In James Joyce’s semi-autobiographical novel, A Portrait of the Artist as AYoung Man, he references Greek literature by naming his character Steven Dedalus, in reference to the classical Greek myth of Daedalus, the man who decided to build wings of wax for himself and his nephew, Icarus, in order to escape their prison on the island of Crete. By doing so, Joyce uses this reference to inform the course of his character’s life throughout the novel, connoting that Steven Dedalus is using his creative power to escape the “prison” created for him by the Catholic religion.
However, this is not the only time Joyce uses classical Greek myth to shape the course of his story. Interspersed throughout the novel are four women who are formative figures in Dedalus’s development as an artist; these women parallel four of the nine muses described by Plutarch as inspiring creative productivity. The women in A Portrait help guide Dedalus in his quest for connection to true artistic transcendence, and help him come to a new understanding of his soul. During Dedalus’s life, his experiences with the whore, the worship of the Virgin Mary, help him re-imagine himself in multiple lenses. In turn, this inspires him to develop different aspects of his personality.
When these women appear in the text, their presentation evokes the particular muse they’re supposed to parallel. For instance, the whore is portrayed as a sensual being very much in touch with her own sensuality; this evokes the muse Erato, who presided over erotic poetry. When Dedalus encounters the whore, she is depicted as a woman who possesses a mystical power over his every action, inspiring him to commit deeds that were previously taboo to him because of his Catholic religion. For instance, when Dedalus is with her, “His lips would not bend to kiss her… With a sudden movement, she bowed his head and joined her lips to his and he read the meaning of her movements in her frank uplifted eyes” (Joyce 108). When she uses her physicality and sensual nature to compel him, Dedalus responds by “surrendering himself to her… conscious of nothing in the world but the dark pressure of her softly parting lips. They pressed upon his brain… between them he felt an unkown and timid pressure, darker than the swoon of sin…” By couching Dedalus’s movements in terms of passivity and submission like “bowed” and “surrendering”, Joyce connotes that Dedalus is too entranced by this woman’s goddess-like sexuality to turn away. When he submits to her, he becomes a creature entirely of sensuality, not beholden to the guilt that will later be his constant companion due to his alleged sins against the Catholic religion. By submitting to his muse of sexuality, he develops a new side of his soul, which is completely in tune with its desire to experience the physical pleasures the world has to offer.
The Virgin Mary represents the muse Polyhymnia, the veiled muse of sacred song, because Joyce depicts her as a figure who is accompanied by the music of Latin prayers. Furthermore, when Dedalus prays, his voice is characterized as “veiled”, which indicates that he is taking on the characteristics of this particular muse as he strengthens his soul’s capacity for religious devotion. During his prayers, he reads a Latin song, which translates into a verses taken from Ecclesiastes 24:13-15, and Song of Songs 4:7-8.
However, this is not the only time Joyce uses classical Greek myth to shape the course of his story. Interspersed throughout the novel are four women who are formative figures in Dedalus’s development as an artist; these women parallel four of the nine muses described by Plutarch as inspiring creative productivity. The women in A Portrait help guide Dedalus in his quest for connection to true artistic transcendence, and help him come to a new understanding of his soul. During Dedalus’s life, his experiences with the whore, the worship of the Virgin Mary, help him re-imagine himself in multiple lenses. In turn, this inspires him to develop different aspects of his personality.
When these women appear in the text, their presentation evokes the particular muse they’re supposed to parallel. For instance, the whore is portrayed as a sensual being very much in touch with her own sensuality; this evokes the muse Erato, who presided over erotic poetry. When Dedalus encounters the whore, she is depicted as a woman who possesses a mystical power over his every action, inspiring him to commit deeds that were previously taboo to him because of his Catholic religion. For instance, when Dedalus is with her, “His lips would not bend to kiss her… With a sudden movement, she bowed his head and joined her lips to his and he read the meaning of her movements in her frank uplifted eyes” (Joyce 108). When she uses her physicality and sensual nature to compel him, Dedalus responds by “surrendering himself to her… conscious of nothing in the world but the dark pressure of her softly parting lips. They pressed upon his brain… between them he felt an unkown and timid pressure, darker than the swoon of sin…” By couching Dedalus’s movements in terms of passivity and submission like “bowed” and “surrendering”, Joyce connotes that Dedalus is too entranced by this woman’s goddess-like sexuality to turn away. When he submits to her, he becomes a creature entirely of sensuality, not beholden to the guilt that will later be his constant companion due to his alleged sins against the Catholic religion. By submitting to his muse of sexuality, he develops a new side of his soul, which is completely in tune with its desire to experience the physical pleasures the world has to offer.
The Virgin Mary represents the muse Polyhymnia, the veiled muse of sacred song, because Joyce depicts her as a figure who is accompanied by the music of Latin prayers. Furthermore, when Dedalus prays, his voice is characterized as “veiled”, which indicates that he is taking on the characteristics of this particular muse as he strengthens his soul’s capacity for religious devotion. During his prayers, he reads a Latin song, which translates into a verses taken from Ecclesiastes 24:13-15, and Song of Songs 4:7-8.
I have grown as a cedar in Lebanon, as a cypress on Mount Zion; I have grown as tall as a cedar in Kadesh, and as the rose bushes of Jericho. As a fair olive in the field and as a plane tree, I have grown tall by the water. In the trees like cinnamon and fragrant balsam I have yielded a perfume. (Joyce 112)
The rest of the song, omitted by Joyce in his book continues as such: “You are all beautiful my love, and there is no flaw in you. O my love, come from Lebanon, come my love, come you shall be crowned” (Guerrerro). References in this Latin song to actions like growing and yielding a product in response to the holiness of the Virgin Mary connote her power to inspire creation as a way of serving her. When Dedalus reads this song, he is moved to “cast sin from him and to repent… to be her knight” (Joyce); this indicates that when he attempts to draw close to Virgin Mary, his Polyhymnia figure, he is moved to devote himself to the woman who is “bright and musical, telling of heaven and infusing peace”. What other women can you think of in the book who serve as muses for Stephen Dedalus? If so, which ones? I found a link on Wikipedia listing all nine of the muses, which is attached. In addition, the link for the Latin song Dedalus reads, composed by Francisco Guerrerro, is included in my blog post. Enjoy!
Interesting post, but I don't see the attachment or link you mentioned at the end.
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