Perseus was the son to Danae, a daughter to King Acrisius. Perseus is a Greek mythology that illustrates the tradition way of life among the Greek gods and their kings. Importantly, the mythical piece has also focused on the supernatural powers, as well as death, when Perseus is seen flying to go and behead Medusa, one of three Gorgons and the only one who was subjected to death. The source text, and the artistic source of representing the story of Perseus have some similarities and difference discussed in the section below.
Summary of the Source Text
Perseus, son of Danae and Zeus, is tasked by Polydectes with the duty of fetching for one of the Gorgon's heads, which are Medusa because Perseus would not aid him with a horse which would be used to get Hippodameia hand for marriage. Guided by Hermes and Athena the God of travel and the patron goddess of the heroes as his helmets, Perseus went looking for Enyo, Pemphredo, and Deino who were sisters and daughters to Phorcys (Perseus). The three daughters of Phorcys shared an eye and a tooth which Perseus, took and demanded directions to Nymphai who kept the treasures of the gods. Upon reaching the Nymphai, he was given winged sandals, a bag that he would carry on his back, as well as a helmet that rendered him invisible to others (Perseus). With the sandals, the bag and the helmet he was armed, and flew to the ocean where he found the three gorgons; Stheno, Euryale, and Medusa were sleeping. The three gorgeous heads were intertwined, which confused Perseus as he was focused on Medusa's head. Importantly, the gorgons had bronze hands and wings that enabled them to fly whenever they wanted to, also, the presence of the bronze shield enabled them to turn anyone who observed them into a stone and therefore, Perseus had to keep a close eye on the bronze (Perseus). After observing the image of Medusa, Perseus beheaded her and placed the head in the bag that he was carrying on his back. After being beheaded, Medusa's body produced wings, while Perseus turned and went back as the gorgeous persuaded him to return the head without seeing him, due to the helmet that made him invisible.
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Summary of the Art
The artistic text of Perseus was developed during the classic period, and its features illustrate the Greeks traditional lifestyle. Firstly, is dressing in golden attire which symbolizes his position in the Greek society as a son of princess Danae. Additionally, Athena the goddess and patron of heroes as well as Medusa are wearing golden attires to illustrate their importance in the Greek society (Bremmer, 2013). With one foot Perseus is stepping on the boat, and another foot is on the air, which is an indication that he has accomplished his mission of beheading Medusa, and he is on his way out. He keeps a close eye on the spear to ensure that it does not get into contact with him as he will turn into a stone a myth that the Greeks believed that anyone who saw the Gorgons turned into stone. The myth was a way of protecting the Gorgons and maintains their sacredness (Bremmer, 2013).
The artist and source text representation of Perseus beheading, Medusa is similar in several ways. Firstly, Perseus is wearing a helmet, which is analogous to the description that the text of origin provided after Perseus acquired the garments from the Nymphai (Perseus & Medusa). Additionally, Pursues is carrying a bag on his back which is carrying a head that he had beheaded Medusa. In the text source it is clearly started the after cutting Medusa's head, he put it on his back and started going back to gift Polydektes. Another similarity arises from the fact that the gorgeous lived in the ocean which is evidenced by the presence of a boat which illustrates that the gorgons are in the water (Perseus & Medusa).
Contrast
Firstly, in the art text, Perseus is holding a sickle with his left hand, which is not mentioned in the source text. Another difference is the posture of the three characters, from the text of origin, gorgons were sleeping by the time Perseus invaded their inhabitant (Perseus), while on the art text, the three characters in an upright posture which contradicts the source text. Importantly, the art text indicates that Perseus is wearing winged boots which contradict the source text that shows that Perseus were wearing winged sandals. Finally, the woman with Medusa in the art text has been identified as the patron goddess Athena who is seen holding a shield which she intends to protect herself from Perseus (Perseus & Medusa). This is the opposite of the source text, which identifies the lady as one of the gorgons trying to persuade Perseus to return Medusa's head. Additionally, in the art text, there are three characters, Perseus, Athena and Medusa, while in the source the three characters present during medusa's beheading are Perseus, Medusa and one of the Gorgons. Also, in the text source the gorgons had a honey snake like horns which is the appearance of the Athena’s on the art text.
References
Bremmer, J. N. (2013). Interpretations of Greek mythology. London: Routledge
‘’Perseus&Medusa’’.(n.d.).RetrievedNovember09,2016,fromhttp://www.theoi.com/Gallery/P23.7.html
‘’Perseus’’.(n.d.).RetrievedNovember09,2016from http://www.theoi.com/Heros/Perseus.html
