Post 4: Archetype is Just A Fancy Word For Something We've Seen Before (Part 2)
How's it going internet? Welcome to the Late Night English Blog, I'm your host and guy who's addicted to watching let's plays of horror games Andy Ferguson and tonight we will be continuing our discussion on archetypes. This time, however, we will looking at archetypes that can be found in Ovid's Metamorphoses. Don't know who and/or what that is? Have no fear, fun facts are here:
1.) Ovid, the writer of Metamorphoses, was a master poet in the age of the Roman Empire alongside Virgil. Unlike his contemporary, however, Ovid typically portrayed the gods as more than somewhat irresponsible and driven by base desires. Naturally, this pissed quite a few people off which lead to his exile later on.
2.) Metamorphoses is Ovid's big project, his epic, magnum opus type thing if you will. In it, the man creates a narrative using both Greek and Roman myths to tell the story of humanity from the world's creation to Julius Caesar. Here's a link if you want to read it (https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=sites&srcid=ZGVmYXVsdGRvbWFpbnxoYW1vbmVuZ2wyMTExfGd4OjI5ZDZlNTU1ZGM3NmVhYTY). A long ass link, I know. Also, it starts on page 727. Have fun!
Alright, now that that's out of the way, on to the bread and butter of this here post: archetypes. I know what they are and, if you read the last post, you know what they are; but, in case you didn't, here's a link to the oxford dictionary definition (https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/archetype).
On the same page? Bueno, empecemos! As always, we're going to rely on our old friend, the rule of 3s. Archetypes found in Ovid's metamorphoses include.
1.) Chaos- stop me if this sounds familiar "In the beginning, (blank hovered over the formless (blank)." sound familiar? It should: the Bible, Pima creation stories, and many many others typically start off this way as well. Chaos, formlessness, the primal madness that existed before creation. It's present in Metamorphoses as well where Ovid wrote "Before there was earth or sea or the sky that covers everything, Nature appeared the same throughout the whole world: what we call chaos: a raw confused mass, nothing but inert matter, badly combined discordant atoms of things, confused in the one place." (728). Need a modern example? try thinking of what the inside of a black hole looks like, or what the universe looked like before the Big Bang. Can't? Congratulations! You've successfully pictured chaos.
2.) We're all Dirty- here's another concept you may be familiar with: human beings being made out of dirt. Oh yeah, you already knew this was a thing. Abrahamic religions? God made us from dirt. Pima tribe? The Doctor of the Earth made us from his dirt-sweat. Greeks and Romans? Prometheus made us out of clay, which was nice for us but a terrible career move for him. What's that you say? That's old news and people today don't really think like that? Well excuse me but Frankenstein and the theory of god damn evolution would beg to differ. Frankenstein? Man breathes life into a creature fashioned out of cadaver parts. Where'd he get the stiffs? THE GROUND. Evolution? Big Bang does it's thing, earth is formed, water comes along, picks up some sweet nutrients from THE GROUND,gets stuck by lightning or something, a few millennia later BAM. LIFE. COME AT ME SCRUB.
3.) Cupid- this motherfucker. Do I really even need to explain this one? in Metamorphoses, Apollo annoys Cupid so the little lovey-dovey bastard gives him the hots for a nearby tree nymph. Now, all those fine details excluded, where have we seen this story before? Cupid, or Cupid-type character, shoots somebody with a love arrow and hijinx ensue. I'll take just about every cartoon ever made for 500, Alex. No, really. Think about it. Tom and Jerry, Looney Tunes, Fairly Odd Parents, Ed, Edd, n Eddy, and the list goes on and on and on ad nauseum. Honestly, at this point they should just give the kid his own show.
Well, that's it for the rant this time ladies. Thanks for reading and I look forward to seeing you next time. Until then, stay on your guard. February is around the corner. Later!
1.) Ovid, the writer of Metamorphoses, was a master poet in the age of the Roman Empire alongside Virgil. Unlike his contemporary, however, Ovid typically portrayed the gods as more than somewhat irresponsible and driven by base desires. Naturally, this pissed quite a few people off which lead to his exile later on.
2.) Metamorphoses is Ovid's big project, his epic, magnum opus type thing if you will. In it, the man creates a narrative using both Greek and Roman myths to tell the story of humanity from the world's creation to Julius Caesar. Here's a link if you want to read it (https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=sites&srcid=ZGVmYXVsdGRvbWFpbnxoYW1vbmVuZ2wyMTExfGd4OjI5ZDZlNTU1ZGM3NmVhYTY). A long ass link, I know. Also, it starts on page 727. Have fun!
Alright, now that that's out of the way, on to the bread and butter of this here post: archetypes. I know what they are and, if you read the last post, you know what they are; but, in case you didn't, here's a link to the oxford dictionary definition (https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/archetype).
On the same page? Bueno, empecemos! As always, we're going to rely on our old friend, the rule of 3s. Archetypes found in Ovid's metamorphoses include.
1.) Chaos- stop me if this sounds familiar "In the beginning, (blank hovered over the formless (blank)." sound familiar? It should: the Bible, Pima creation stories, and many many others typically start off this way as well. Chaos, formlessness, the primal madness that existed before creation. It's present in Metamorphoses as well where Ovid wrote "Before there was earth or sea or the sky that covers everything, Nature appeared the same throughout the whole world: what we call chaos: a raw confused mass, nothing but inert matter, badly combined discordant atoms of things, confused in the one place." (728). Need a modern example? try thinking of what the inside of a black hole looks like, or what the universe looked like before the Big Bang. Can't? Congratulations! You've successfully pictured chaos.
2.) We're all Dirty- here's another concept you may be familiar with: human beings being made out of dirt. Oh yeah, you already knew this was a thing. Abrahamic religions? God made us from dirt. Pima tribe? The Doctor of the Earth made us from his dirt-sweat. Greeks and Romans? Prometheus made us out of clay, which was nice for us but a terrible career move for him. What's that you say? That's old news and people today don't really think like that? Well excuse me but Frankenstein and the theory of god damn evolution would beg to differ. Frankenstein? Man breathes life into a creature fashioned out of cadaver parts. Where'd he get the stiffs? THE GROUND. Evolution? Big Bang does it's thing, earth is formed, water comes along, picks up some sweet nutrients from THE GROUND,gets stuck by lightning or something, a few millennia later BAM. LIFE. COME AT ME SCRUB.
3.) Cupid- this motherfucker. Do I really even need to explain this one? in Metamorphoses, Apollo annoys Cupid so the little lovey-dovey bastard gives him the hots for a nearby tree nymph. Now, all those fine details excluded, where have we seen this story before? Cupid, or Cupid-type character, shoots somebody with a love arrow and hijinx ensue. I'll take just about every cartoon ever made for 500, Alex. No, really. Think about it. Tom and Jerry, Looney Tunes, Fairly Odd Parents, Ed, Edd, n Eddy, and the list goes on and on and on ad nauseum. Honestly, at this point they should just give the kid his own show.
Well, that's it for the rant this time ladies. Thanks for reading and I look forward to seeing you next time. Until then, stay on your guard. February is around the corner. Later!
First of way to go off going above and beyond ! Moreover, from reading the initial posts you not only brought backround information, but explained step by step the assignment, and from the looks a lot of fun doing it. That being said, chaos is a clear archetype. It's a symbol and deeper meaning to a lot of how the world was made. It's in almost every creation story I know. I think you did an excellent job !
ReplyDeleteYour blogs are awesome! You used great examples and explained archetypes in life and from our readings so perfectly! Chaos is actually a really good example of an archetype because this world was created from chaos for sure, and it's honestly hard to think of what really happened during creation without our minds turning to chaos! Great post!!
ReplyDeleteLove your blog posts! Very laid back and straight to the point! Your archetype comparison of Cupid to all of the other characters in cartoons that just mess with the others, is so true and such a great comparison. He's kinda like Road Runner in Road Runner and Coyote too! Apollo was asking for Cupid to get him back though. He deserved what was coming to him!
ReplyDeleteThe black hole and chaos comment was well said, perfect description. I read the part about cupid and lost it. You really have a niche for these blogs and put your own funny spin on them!
ReplyDeleteYour colleagues obviously like your posts, and so do I. Well written and clearly analyzed. This is the lecture I should have done, so I thank you.
ReplyDelete