175k views
3 votes
How is the focus on Auden's poem different than the focus of Ovid's myth?

User Albert Bos
by
8.0k points

1 Answer

7 votes
The focus of Auden's poem "Musée des Beaux Arts" is on the themes of human suffering and indifference, while the focus of Ovid's myth "The Fall of Icarus" is on the themes of hubris and the consequences of disobedience. In Auden's poem, the speaker observes how people continue with their daily lives despite the suffering of others, which is exemplified by the scene of Icarus falling into the sea while the plowman continues to work in the foreground. In contrast, Ovid's myth focuses on the story of Icarus and his father Daedalus, who disobey the gods' warnings and fly too close to the sun, resulting in Icarus' tragic death. While both works deal with the themes of human suffering and hubris, the focus and perspective of the two works are different.
User Bonusrk
by
8.6k points