Adaptations present the development of ideas, which contribute to further understanding of the values upheld in the era of its creation. As such, Ovid’s narrative poem, ‘Metamorphosis’ 8 CE, depicts the dangers for man to deviate from the natural order. Leading on from this, Pieter Bruegel’s acclimatised art piece, ‘Landscape with the Fall of Icarus’ c. 1560, emphasises the sustenance of work. Also, as W.H. Auden’s poem, ‘Musée des Beaux Arts’ is heavily influenced by these presented texts, he had yet presented a more suitable paradigm to his era of the ignorance one has for disasters that do not directly affect oneself.
Unmistakably seen within ‘Metamorphosis’ by Ovid, is the clear standards of the male role, and the encouragement by the societal norms of its creation to maintain this role. As such, Metamorphosis portrays Daedalus, father of Icarus, who discourages him to stretch the boundaries of his capabilities. Instead, it is shown that he encourages him to only “travel between the extremes”, which persists with a metaphor to attentively stay between boundaries one naturally would not go beyond. With this, viewers today can interpret the idea that extremes were not positively acted upon but instead, were the limits a person could not and should not tamper with. However, Icarus is attracted to the intoxicating nature of freedom and power. Supposedly, with the obtainment of personification, he decides to “ignoring his guide, drawn by desire to the heavens”, move off, closer to the sun than warned. In such ways, a modern reader is able to obtain the ever-longing to challenge themselves, but, there was never an act put upon it. However, it can be seen earlier in the story that Daedalus hypocritically challenges the natural order himself. As such, foreshadowing is present through the use of negative connotation, so saying he “altered the natural order of things.” This is so, as the audience perceives the presence of both the ‘natural’, being good and the ‘alteration’ of the natural, being bad. Thus, when analysing this narrative poem, there is exhausted the masculine ideals of Ovid’s society in 8 CE and today’s readers are still positioned to respond, as they see a world that has adaptively changed where humanity have accepted the competition of our own capabilities. (28) Corresponding, it can be comprehended within Ovid’s ‘Metamorphosis’, the author wished to recognise the limitations the manlike population were prone to, set by civilisation in this specific era. The Roman world he was exposed to saw the conclusion of ordinary life to be the comforting limits of one’s work. As such, with the reference to the poetic narrative - “He gave a never to be repeated kiss to his son, and lifting upwards on his wings, flew ahead, anxious for …show more content…
Perceptibly, the role of mankind is portrayed by peasants, anonymous symbols of humanity, who work with the land in a state of beneficial unity with nature. Moreover, strong vector lines all contradict the three worker’s attention from the drowning Icarus and prove their duties to be their main focus. In an instance, the ploughman is led by a repetitive duty of lines in the soil, which continually leads him through his work, whilst the Shepherd tends to his sheep. In saying this, there is a particular emphasis upon the ploughman, displaying a motif within the character. Aligning with this, is the red clothes he bears, which is particularly significant as it contrasts immensely with the primarily cooler colours of the image. By doing so, the artist has succeeded in grasping the viewer’s attention at this point, which then manages to lead the viewer’s eyes along the aforementioned vector lines. Symbolically, through the presence of the ploughman, Bruegel has indicatively reinterpreted the original ‘Metamorphosis’ to instead place the main paradigm of the story upon the worker’s life instead of Icarus’s. In doing so, a new storyline is portrayed in which a worker places his importance upon work rather than the well beings of others. Significantly, by doing so, the world in the artist’s life is portrayed as a place devoted upon work and the lack of acknowledgement towards anyone’s suffering but their own. Consequently, symbolism expressed within Bruegel’s work allows for the contemporary audience to display how few thematic ideas of the first century are still in practice today, acknowledging the development of humankind, wishing to control the natural order of all things on
Unmistakably seen within ‘Metamorphosis’ by Ovid, is the clear standards of the male role, and the encouragement by the societal norms of its creation to maintain this role. As such, Metamorphosis portrays Daedalus, father of Icarus, who discourages him to stretch the boundaries of his capabilities. Instead, it is shown that he encourages him to only “travel between the extremes”, which persists with a metaphor to attentively stay between boundaries one naturally would not go beyond. With this, viewers today can interpret the idea that extremes were not positively acted upon but instead, were the limits a person could not and should not tamper with. However, Icarus is attracted to the intoxicating nature of freedom and power. Supposedly, with the obtainment of personification, he decides to “ignoring his guide, drawn by desire to the heavens”, move off, closer to the sun than warned. In such ways, a modern reader is able to obtain the ever-longing to challenge themselves, but, there was never an act put upon it. However, it can be seen earlier in the story that Daedalus hypocritically challenges the natural order himself. As such, foreshadowing is present through the use of negative connotation, so saying he “altered the natural order of things.” This is so, as the audience perceives the presence of both the ‘natural’, being good and the ‘alteration’ of the natural, being bad. Thus, when analysing this narrative poem, there is exhausted the masculine ideals of Ovid’s society in 8 CE and today’s readers are still positioned to respond, as they see a world that has adaptively changed where humanity have accepted the competition of our own capabilities. (28) Corresponding, it can be comprehended within Ovid’s ‘Metamorphosis’, the author wished to recognise the limitations the manlike population were prone to, set by civilisation in this specific era. The Roman world he was exposed to saw the conclusion of ordinary life to be the comforting limits of one’s work. As such, with the reference to the poetic narrative - “He gave a never to be repeated kiss to his son, and lifting upwards on his wings, flew ahead, anxious for …show more content…
Perceptibly, the role of mankind is portrayed by peasants, anonymous symbols of humanity, who work with the land in a state of beneficial unity with nature. Moreover, strong vector lines all contradict the three worker’s attention from the drowning Icarus and prove their duties to be their main focus. In an instance, the ploughman is led by a repetitive duty of lines in the soil, which continually leads him through his work, whilst the Shepherd tends to his sheep. In saying this, there is a particular emphasis upon the ploughman, displaying a motif within the character. Aligning with this, is the red clothes he bears, which is particularly significant as it contrasts immensely with the primarily cooler colours of the image. By doing so, the artist has succeeded in grasping the viewer’s attention at this point, which then manages to lead the viewer’s eyes along the aforementioned vector lines. Symbolically, through the presence of the ploughman, Bruegel has indicatively reinterpreted the original ‘Metamorphosis’ to instead place the main paradigm of the story upon the worker’s life instead of Icarus’s. In doing so, a new storyline is portrayed in which a worker places his importance upon work rather than the well beings of others. Significantly, by doing so, the world in the artist’s life is portrayed as a place devoted upon work and the lack of acknowledgement towards anyone’s suffering but their own. Consequently, symbolism expressed within Bruegel’s work allows for the contemporary audience to display how few thematic ideas of the first century are still in practice today, acknowledging the development of humankind, wishing to control the natural order of all things on