RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CREATIVITY AND PUNISHMENT IN OVID’S METAMORPHOSES

ВЗАИМОСВЯЗЬ ТВОРЧЕСТВА И НАКАЗАНИЯ В "МЕТАМОРФОЗАХ" ОВИДИЯ

Ляшко Ксения Владиславовна

студент, кафедра иноязычного образования, Московский педагогический государственный университет,

РФ, г. Москва

Фомичева Мария Александровна

научный руководитель, ассистент, кафедра иноязычного образования, Московский педагогический государственный университет,

РФ, г. Москва

ABSTRACT

One of his most prominent works of Ovid is Metamorphoses, a collection of ancient Greek and Roman myths and various historical legends. In his work, he spoke about the multifaceted relationship of mortals with the gods, paying attention to the creativity of people's actions and skills. Ovid admires the masters and their creations, paying special attention to the process and the result of their works. This is largely due to the veneration of art in ancient Greece and Rome. However, every mortal’s decision resonates with the higher powers, and often mortals receive punishments that correspond to their sins and actions. Therefore, this work will focus on the relationship between people’s creativity related to sins and further punishments that Gods and Goddesses have brought to them. Mainly with detailed reference to the stories of Arachne and Minerva, Philomela, Procne and Tereus in Book VI, Daedalus and Icarus in Book VIII.

АННОТАЦИЯ

Одна из его самых выдающихся работ Овидия - "Метаморфозы", сборник древнегреческих и римских мифов и различных исторических легенд. В своей работе он рассказывал о многогранных взаимоотношениях смертных с богами, обращая внимание на креативность действий и навыков людей. Овидий восхищается мастерами и их творениями, уделяя особое внимание процессу и результату их работ. Во многом это связано с почитанием искусства в Древней Греции и Риме. Однако решение каждого смертного находит отклик у высших сил, и часто смертные получают наказания, соответствующие их грехам и поступкам. Поэтому эта работа будет посвящена взаимосвязи между творчеством людей, связанным с грехами, и дальнейшими наказаниями, которые Боги и Богини обрушили на них. В основном с подробными ссылками на истории Арахны и Минервы, Филомелы, Прокна и Терея в книге VI, Дедала и Икара в книге VIII.

Keywords: Ovid, sin, punishment, creativity, gift.

Ключевые слова: Овидий, грех, наказание, творчество, дар.

Ovid is one of the most famous poets of ancient Rome, who wrote influential poems and elegies during his life. One of his most prominent works is Metamorphoses, a collection of ancient Greek and Roman myths and various historical legends. In his work, he spoke about the multifaceted relationship of mortals with the gods, paying attention to the creativity of people's actions and skills. Ovid admires the masters and their creations, paying special attention to the process and the result of their works. This is largely due to the veneration of art in ancient Greece and Rome. However, every mortal’s decision resonates with the higher powers, and often mortals receive punishments that correspond to their sins and actions. Therefore, this work will focus on the relationship between people’s creativity related to sins and further punishments that Gods and Goddesses have brought to them. Mainly with detailed reference to the stories of Arachne and Minerva, Philomela, Procne and Tereus in Book VI, Daedalus and Icarus in Book VIII.

Creativity has often been the subject of controversy and rivalry between gods and mortals, since it has a divine nature. The ability to create is a gift to mortals by gods, which helps to analyze not only the shell, but also to understand the soul of a craftsman [4, p.223]. However, the gift of the gods does not always have a positive outcome for mortals. For instance, a dark side of creativity can be traced in the myth about Arachne. Due to the gifted nature, Arachne’s fame “filled the neighboring countries” and her hometown Lydia [2]. The girl did not want to understand that she owed her ability to weave to Minerva. Her success seemed to have been achieved by herself. Moreover, Arachne did not want to share the glory of a skilled craftswoman with the Goddess. Thus, art gave her too much confidence that led to arrogance and pride. Unable to overcome this dark influence of art, Arachne desired more than human respect and praise. The girl decided to compare her art and sleight of hand with the goddess of this craft. Through this action, Ovid depicted how a talented person can get blinded by fame and whose ungrateful behaviour towards his or her teacher can ruin one’s life.

Another interpretation of this myth can be based on the transformation of Arachne into a spider that “by constant weaving lives” [2]. This arachnida is chosen by the goddess for a number of reasons. Didactically, this can serve as a punishment for disrespect and derogatory attitude towards Gods. An artist who neither respects rule nor obeys people of power cannot survive in society. For instance, Minerva “inwardly approved” Arachne’s work and accepted the mortal's phenomenal skills [2]. Though the reason for her anger was an embroidered painting depicting residents of Olympus possessed by human passions. This topic was forbidden and offensive for Gods and Goddesses. Thus, Arachne was punished not for her skills but for the usage of art that contradicted the ideology of Gods. In this case, instead of death, Minerva prepared an exile of Arachne's soul in the spider’s body. This myth and Ovid’s actual exile became an object lesson for young artists whose art can offend those who have power.

Besides, it is vital to mention that Arachne’s punishment may also have a historical interpretation. The selected arachnida may be a reference to the Peloponnesian War. There, opponents of the Athenians were Lydia-Karian Thalassocracy. Their state was famous for its trade in dyed wool. This suggests the presence of a developed textile industry in this place, which involuntarily leads us to a connection with the work of Arachne. The seal of the enemy city was a spider. That is why it is reasonable to assume that in addition to the firstly mentioned meaning, the goddess turned Arachne into a creature she hated. Thus, expressing the exact disrespect for her as the girl showed to deity.

In Ovid's Metamorphoses, creativity is not only understood as skills in art, but also as a manifestation of cunning intelligence. This concept is ambivalent; thus, it can be interpreted variously. For instance, from Homer’s Odysseus to characters of contemporary literature, lying has been a creative application of human skills. Even one of the prominent Victorian authors Oscar Wilde, was fascinated by Ovid’s works and noticed that the ability to lie is “the proper aim of Art” [5, p.21]. This is exactly such an ability that Tereus, the hero of the myth from Book VI possesses. Through subtle lies, the king of Frankia convinces Procne in the death of her sister. Owing to creativity allows it becomes possible not to lose his wife and also gives him the opportunity to be with another woman with impunity. Although these actions may be regarded as misconduct or sin, if to look at the decisions of the king from his point of view, it might be assumed that for him this is a manifestation of ingenuity and cunning intelligence in order to achieve the desired goal. However, nothing stays buried forever, due to the fact that Tereus is not the only one possessing cunning intelligence. Philomela, Prochne’s sister, possessed not only the art of weaving, but also the ability to tell unique stories. If Tereus applied cunning intelligence for vicious purposes, using the creativity to lie, Philomela tells the story through the prism of truth. Patricia Joplin, an independent scholar, mentioned the lady as the weaver, who “transforms revenge into resistance” [1, p.53]. She and her sister punish the king for what he has done. They “arve the butcher's limbs with cruel art” [2] causing severe psychological trauma, since he tastes the son’s meat. The king gets punished for using his creativity to please his personal desires, which are contrary to the norms of morality. In addition, even though Philimela’s creativity was for salutary purposes such an act does not go unpunished. Her actions, although unintentional, lead to murder. Even though mortals do not have divine rights to take somebody’s life, they are able to use the power of art with the same outcome. The message in art for her is more important than her life, for that reason the girl had to break the silence. Therefore, she loses her human form, yet fate is merciful to Philomela, turning her into a nightingale. This creature is famous for its wonderful singing. Allegorically, the girl regains the ability to speak, which was taken away from her by force.

It is worth noting that a person might be a creator and punisher at the same time. Sometimes creativity itself is a curse which intoxicates and causes rush actions, the punishment for which can be stronger than imaginable. This is exactly what happened to the Athenian sculptor and architect Daedalus, a descendant of Erechtheus. Living in Crete under the care of King Minos, the master decided to use his skills to escape from the island. The power of his skill, allows him to create wings that become the symbol of hope of salvation for himself and his son. Daedalus' creativity finds a physical shape, ready to be applied. People are not supposed to fly, therefore, even by creating a tool for conquering the air with the help of the forces of art, a person goes against nature. Thus, he seems to want to equate himself with the Gods, becoming superior to everyone and everything, and wants to rule what is impossible to control. The punishment for such actions is traced in the fate of his son.

Defying the laws of the Gods and nature, Daedalus rises into the air, taking his son with him. Wings, which are the tool in the arms of an amateur, instill confidence in the son and give him a sense of freedom. In the eyes of the child, the father is able to fly, which means that the boy himself can do the same. Mimicry after the genius leads to terrible consequences. Icarus, “whose childish thoughts aspire/To loftier aims” [4] decided to disobey the instructions of his father and the young man flies too close to the red-hot ball and dies. Overwhelmed by the power of creativity, he has gained a huge faith in himself, which becomes a fatal mistake. Death becomes not only a punishment for human disobedience but for underestimating the influence of creativity. Having the ability of creating and using works of art, mortals cross the border of what is allowed by nature or Gods, that for some can become a hamartia. As a result, the creativity itself becomes a punishment.

To sum up, it is vital to emphasize that creativity is an inimitable Gods’ gift to people. As can be seen, the wrong usage of it is often the cause of terrible consequences. It can lead to pride that makes people compete with Gods, like in the myth of Arachne and Minerva. For extreme disrespect to Divine, the lady was turned into a spider. Based on the example of Tereus and Philomela, it can be stated that creativity in the face of cunning intelligence will be punished, regardless of whether it manifests itself through unique stories or deliberate lies. For using creativity only in their own favor, Tereus is forced to eat his own son, having received such a punishment from his wife and her sister. Moreover, creativity may hardly influence mortals, bringing their close one’s deathly punishment. Icarus, the son of the craftsman Daedalus, dies not only from his disobedience, but also from the uncontrolled power of art. Thus, in each of the analyzed myths, people crossed the border of permissible creativity, for which they received the inevitable punishment.

References:

1. Joplin, P.K. “The Voice of the Shuttle is Ours.” The Stanford Literary Review. Vol. 1 (1984) – P.25- 53.
2. Ovid, “Book VI,” Metamorphoses, trans. Sir Samuel Garth, John Dryden, et al., Mythopedia, 2022, https://mythopedia.com/roman-mythology/texts/metamorp.. (accessed 1.02.2022)
3. Ovid, “Book VIII,” Metamorphoses, trans. Sir Samuel Garth, John Dryden, et al., Mythopedia, 2022, https://mythopedia.com/roman-mythology/texts/metamorp.. (accessed 1.02.2022)
4. Solodow, Joseph B. The world of Ovid's Metamorphoses. USA: The University of North Carolina, 1988. – P.223. 5. Wilde, Oscar. “Oscar Wilde Online.” The Decay Of Lying – P. 21.