The Myth of Daedalus and Icarus Free Essay Sample

Throughout life younger people tend to go against higher authority such as their elders. In the myth Icarus and Daedalus, Daedalus creates a pair of wings for him and his son to get off the island they are trapped on. Icarus’s father warns him of the dangers that can happen if he flies too close to the sun. However, he doesn't listen which led to his curiosity getting the best of him and he ends up facing harsh consequences. The central theme in the Greek Myth Icarus and Daedalus is sometimes going against your elders can lead to harsh consequences. This also alludes to the two works of The Landscape with the Fall of Icarus by Pieter Bruegel and the poem “Landscape with the Fall of Icarus” by William Carlos Williams. 

The painting of The Landscape with the Fall of Icarus by Pieter Bruegel

Paints a picture of the consequences that Icarus faced. In the landscape a person is shown drowning, perhaps this portrays Icarus drowning. Icarus was warned by his father not to fly too close to the sun because the wings would melt, but he went near it anyway. This characterizes Icarus as curious, his curiosity got the best of him, when he flew towards the sun believing nothing would actually happen. Ultimately in doing this it shows his curiosity caused him to face the consequences of not following his fathers rules. In the myth it states “Warmer and warmer grew the air. Those arms that had seemed to uphold him, relaxed. His wings wavered, drooped. He fluttered his young hands vainly—he was falling.” (Paragraph 9.)  This connects to how in the painting the darkness of the sky symbolizes how Icarus's world quickly took a turn. The darkness of the sky shows how Icarus had felt great defying the rules he was given, until it all quickly changed. His life had gone from him feeling free and like a kid again to all of a sudden him approaching his death. Overall, The Landscape with the Fall of Icarus by Pieter Brugel connects to the myth Icarus & Daedalus through this painting. By adding details to the painting that alluded to the story and connected to the theme.  

The poem “Landscape with the Fall of Icarus” by William Carlos 

Williams supports how Icarus going against his fathers word caused him to face consequences. A quote from the poem that supports this is “sweating in the sun that melted the wings' wax.” The tone of this quote is anxious, it conveys what the harsh and stressful life threatening environment was like when Icarus neared the sun. Also it shows what Daedalus was trying to stress greatly to his son in warning him about what he may face. Daedalus had advised him how these consequences would feel like the world was closing in on him because the sun was stronger than him and the wings. Another quote from the poem that supports the theme is “unsignificantly off the coast there was a splash quite unnoticed.” The mood of this quote is somber because it shows the sad and sorrowful death that Icarus had faced. No one had heard him fall in the water so he wasn't saved. His father who had given him wise advice has not been able to save him either. A quote from the Myth that connects to this is “The heat of the sun had melted the wax from his wings; the feathers were falling, one by one, like snowflakes; and there was none to help.” (Paragraph 9). This connects to the splash being unnoticed in the poem because Icarus can be characterized as helpless. He is helpless because he wasn able to fight off his death and just had to face his fate. Which showed the major consequence of him going against what he was told not to do. Overall, the poem “The Landscape with the Fall of Icarus'' connects to the myth because it gives the reader another perspective on Iacrus’s bad decisions.

In conclusion, the theme of going against your elders can cause consequences is shown in the myth. It can also be seen in other works such as the painting The Landscape with the Fall of Icarus by Pieter Brugel and the poem “Landscape with The Fall of Icarus” by Willam Carlos Williams. The landscape displayed the consequences of Iacrus’s curiosity, while showing symbolism such as the darkness of the sky. The poem displayed more consequences Icarus faced and characterized his helplessness. Overall, at a young age people tend to go against their elders even though they know that they may experience adverse consequences like Icarus.