The Love Motif in Chariton’s free essay sample

Ancient Greek novels share a multitude of thematic elements: god-like beauty, oracle predictions, erotic love, ruthless pirates, world travel and many others. They also feature related characters and settings. In the novels studied thus far in class, I find the most powerful motif is the love the two main characters share. This love tests and changes them throughout their journey both in relation to themselves, but also in the way the reader sees them. In most ancient novels, love plays major roles. Everything else that happens comes and goes, but the love between the main heroes endures and is there till the end, being it a happy or a sad one. In many cases, love described in ancient novels is not love in the sense of finding one’s soul mate, at least in the beginning. It is more a sexual lust triggered by the surreal beauty of the hero or the heroine. We will write a custom essay sample on The Love Motif in Chariton’s or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page At first look, CC and ET can strike as exaggeratedly emotional, surreal, and the main protagonists obsessed with their beauty more than sentimental love. Their love is not like any other, it is not ordinary. From the moment they meet the attraction is so strong that they have no choice other than to pursue the other or die. This first impression can shift as soon as we take into consideration the beliefs of ancient Greeks regarding love and beauty. ET begins with a portrayal of the male hero, Habrocomes. He is handsome beyond words, even to the brink of narcissism: â€Å"everything that was regarded beautiful he despised as inferior(ET 1. 1). He did not even recognize Eros as a god and believed that he does not have any power over him or his destiny. At this stage, Habrocomes seems ignorant and superficial. His view of beauty was actually as a reflection of himself. He did not have to look outside to see beauty, he was part of it. He saw love only as an aptitude, on the same level with his other skills: â€Å"he acquired culture of all kinds and practiced a variety of arts: he trained in hunting, riding, and fighting under arms†. (ET 1. 1) Habrocomes’ transitional moment takes place at the festival where he saw Anthia for the first time and â€Å"was captivated at the sight† (ET 1. 3). This is when he had to recognize that love is beyond rationality and skill. He had now transitioned from the ignorant person he was to a person that would go to the end of the world for love. Both Xenophon and Chariton set the love of exterior beauty above love of the person, at least in the first parts of the novels. In CC, when Callirhoe finds out about Chaereas’ presumed death, she falls deeply ill and desperate. Her â€Å"master† Dionysius becomes increasingly worried at the thought that she might bring harm to herself but more so to her appearance. CC 4. 1) Callirhoe is a victim of her own beauty. Just as she was forced to accept her beauty as something greater than herself, Habrocomes was forced to recognize that he had no control over love. Once the lovers are together, the adventures and hardships to follow serve as trials and tests for them to prove their devotion. As in most ancient Greek novels, the hero is confronted by pirates, brigands, pirates, spiteful g ods and many other barriers meant to keep the lovers separated for long periods of time. In CC, Chaereas starts his journey after Theron kidnaps Callirhoe from her grave. (CC 1. 10). In ET, Habrocombes and Anthia begin their travels after being sold as slaves and separated, in Book 2 of the novel. Their strength throughout the books inspires those they come in contact and makes someone fall in love with them at every step. The motif of the travelling around the world, more or less, serves here as a test for their fidelity and strength. In CC the heroes end their journey by returning to Sicily on a ship full with treasures. CC 8. 6) In ET, Habrocomes and Anthia go back home to Ephesus where they† lived happily ever after; the rest of their life together was one long festival†. (ET, 5. 15) Common to both ET and CC is also the suicide motif present when the female characters find themselves â€Å"cornered†. In CC, Dionysius’ slave Plangon informs him that Callirhoe will take her life if he forces her to be a concubine. Similarly, in ET Anthis tries to kill herself in order to avoid marriage to Perilaus. I think suicide and presumed death work to enforce and add more realism to the main theme in ET and CC. Love has takes many forms and shapes in ancient Greek literature. In some novels it starts as something innocent and builds on gradual feelings to become stronger. In the case of ET and CC, the heroes fall in love with their physical appearance. This lust transforms into love over the course of their adventures. Both novels were really enjoyable. The lack of fantastic characters (with the exception of the gods) and the focus on real people made both books entertaining and heartfelt.