Cambridge, United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press, 2007. The Cambridge Companion to Archaic Greece. Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 1999.
Santa Barbara, California: ABC-CLIO, 2011. Feminist Writings from Ancient Times to the Modern World: A Global Sourcebook and History: A Global Sourcebook and History. “Deathless Aphrodite of the Spangled Mind.” Trans. The Sappho Companion, New York: Random House, 2010. Studying the poetry of Sappho reveals the most distinctive features of her poetry and demonstrates the amazing mastery of the author to describe and analyze intimate feelings and emotions. This example illustrates the argument that no treasures and valor are stronger than the power of love is. She supports her argument with an example of Helen, who left her bravest husband. The speaker claims that what you love can be considered the best thing. The argument of the poem is what can be considered the “most beautiful thing on the black earth” (Sappho The Cambridge Companion 161).
#Love and friendship poem theme full
The description of these feelings is very expressive and full of bright illustrations. She describes the feelings she experiences when the object of her love is present next to her. The speaker focuses on her emotional experience related to love relations. In the same time, the object of her love appears to be involved in heterosexual relations with a man: “It seems to me that man is equal to the gods, that is, whoever sits opposite you” (Sappho Victorian Sappho 29). That means that the speaker describes her heterosexual love. Though the hero of the poem is not clearly differentiated, the female hero appears to be the object of the speaker’s love. This poem is considered exploring both homosexual and heterosexual love. (Sappho Feminist Writings 10) “He Seems to Me Equal to Gods” If she refuses gifts, rather will she give them.Įven unwilling. It can be proven by numerous usage of “she” during Aphrodite’s monologue: The poem can be considered exploring homoerotic friendship, as the object of the speaker’s love appears to be female. The speaker is longing for “heart longs to accomplish”. The speaker is a woman as the goddess clearly addresses Sappho. The poem explores female desire, as Aphrodite appears to be the one who deals with the speaker’s love concerns. That means that the speaker requested for the goddess’s mercy before, and she accomplished his request. The verbs used to describe the previous appearances of the goddess in front of the speakers are put in the past tense. This episode proves the fact that the speaker has met Aphrodite before.
It can be proved by such words presented in the poem: The speaker appears to entreat Aphrodite before.
The speaker praises the goddess, asks for her mercy and prays her to appear and comfort the suffering caused by love. The poem is written in the form of appeal to Aphrodite, the ancient Greek goddess of love, beauty, and sexuality. This poem explores the theme of love and friendship. “Deathless Aphrodite of the Spangled Mind” Careful study of the existing fragments of her poems helps to explore the intimate world of her poetry and determine its specific features. The target of her affections described in the poetry was female (“Sappho circa 630 B.C.” par. Unfortunately, only fragments of her poetry have survived (Williamson 1). Sappho is a Greek poet, who lived on the island of Lebos in the seventh-sixth centuries B.C.