123 School Work

dapne and apollo

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  Daphne and Apollo
  
  In Ovid's first century BC retelling of a the classical mythological legend of Daphne and Apollo, the poet intentionally portrays both of the characters in a heroic light in order to show the opposing perspectives of each individual.
       In the opening lines of the story of Apollo and Daphne, Ovid reminds the reader that Apollo, the protector of among various other things, order and civilization, had only just recently been responsible for the slaying of a serpent which was as big as a mountain and swallowed homes on the countryside in a single gulp. In the legend of the giant serpent, it is unlikely that many people would have been sympathetic towards the Python, and therefore Apollo is quickly established as the obvious hero of this tale involving him and a nymph named Daphne. Continuing the theme of Apollo as the protector of civilization, the nymph Daphne is also established as a threat to this order and civilization, which Apollo is responsible to oversee. Daphne is described as "innumptauque aemula Phoebes," a rival to the unmarried Diana, and a band "sine lege," without law, arranged her hair. Also Ovid notes that Daphne wanders the pathless forest, alluding to the civilization that she was avoiding by living in the forest. Living as a virgin, it seems she was almost a disgrace to her family, who would be expecting her to give to them a son-in-law and grandchildren. Because his pursuit of Daphne appears to be a result of literally being wounded by Cupids golden arrow, he can fulfill his "protector" duties seemingly without the guilt of what would presumably be the ensuing rape of the nymph.
       For most of the remaining lines of the poem however, Apollo is more portrayed as not only the pursuer, but also as the aggressor, and Daphne not as the enemy, but more the victim. Although Apollo claims to Daphne that his intentions are good, and that he does not chase her as an enemy, his attraction to Daphne is clearly only physical...