Philemon and Baucis Prepare a Meal for Jupiter and Mercury
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In this unit Ovid's books 8 through 10 are reviewed, and they give an overall sense of lingering fate. However, this doesn't necessarily mean that this is an entirely sorrowful part of the poem; there are in fact a number of parts to this unit that offer a sense of hope for a good ending to life of the characters that are featured here.
Starting with the story of Daedalus and his son Icarus, it starts out as an escape story where Daedalus finally conceives of a way to escape the island of Crete and the authoritarian rule of the King Minos. Daedalus is quite successful in his endeavor make an a pair of mechanized wings (made of feathers and wax) to help them escape. However, his son, reveling too much in the newly realized freedom that the winds bring him, flies to high and too far, allowing the sun to melt the wax and relieve the affixed feathers. This is a message that freedom does not mean that life should be taken without restraint, because if that becomes the case, one can be assured that they will feel the full gravity of their faults. (link to the story)
The poem then transitions to a story with a more pleasant end to the protagonists: the tale of Philemon and Baucis. This couple of man and wife have lived long together in Phrygia from their young days to old age, happily and wholesomely despite their impoverishment. When the gods Jupiter and Mercury decide to visit upon the town in disguise as mortals, they are disappointed by the lack of generosity and welcoming spirit of most of the community. However, Philemon and Baucis welcome them in, tirelessly prepare them food and drink despite their old age and lack of resources. As a result, they are given the honor of serving at the temple of Zeus and Mercury for the rest of their days, and the two gods plant the most fertile trees over their graves. Again, this story carries a message: even if you have very little to offer, offer it anyway, because you may be surprised the bounty that your basic generosity might inspire. (link to the story)
And then comes the story of Hercules and his fall due to the shirt of Nessus. The half-Olympian's wife is the one who gifts the shirt to him, unknowing that it carries a poison that boils the blood and tears the flesh of any who contact it. It's by this token that Hercules dies agonizingly, but for his trouble, he is allowed to return to Olympus as a true god. There's not really a message in this tale unless you adopt the ideology that the culture of the poem features: though the fate of even the mightiest beings may come to pass at the hands of the gods or mortal man, there will be compensation for those who have lived their life honorably and in service to their celestial progenitors. (link to the story)
(Here's a link to the unit page)
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