Guan-Bok Kwok
English 101H MW 9:30-10:55 am
Professor McKeever
10 October 2013
Word Count: 202
Cupid-Eros as an Allusion
Cupid-Eros, the mythological Roman and Greek god who brought heartache to mankind with his power to create love and aversion, can function as an allusion to how love is misleading. Eros planted the seed of love and desire with his iconic bow and arrow; he would frequently join gods or human couples together after carefully selecting his targets. Writers recognize the myth of Cupid-Eros as a useful allusion. For example, Shakespeare wrote in his tragedy Romeo and Juliet (c.1597) “…Well, in that hit you miss: she’ll not be hit with Cupid’s arrow; she hath Dian’s wit…” (Shakespeare 13). Shakespeare shows that Juliet is too sensible to
fall in love with Romeo out of naïveté. Shakespeare compares Juliet to the goddess Diana, who is a virgin hunter and hates Cupid’s passion-provoking arrows. Finally, when Romeo and Juliet tried to run away together, they mistakenly committed suicide for love. Their love was so powerful that it deluded each of them to madness at the sight of the others death.
Work Cited
Shakespeare, William. The Works of William Shakespeare. Cambridge: University Press, 1865. Print.
English 101H MW 9:30-10:55 am
Professor McKeever
10 October 2013
Word Count: 202
Cupid-Eros as an Allusion
Cupid-Eros, the mythological Roman and Greek god who brought heartache to mankind with his power to create love and aversion, can function as an allusion to how love is misleading. Eros planted the seed of love and desire with his iconic bow and arrow; he would frequently join gods or human couples together after carefully selecting his targets. Writers recognize the myth of Cupid-Eros as a useful allusion. For example, Shakespeare wrote in his tragedy Romeo and Juliet (c.1597) “…Well, in that hit you miss: she’ll not be hit with Cupid’s arrow; she hath Dian’s wit…” (Shakespeare 13). Shakespeare shows that Juliet is too sensible to
fall in love with Romeo out of naïveté. Shakespeare compares Juliet to the goddess Diana, who is a virgin hunter and hates Cupid’s passion-provoking arrows. Finally, when Romeo and Juliet tried to run away together, they mistakenly committed suicide for love. Their love was so powerful that it deluded each of them to madness at the sight of the others death.
Work Cited
Shakespeare, William. The Works of William Shakespeare. Cambridge: University Press, 1865. Print.