Love is an element that guides Dante throughout the Commedia. It is something that helps him start his journey and continue it. One of the main reasons he begins his journey is because of his wife which can be attributed to the love he has for her. Dante also wants to receive love from god so he does not end up in hell. He is able to use love to do things and to keep himself from doing things. Overall love is a major factor in the choices he makes.
Author: m.mulic
Describe how Plato, Sappho, and/or Catullus conceive of love (and/or friendship). You can choose to only discuss one of the three works or compare two or three of them. You can also choose to compare their views on love with The Odyssey. You can also choose to focus more specifically on either the lover or the beloved if you like.
Love is part of human nature and it is discussed in Plato’s Symposium. In the symposium when discussing love, there is said to be two types of love. The first type being common love this is love in the physical sense such as because of someone’s looks. The second type of love mentioned is heavenly love this is when love goes beyond the physical and you care for the companionship or mentorship. These types of love can be seen in the Odyssey. Common love is seen when Odysseus is stuck on the island for sex. Heavenly love can be seen through the way his son will not give up and believe that his father is dead, he goes out to try to find him.
Discuss Homer’s focus on the father-son relationship
Throughout the reading, we can see that the father-son relationships are strong. The bond between Odysseus and Telemachus as well as Poseidon and Polyphemus are shown. Even though Odysseus and Telemachus may not be together they are still a unit. When everyone told Telemachus that his father was dead he did not believe it and perused to find the truth about his father, we also see problems arrive with the suitors. They work together even if they are not together because of this father-son relationship. As for Poseidon and Polyphemus we can see the father-son relationship activated when Poseidon finds out Odysseus was released he produces a storm. This act from Poseidon shows that he cares very much about his son.