"Beauty is truth, truth beauty"

I was thinking about the discussion in class about art and the connection between mythology and John Keat's "Ode on a Grecian Urn, specifically the lines "Beauty is truth, truth beauty," and I was reminded of a quote by W.D. Howells in Novel-Writing and Novel-Reading:

"By beauty of course I mean truth, for the one involves the other; it
is only the false in art which is ugly, and it is only the false which is
immoral. The truth may be indecent, but it cannot be vicious, it can
never corrupt or deprave..."

Howells is actually talking about modern fiction and realism, but the idea of truth and beauty is not a new one and obviously quite important. (Remember, "all that is past possesses our present.") Keat's appreciated the relationship between truth and beauty in his reflections on the urn, and recognized that that which is true and closest to representing life as it is, is the best.

The story that comes to mind from Ovid's Metamorphoses is Arachne's. The tapestry that she weaves in the competition with Minerva is far more beautiful than the goddess', which of course makes her really mad. But, the point of this story is that art depicting truth, like Arachne's portrayal of the gods as they honestly behave, is superior to anything that is false (Minerva's). Nevertheless, things still end up badly for Arachne. Minerva turns her into a spider, but such is life, right? It makes for great art, whether in the form of a story or a painting or song or dance or even an urn.

The last part of Howells' quote reminds me of the Oscar Wilde quote that was brought up in class, as well. "There is no such thing as a moral or an immoral book. Books are well written or badly written." Basically, there is good art and bad art; it does not matter how disgusting or disturbing it may be, as long as it is done well. (Who decides this? Why, Dr. Sexson of course!) And, Ovid was definitely not worried about being moral. He just told the myths like they were, beautiful, indecent at times, and for this reason they influence and enrich our lives.

Favorite Lines

It was really tough for me to choose my favorite lines. I've read so much now that I can't remember what struck me or where it was in the book. But, Orpheus and Hyacinth were a little fresher in my mind, so I actually chose two, which may not even be my favorites. But they're good.

After Hyacinth gets hit by the discus that Phoebus throws, Phoebus says
"You've lost the flower of your youth...
It's my right hand that has inscribed
your end: I am the author of your death.
And yet, what crime is mine? Can play, can sport
be blamed? Can having loved be called a fault?"
Poor Phoebus - he's accidentally just killed the boy he loves. It really is quite tragic, as are the deaths of all young people. They were just out having some fun together on a beautiful spring day, but then it had to end so badly.

The other quote I like is from the story of Orpheus and Eurydice. It's describing after Orpheus sings his song when he is trying to get his wife back from the underworld.
"Tantalus no longer tried to catch the fleeing waves;
Ixion's wheel stood still - entranced, amazed;
the vulture did not prey on Tityus' liver;
the Danaids left their urns; and Sisyphus,
you sat upon your stone."
His song is so moving that all activity ceases - activities that these "shades" have been sentenced to perpetually carry out for eternity. Pretty incredible. And, the ruler of the underworld actually gives him a chance to take Eurydice back with him, and he fails miserably. Orpheus turns around to look at her too soon, and he loses her a second time. Can you imagine how mad at yourself you would be? Also a pretty sad story, but I like it.

The Flower Stories

Besides the story of Pygmalion and Galatea, I also love the flower stories, which include Narcissus and Echo, Hyacinthus, and Pyramus and Thisbe (actually a berry story) . They are such beautiful and tragic stories. And, I like that they explain how the Narcissus, Hyacinth, and mulberry came to be.



In this painting, done by John William Waterhouse, is Echo and Narcissus. I think this is a very lovely depiction of them.

This is Méry-Joseph Blondel's painting of "The Death of Hyacinthus."

This painting by Hans Baldung is of Pyramus and Thisbe, which I'm not crazy about. In my mind they should look younger - more youthful.

Pygmalion and Galatea

I love the story of Pygmalion and Galatea - it's so romantic and beautiful, even if Pygmalion is a little pathetic. And, it's one of only a few myths that end happily. This painting is by Boris Vallejo.

There are a few problems with this story, the more I think about it. For example, he is a man and the only woman good enough for him is the one that he creates. Maybe the women of Cyprus were truly reprehensible, but it sounds like he just gave up on them or was too hard to please.

However, his devotion to Galatea as a statue does make one feel a little sorry for him. Apparently Venus was impressed by this unique love and therefore brought the stunning, flawless Galatea to life, so they could live happily ever after.

Maenads, Bassarids, Bacchae, or Bacchantes (take your pick)

In class on Monday we were talking about the women worshipers of Dionysus. And, like everyone else in mythology, they are called by a variety of names. The title of Euripides' play is of course the Bacchae, but sometimes they are known as Bacchantes, Bassarids, or Maenads which literally means "raving ones." A bassaris is a fox skin, which the Roman god Bacchus was wont to wear. Even though he is sexually ambiguous, Dionysus (or Bacchus) drives the ladies crazy. It just can't be helped, kind of like Elvis.

I googled the Maenads, and I found some art of them doing exactly the kinds of things of which Pentheus was afraid. They drink copious amounts of wine and indulge in frenetic dancing and sexual acts. But who can blame them for going wild on their only day off from their daily toils? Personally, I'm ready for a good time at the end of each week. However, I can't say that I usually have to the urge to go to the mountains and tear apart living animals, or humans for that matter. It sounds like things get pretty out of control at celebrations for Dionysus, but that's how he likes them. Apparently, he isn't interested in smart girls, rather the ones who know how to do well what comes naturally.

Dionysus

The Bacchae by Euripides is an interesting play, and I think that Dionysus is a fascinating god. He is, of course, the god of wine, agriculture, and theatre. And although he often inflicts madness on people to teach them a lesson or to get revenge, he is also associated with civilization and peace. His antithetical nature makes him quite frightening even while he is credited for bringing joy to Greece. Dionysus is definitely a god whose good side you want to be sure to stay on. In the introduction, I believe Woodruff talks about the smiling masks that the actor who played Dionysus would have worn. The fact that his smile can be benign or dangerous seems almost creepy to me. But, the question of madness and sanity in the play is an interesting one. It seems like they are almost switched, or sometimes Dionysus sounds crazy and Pentheus just stubborn. I think that this play is complex and that there is a lot that can be gotten from it. I will have more to say on the Bacchae in subsequent blogs.

Old Comedy

In classic comedy, there is old, middle, and new. As we have already discovered, old comedy is replete with scatalogical and sexual humor, or anything lewd and crude. Unlike tragedy, old comedy is not based on myth, but rather on contemporary themes or whatever the comic playwright chooses. In Lysistrata, Aristophanes has a purpose when satirizes the political and social institutions of his day. He is criticizing the Athenians and their ways, in which he apparently can see room for improvement. And, he also sometimes mimics the high style and language of tragedies to produce comic effect.

Another facet of old comedy is the role of the chorus. The chorus was an important and integral part of the production, which was very musical with a lot of singing and dancing. Unfortunately when we simply read these plays, we get only a glimpse of what it should be. It's hard to even imagine what Lysistrata would have been like back in the day as we are so far removed fourth century Greek culture. At least Sarah Ruden translated the play so that we can get the jokes and can be entertained (or repulsed) by it.

But, aspects and the spirit of old comedy remain in our culture today in political cartoons, stand-up comedy, and satirical skits on late night tv shows.