“Basically Societal Deemed Transgender Lifestyles of Mythological Characters” Ted Hughes’ Tales from Ovid is a collection of classical stories depicting positive and negative human interaction with mythological deities on issues such as: love, hate, family, infidelity, and bravery. Typically human interactions with the Gods and Goddess resulted in negative outcomes. Similar to the women in Diane Gilliam’s Kettle Bottom, various individuals in Tales from Ovid broke gender norms. Society decides what behaviors seem acceptable, suitable, or required for males and females. Women should not only to be married, but to serve her husband and have his children. Men are considered odd if they do not chase women, participate in vigorous activities, or …show more content…
The reproduction of Caravaggio’s Narcissus, depicts the mythological character, Narcissus’s death as he stares at his reflection. Echo and Narcissus foreshadows the death, “Gossips came to Tiresias: ‘Can her boy live long with such perfect beauty?’ The seer replied: ‘Yes, unless he learns to know himself’” (pg. 69). As predicted Narcissus excessive admiration with himself and his appearance became the leading cause of his death. In Echo and Narcissus, women constantly threw themselves at him however, he refused them all. Echo angered the Goddess Juno, therefore she was cursed and unable to communicate. The tale Echo and Narcissus further clarifies Echo’s dilemma, “Echo who cannot be silent when another speaks. Echo who cannot speak at all unless another has spoken. Echo who always answers backs” (pg.70). Echo could only repeat what Narcissus called out however, upon seeing her; she was rejected like the others. Although he was hunting in the woods before his death, Narcissus broke his stereotypical male gender role of not accepting the attention of the opposite sex. Society believes that men are supposed to chase women and women are supposed to play hard to