Preview

Echo and Narcissus Summary

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
520 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Echo and Narcissus Summary
Narcissus and Echo
Liriope, a fair nymph long coveted by mortal and immortal alike, was the victim of rape by the hands of Cephisus, the river god. The result of the ugly abuse was a beautiful boy, Narcissus. Liriope inquired Tiresias, a seer, about the longevity of her new son. Tiresias replied, "If e'er he knows himself he surely dies." The worried mother watched as her son grew older and more enchanting each day.
The angelic nymphs of the water and ground threw themselves at the feet of the stunning Narcissus and vainly confessed their love. Narcissus thought that only someone equal to his own magnificence was deserving of his love. He had yet to find his ideal, and brushed off the many admirers with emotional detachment.
Echo, a nymph cursed only to say the words last spoken, became victim of Narcissus's physical charm and quickly loved him. Echo spotted lovely Narcissus alone in the woods and pursued him. When opportunity presented itself, Echo threw herself into the arms of a disgusted Narcissus. She could not properly speak her love and Narcissus through her away. Not even Echo's dire situation could move him to love. Echo flew to exile in caves and solitary woods, where she pined for unattainable love. She wasted away in the cave, leaving petrified bones and her poisonous voice.
Many nymphs, like Echo, had been turned away. His lackadaisical attitude towards the nymphs provoked an invocation directed to Nemesis, the goddess of revenge. The distraught nymph cried, "Oh may he love like me, and love like me in vain!" Nemesis answered the prayer and revenged the discouraged nymphs.
In search for refreshment after a day of hunting, Narcissus stumbled upon a pool of water. The pool was the visual of perfection. Nothing disturbed its beauty. When Narcissus dipped to get some water, he saw his own reflection and discovered himself. Narcissus believed that his reflection was a river god and instantly loved him for his rare beauty. His reflection was as

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    In the town Cumae their lived a Sibyl by the name of Deiphobe In the temple where there was a great house of the god Apollo. Apollo, because he once loved the girl Deiphobe, he had given the Sibyl the gift of immortality in exchange for her love. However, the forgetful god because he burned with love and he did not remember the example of Aurora, he did not give a second gift to Deiphobe: the Sibyl did not always stay a young woman. Therefore at this time she was a tiny little old lady, for through many years life and spirit continued for the miserable old lady.…

    • 402 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    One day, at about noon, Proserpina went wandering on the seashore with the sea nymphs. Her mother begged Proserpina to stay close to the sea nymphs, as they would keep her safe. Despite her mother's best attempts, Proserpina wandered into the fields to pick flowers without the safety of the sea nymphs. One of the shrubs was very beautiful and grew new blossoms upon being looked at. It was so marvelous Proserpina decided to pull the shrub and bring it home for her mother. As Proserpina pulled the shrub a hole started to form in the ground, it grew wider and wider until suddenly, at once, a man emerged. This man called himself Pluto, he claimed to be the king of diamonds and all…

    • 1305 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Leda And The Swan Analysis

    • 1129 Words
    • 5 Pages

    This sonnet depicts the taking and impregnating of Leda by Zeus in animal form. Simple word choice completely inverts the commonly held notion of man’s superiority over animals. The swan’s actions are portrayed with active verbs like “engenders” and “holds,” while Leda is “caressed,” “caught,” and “mastered.” She is “helpless” and “terrified,” while the swan is “great” and “indifferent.” Additionally, the words “staggering,” “shuddering,” and “loosening” shows ambiguity in Leda’s consent and ultimately portray either the power of the swan or the submission of the human. Finally, the notion of the swan’s indifference parallels the human’s indifference to animal life. The reader knows that this encounter will indirectly cause the collapse of Troy and ultimately amass to human death and destruction through the actions of Leda’s children. But the swan is either unaware or uncaring, just as the destruction of rainforests is inevitably leading to the death of entire species and ecosystems, for example. An important note, however, is the fact that Zeus is behind the swan’s actions. His “knowledge” and “power” are alluded to, which undoubtedly play a role in the dynamic between human and non-human animals and justifies this dehumanization of the…

    • 1129 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Better Essays

    Every time he touched his reflection in the water, it disappeared, frustrating Narcissus. Because of this, he could not let go of his reflection and dared not to lose sight of it, resulting in him sacrificing any other connections he held in his life to focus on one connection instead, causing Narcissus to suffer, eventually leading to his tragic death. Such events are evident in the section, “Frightened to touch the water, Narcissus lay still by the pool gazing into the eyes of his vision. He (Narcissus) cried in frustration. As he did so, Echo also cried. He (Narcissus) did not move, he did not eat or drink, he only suffered. As he pined he became gaunt, losing his…

    • 1318 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Love can be the greatest prize or the greatest loss that no god should massively interfere with. The gods should only deliver messages, not alter any events. A man by the name of Iphonious, Telemachus’ son, instantly falls in love with the sea nymph Ceria who equally fell in love him. Athena placed a curse on Ceria for calling herself as, if not more beautiful than the goddess. The beautiful Ceria now finds herself not capable of love, for whoever falls for her would end up dead. Iphonious meets the river nymph who informs him of an herb that could keep him from harm. She tells him that f he longs to be with Ceria, he can no longer rule Ithaca. Verizo Iphonios’ crew tries their best to keep the two lovers apart, but if Iphonious decides to be with Ceria, he will no longer be in line to control Ithaca. I, The Virgin Queen, believe…

    • 679 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    He started out as a weakling in the sense of mentality. He was insecure, self-pitying, bullied, and would have stayed that way if Athena did not come to help him out. After hearing the words right out of the goddess of wisdom’s mouth, his dead spirit is finally inflated and he becomes a new man. Because of Athena, he was able to escape from his shell of solitude and venture out to explore the outside world. Thanks to one person, a miracle has…

    • 1025 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The matter of subjectivity is constantly challenged in Helen Cixous’s The Name of Oedipus: Song of the Forbidden Body (1978). The play is providing a feminine perspective on Sophocles’s Oedipus Rex asking the matter of existence, name,…

    • 419 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    “Men of Odysseus, I Antinous and my fellow comrades have come to find a man named Eupeithes, have you seen him around these parts ?” I finished. The men said yes that he had just arrived escorted by Hermes and was looking for his son. They directed us toward where my father was last seen and we rush in that direction. We saw him and he was excited that I found him. He started to speak and said:…

    • 709 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Deus Ex Machina Quotes

    • 488 Words
    • 2 Pages

    The use of deus ex machina at the end of Sophocles’ ‘Philoctetes’ serves as a final anchor point to tie together the events which unfolded prior. Heracle’s intervention allows us to reflect on the nature of events in the play and the themes of the play. Finally it gives us insight into divine influence and the role of fate.…

    • 488 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Remorse is the moral anguish, the sorrow and shame, and the regret and guilt, which may haunt even the fiercest, mightiest king. It is often accompanied with the consequences of the individual’s wrongdoing. Remorse takes a principal part in some of Greek’s classic tragedies. One could say, the tragic hero is likely to experience such feelings, likewise in the Greek tragedies Oedipus Rex, rewritten by John Bennett and Moira Kerr, as well as Antigone written by Sophocles, two characters Oedipus and Creon both display signs of remorse. Yet ultimately, it is evident through the emotions displayed, admittance of their sins, and further self imposed retribution, that Oedipus suggests a higher degree of remorse.…

    • 923 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Women in the odyssey

    • 1024 Words
    • 3 Pages

    "The sweet days of his life time,Were running out in anguish over his exile,For long ago the nymph had ceased to please.…

    • 1024 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Change In Ovidan Myths

    • 959 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Echo is a woodland nymph who loves the sound of her voice; unfortunately, Echo loses control over her tongue after distracting Hera with chatter. After this occurs Echo finds someone she loves more than herself, Narcissus, who happens to be even more vain than she was. Echo is consumed by her vanity when Narcissus does not return her love and wastes away. Echo could have forgotten Narcissus and found someone who would have appreciated her, but instead she lets the disapproval of one man significantly “increase” her sorrow (Metamorphoses III line 509). Ovid warns that being so egotistical will lead to a life of solitude and of “grief” (Metamorphoses III line 507). This point is intensified in the story of Narcissus. After Narcissus spurns yet another suitor, the god of vengeance causes him to fall in love with his own reflection. Narcissus’ fate could have been avoided. He is not chained down or forced to stay near the pond with this “boy” (Metamorphoses III line 588). He could have easily walked away if his love had not been so overwhelming. Had Narcissus valued what is truly important—humility, rationality, generosity, etc.—instead of his infatuation with himself, he would have survived. Realizing that this “boy” was not going to accompany him, Narcissus could have left when he became hungry and thirsty (Metamorphoses III line 588). Yet he stays even when he realizes that his infatuation is with his own…

    • 959 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    The text seems to suggest that her reaction to the pool is indicative of a fatal feminine flaw, narcissism. When Eve sees her reflection in the water, she is captivated by the beauty of the image and only tears her eyes away once she is told it is her reflection. This is usually perceived as Eve becoming self-absorbed and vain. This is pointed to as the fatal flaw that allows her to fall to the temptation of Satan and while this can be read as misogynistic, it can also simply be that her captivation was simply a limitation of her knowledge. As she gazed into the pool, she believed that she was looking at another being and another sky, “Smooth lake, that to me seemed another sky. /As I bent down to look, just opposite /A shape within the watery gleam appeared, /Bending to look on me: I started back /It started back; but pleased I soon returned /Pleased it returned as soon with answering looks /Of sympathy and love: There I had fixed /Mine eyes till now” (4, 457-464). At no time in the passage does Eve show interest in herself other than asking initially who she is. While this does show that she is foolish, it is hard to say if she is truly narcissistic. As she gazes into the pool, she is captivated by the reflection’s radiating love and sympathy. The fact that she is enamored with the love and sympathy coming from a human source speaks clearly about her moral…

    • 1755 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Creon And Oedipus

    • 441 Words
    • 2 Pages

    utilizes this by means of giving Oedipus human qualities and a tragic flaw. Passionate, yet stubborn. In…

    • 441 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Themes of Miracle Polish

    • 1937 Words
    • 8 Pages

    The themes of this short story include jealousy, obsession with narcissism and the emergence of another identity. In this short story, jealousy is displayed when Monica has the narrator choose between the real her and the Monica in the mirror. In the story, “Once, she said, “You know, sometimes I think you like me better there”—she pointed to a mirror—“than here”—she pointed to herself. She said it teasingly, with a little laugh, but in her look was an anxious question.” The Monica in the mirror was described in this excerpt: “a fresh Monica, a vibrant Monica, a Monica with a glow of pleasure in her face. She was dressed in clothes that no longer seemed a little drab, a little elderly, but were handsomely understated, seductively restrained.” The real Monica is depicted in the excerpt “Not for a moment did the mirror make her look young, or beautiful, for she was not young and she was not beautiful. But it was as if some inner constriction had dissolved, some sense of her drifting gradually into unhappiness.” Jealousy is what drove the…

    • 1937 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Good Essays

Related Topics