I chose to analyse a part of page 9; The contents in the section were said by Gustave Moreau, a french symbolic painter of the 1800's that specialized on scenes in mythologies. This section caught my attention mostly because it asked me questions I didn't really have an answer to. They were rather dark questions, "What will become of you? What will your destiny be? Where can you hide your fearful passions? " Although I didn't feel that they were questions directed towards the reader I still couldn't help but ask myself anyway. It was a little disturbing to think about such things. I don't know what will become of me, or what my destiny is.
As to what the "huge, pale figures, tremendous, lonely, dark, and desolate, fatal, mysterious lovers condemned to titanic infamies" are I am not entirely sure. However, I think the previous questions that I asked myself were directed at whatever or whoever those descriptions apply to. Perhaps it is directed towards Io, Telephassa, Europa, Argiope, Pasiphae, Ariadne, or Phaedra. They are all related to each other in some way, mostly through pain and suffering brought on by their issues with the gods. Maybe Gustave Moreau was asking them, but also the reader the same question; even the gods! " What terrors, what compassion you inspire, what immense and awesome sadness you arouse in those mortals called to contemplate so much shame and horror, so many crimes, such great misfortune." I feel what he says in this section applies to the gods. He is, in a way, "calling them out" on all the things they have done to mortals. Particularly the women mentioned earlier. Gustave described their names as having an effect like the moon, lighting things up from a distance, a broad pure light (page 9). Perhaps their experiences with the gods have allowed true light to be shed to the rest of the world what happens when humans get tangled up in business with the gods? Gustave wishes to warn the mythological world of the dangers the gods pose to mortals? These could be only a few of the many meanings hidden on this page.
Monday, September 23, 2013
Page 9 Analysis
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