preview

The Importance Of Lust In Philomeda ', 'Tales From Ovid'

Decent Essays

Lust is a strong feeling of desire for someone or something which can turn into a dangerous feeling if it is not handled in the right manner. Lust can cause one to do things that they wouldn’t normally do, especially if it overwhelms one's mind set. It is a hard feeling to ignore, but ignoring it is for the best because then dangerous situations will be avoided. In the myth “Tereus”, Tereus is overwhelmed by lust for Philomela, which leads him to rape and abuse. In the myth “Castillo and Arcas”, Jupiter has a deep desire for Castillo, so he rapes her and leaves Castillo pregnant and alone. In the myth “Phaethon”, his lust for power causes him to put the entire earth in danger. In Tales From Ovid, by Ted Hughes, Ovid conveys that when one is consumed by a deep feeling of lust, their morals shift. In the myth “Tereus”, Tereus, the protagonist, is overcome by lust for his wife’s sister, Philomela, which makes him do gruesome things. His wife’s only desire was to see her sister. Tereus was able to fulfill her desires, but the moment he laid eyes on her, he couldn’t help his feelings of lust. This deep and demented feeling of lust drove him to kidnap her, abuse her, and rape her. Ovid shows his change in morals by saying, “The lust that took hold of him now combined the elemental forces of his national character and his own” (Hughes page 215). Ovid then goes on to conveys how strongly he desires Philomela by using the simile, “His lust was like an iron furnace- first black,

Get Access