Apollo and Daphne Essay Example

In the story of Apollo and Daphne, Daphne is an independent woman that does things against the odds. Many men treat her like an object that is just used for her beauty. A man that chases her for her beauty is Apollo who was struck by Cupid's arrow and is now in love with Daphne even though she rejected him, Apollo will do anything in his power to make Daphne his own. While her father believes she shouldnt be independent and that she should be a married woman. In Apollo and Daphne, Daphne doing things that are against what she is expected to do symbolizes how she wants to establish her own independence. This contributes to the theme of how women may face hardships from a higher power. 

In Apollo and Daphne, Daphne faces many hardships from higher powers, such as her father which makes it harder for her to assert her independence. A quote that shows Daphne facing hardship from her father is "Daughter, you owe me a son-in-law; you owe me grandchildren." ( Pg.1,paragraph 1)  This quote connects to the theme of how women may face hardships from a higher power because Daphne’s father sees her as an object of beauty that shouldn't be independent which is the complete opposite of what Daphne is trying to do. Daphne’s fathers tone in this quote is demanding. His tone is demanding because Daphne’s father is telling Daphne that she was brought to the world to just be a wife and have children. Daphne wants to remain independent though so she asks her father to remain unmarried. This connects to the symbolism of Daphne wanting to establish her own independence since she isn't accepting what her father wants and is going to stand up for herself. Her father to her remaining unmarried consented but then said this "Your own face will forbid it” (Pg.1,paragraph 1) The mood of this quote is tense. The mood is tense because even though Daphne’s father consented to her remaining unmarried he is saying that her beauty will always stop her from remaining independent.  (add characterization of one of the characters)

In Apollo and Daphne, Daphne rejects Apollo in order to keep her independence but is faced with hardship from Apollo. A quote that shows the hardships that Apollo is causing Daphne to face is “It was like a hound pursuing a hare, with open jaws ready to seize, while the feebler animal darts forward, slipping from the very Grasp.” (Pg.1, paragraph 3) The mood of this quote is controlling. The mood is controlling since the hound chasing the hare is representing Apollo controlling Daphne’s every move and chasing her around like a hound. Daphne is like the hare running away and weak. This quote contributes to the theme because Apollo is a high power that has cornered Daphne to the point where she has no independence or control over her life. This quote characterizes Apollo as undermining. Apollo can be characterized as undermining because he is doing all in his power to make Daphne fall in love with him. This is causing Daphne to lose her independence and confidence because Apollo is chasing her during her every move because he just wants her for her beauty.