful? Why does Juno tolerate Jupiter's infidelity? Examples from some of the stories read in this unit can lead the reader answers to these questions.

Jupiter and Juno by Franz Christoph Janneck (1703-1761). Web Source: Wikipedia Commons.

The first story that provides an example of Jupiter's infidelity is the story of Io. After Jupiter rapes Io, we see that Juno is already suspicious of his actions. She is used to his antics and has come to expect them. When she finds Jupiter and Io, whom Jupiter had disguised as a heifer, the reader can see her suspicion in the many questions she asks about the heifer. From this story, the reader learns that Jupiter is frequently unfaithful and that Juno anticipates this sort of behavior from him.

In the story of Callisto, the reader gains a little more insight on Jupiter's behavior. Again, in this story, Jupiter rapes Callisto, only this time he first dresses like a woman. He does not just overpower her from the start, but shows a little bit of his devious character. Just before he decides to rape Callisto, though, the reader can be sure that Jupiter is up to no good. He fears being caught by Juno, but decides that it will be worth the fight even if he does. This demonstrates that Jupiter is a trouble maker, and gets a thrill from causing chaos.

Juno eventually does catch Jupiter, but instead of showing her wrath on him, she turns Callisto into a bear. We can see her reasoning behind this in the story of Semele. When she becomes angry with Semele for bearing Jupiter's child, she states that as queen of the gods she must punish her. Her pride is hurt, and to not punish Semele would make her less of a god. 

The reader is still left curios as to why Juno does not take her wrath out on Jupiter. Perhaps other stories from Ovid's Metamorphoses could provide insight to this question. I, for one, hold the opinion that she cannot punish him directly, because he is superior to her in the world of the gods. I would not be surprised, however, if some stories contained some plot where Juno plays a trick on Jupiter. 

Storytelling for Week 2: Selfia

The Birth and Death of Selfia

A man and a woman spent many years together madly in love. As great as their love was for each other, however, they found themselves unable to conceive a child. After several years of trying, they began to fear that, while their love was great, it was also barren. They decided to seek counsel from the doctors, and they were told that before the passing of six moons, they would find that which they did seek.
Five month passed and they discovered that what the doctors had told them was true! They had been blessed and the woman was with child. They rejoiced for many days, throwing grand parties and inviting countless friends. One friend, who was known for his futuristic insight, took it upon himself to offer the happy couple with sound advice for the new child. The child was to avoid the new coming technology and social media. If the child were to be exposed to these trends, the child would surely only find destruction.
The child was born a girl, and she was named Selfia. Many years passed, and Selfia grew up to be a very lovely girl. The parents had a love for her even greater than the love they had for each other. Many boys in her class found her to be lovelier than any girl they had seen, but she rejected the prepubescent declarations of love they offered her.
Selfia's thirteenth birthday was fast approaching, and she had but one wish: to receive an iPhone and join her friends in the exploration of the lands of Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Such magical places these places seemed in her head, so she pleaded day and night to receive the key that would unlock the door to these lands. Her parents’ great love for their only daughter was so great, that they agreed to this request, despite what the wise friend had said. On Selfia's thirteenth birthday, she received the iPhone 5S.
Immediately, Selfia began to explore Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, but of these, she loved the land of Instagram most. She took pictures of everything around her, every time of day. Once, she accidentally held her iPhone backwards, but when she realized her error, she witnessed the most beautiful human she had ever seen! Who was this girl who she saw on her phone? She tried turning the phone backwards again, and when she looked at the picture, the girl had the same curios look on her face. Selfia knew this girl was just as interested and excited as she was.
Many days passed, and Selfia spent most of her time trying to discover who this girl was. The people of Instagram all agreed that this girl was beautiful and fascinating, and this flattered Selfia to know she had discovered such an amazing girl. However, it frustrated her to not know who she was or how they could be together. She knew she was meant to be with her. When Selfia was happy, the girl was filled with glee; when Selfia was sad, the girl showed sorrow on her face. Even when Selfia would purse her lips and hold out two fingers, the girl would mimic this expression.
Selfia was devoted her life to finding this girl. She traveled all over the world, and everywhere Selfia went, the girl seemed to follow. As Selfia traveled, though, she spent more time searching Instagram than she did monitoring her heath. Her body began to deteriorate, and she transformed from the loveliest girl to one that was most wretched to look at. The girl of Instagram stayed with her for all of Selfia’s years, and when Selfia was on her deathbed, so was the girl. Though she never did find the girl, Selfia knew that her love for her outmatched even her parents’ love for each other.
 
Author's Note: This story is an adaptation of the story Narcissus, which can be found in Ovid's Metamorphoses (Books 1-4). It is a fantastic story and a fantastic way to find out where the term "narcissist" comes from! Basically, Narcissus is a super handsome dude, who sees his reflection in a pool of water and falls in love with it. He ends up turning into a flower in the end. It is interesting how he did not know he was looking at his own reflection; he was so convinced that there was a person in the water. He was completely in love with himself and totally detached from reality. I wrote a more modern adaptation, but I tried to keep the language sounding old. Also, I hope no one is offended by my condemnation of "selfies". It was just a fun little story, and the harm came from Selfia's obsession with taking selfies. If you've taken some in the past, I don't think you're a horrible person.  

Narcissus by Caravaggio. Web Source: Wikipedia

Work Cited
"Narcissus" translated by Tony Kline, from Ovid's Metamorphoses (2000). Web Source: Un-Textbook

 

Week 2 Reading Diary:

I really enjoyed the stories about Phaethon in Ovid's Metamorphoses (Books 1-4):

Phaethon and the Sun: Phaethon really needed a sense of identity, not only to prove to his friends that he was Phoebus Apollo's son, but to also prove to himself that he was more than just a man. Phoebus shows us the danger that can come from making a blank promise when Phaethon asks for far more than Phoebus had expected. Phoebus's inability to break his promise once he has made it is something worth noting. He did not specifically exclude riding the chariot from his offering, so it was technically up for grabs. 

Phaethon's Ride: Despite the numerous warnings from his father, Phaethon still insists on taking the reins of his father's chariot. He is stubborn and foolish. He quickly learns what he wanted was wrong, and the earth suffers greatly for it. The earth pleads to the gods, asking what she has done to deserve the pain.

The Death of Phaethon: Jupiter responds to the pleading of the earth and smites Phaethon and the chariot. Phaethon's sisters mourn his death for four months, but then get turned into trees. His friend mourns his death and gets turned into a swan. Everyone is mad at Jupiter for killing Phaethon. I don't understand why. He had no choice; Phaethon made a foolish decision and was destroying the earth.

Reading Diary Part B

Echo: I have heard the Judgement of Tiresias before. I know that the staff and two snakes are what we see in the symbol for medicine. I enjoyed the dialogue between Echo and Narcissus; it was very creative. Sad thing that she ended up just being another Nymph whose love Narcissus refused. It wasn't even due to her speech impediment; he was just in his own world.

Narcissus: Wow! Fantastic story and a fantastic way to find out where the term "narcissist" comes from! Interesting how he did not know he was looking at his own reflection; he was so convinced that there was a person in the water. He was completely in love with himself and totally detached from reality. I, for one, am glad of his fate; I really can't stand people who are too engulfed in themselves.

Pyramus and Thisbe: I had no idea Romeo and Juliet was based on Greek mythology. I guess no stories are truly original, and all are based on some story before it. I think I liked the lion version better, though. Thisbe really couldn't help that a lion came, whereas I never felt that Juliet should have taken that fake poison without letting Romeo know. Although, I feel that Pyramus and Thisbe's tragedy could have been avoided with a simple phone call. Too bad the technology didn't exist back then.