Pandora's Box Critical Lens

Everybody has had temptations to complete a certain action, and not everyone lets this urge take over their clear judgment. This day to day message is conveyed through the myths “Pandora’s Box,” retold by Louis Untermyer, and “Icarus Flies Too Close to the Sun,” retold by Josephine Peabody. Throughout “Pandora’s Box”, Pandora’s inclinations were quite prominent. She had to face the urges of not opening the dowry gifted from the Greek gods. However, Pandora’s urges were victorious. Because of this, Pandora and her husband, Epimethus, had to face the dire consequences. In “Icarus Flies Too Close to the Sun,” Icarus and his father, Daedalus, have to escape a prison. As a result, Daedalus built wings to fly away. However, Icarus was told by his

However, she was told specifically by Epimethus not to open the gift presented by the cunning gods (Untermeyer 476). This theme is obviously applied throughout the myth. This is important because it shows how Pandora is well aware of what the righteous decision is to make. Because Epimethus’s brother knew the gods, she knew what they could do; hence, why opening this gift was not a great idea. Epimethus distinctly told her this decision. Even though she had all of the answers she needed, she wanted to figure out what was inside of the container. However, her curiosity started to rise later in the story. This left her with a moral dilemma. However, as time passed, Pandora started to become immensely curious (Untermeyer 478). This is important because she is clearly curious about this chest. Her human nature caused her to be curious, and it has engulfed her everyday thinking. She no longer just thinks about opening the box. She wants to reveal what’s inside the gift. Pandora’s impulse is overflowing her head like water overflowing a ship. At the end of the story, curiosity got the best of her. After the urges beat Pandora, the box was opened, and swarms of horrible creatures trickled out of the crate (Untermeyer 479). This is important because the theme is quite evident here. Because she was so tempted to open the present, she forgot the correct decision. She wanted to stop thinking about this ominous box

His father, Daedalus, told him that if he were to fly too close to the sun, his wings would melt in the intense heat (Peabody 2). This is important because this reveals that Icarus knows the rules of flying. While flying, Icarus will have to commemorate this rule. This is detrimental to his survival. Since Icarus is a young boy, he does not have the finest attention span. The text states, “These cautions went in one ear and out the other…He forgot everything in the world but joy” (Peabody 2). This is important because Icarus’s sheer ignorance has caused him to forget this rule. Since Icarus was flying, it tempted him to feel free and powerful. He did not care what he heard at the prison. He felt as if he was a Greek god. Because of this, he seemed invincible. Nevertheless, this rule still applied to flying. He did not know that danger that lies ahead in the treacherous journey across the ocean. As a result of Icarus’s free feeling, he plummeted to his inevitable doom. According to the text, “He fell like a leaf tossed down the wind, down, down, with one cry that overtook Daedalus far away” (Peabody 2). The theme is quite evident here. Icarus's eagerness grew as he started to fly. He almost felt invincible. However, the wings tempted him to feel like an indestructible being. Unbeknownst to Daedalus, his words had no weight in Icarus’s mind. Icarus had everything he