The Odyssey byHomer
One of the original mentions of Siren figures in Greek mythology was in Homer’s The Odyssey. Although the mention of these Sirens is actually very brief society has
latched onto this mythical figure as a source of inspiration and interesting plot
devices. Interestingly enough, depending on the translation readers can pick up on a
few more interesting facts about the Sirens than other versions may reiterate. In a
few versions the sirens are shown to tempt Odysseus with rare knowledge as well as
fluffing his ego with stories of his own conquests and victories.
“Come here,’ they sang, ‘renowned Ulysses, honour to the Achaean name, and listen to our two voices. No one ever sailed past us without staying to hear the enchanting sweetness of our song- and he who listens will go on his way not only charmed, but wiser, for we know all the ills that the gods laid upon the Argives and Trojans before Troy, and can tell you everything that is going to happen over the whole world.’
latched onto this mythical figure as a source of inspiration and interesting plot
devices. Interestingly enough, depending on the translation readers can pick up on a
few more interesting facts about the Sirens than other versions may reiterate. In a
few versions the sirens are shown to tempt Odysseus with rare knowledge as well as
fluffing his ego with stories of his own conquests and victories.
“Come here,’ they sang, ‘renowned Ulysses, honour to the Achaean name, and listen to our two voices. No one ever sailed past us without staying to hear the enchanting sweetness of our song- and he who listens will go on his way not only charmed, but wiser, for we know all the ills that the gods laid upon the Argives and Trojans before Troy, and can tell you everything that is going to happen over the whole world.’
Ulysses byJamesJoyce
James Joyce, the author of Ulysses, was a fan of various types of
operatic music and this contributed to his implementation of the song M’appari
(Martha) from the opera M’appari Tutt’ amor. We specifically chose the English
version so that the audience could better draw the parallels between the lyrics
and Bloom’s situation. In the Sirens chapter of Joyce’s Odyssean journey
parallels Leopold Bloom sits and listens to the music coming from the other
patrons of the Ormond Hotel bar. It is relevant to note that most of the songs
being sung fall under a category of good ol’ Irish drinking songs. Bloom, being
of a Jewish background coupled with his overall personality type tends to
separate him from these kinds of displays. Simon Dedalus is soon encouraged to
step forward and sing the tenor song M’appari. This song in particular greatly affects the
protagonist in the story. The song of course being about a woman named Martha
which happens to be the name of the woman who Bloom is considering having an
affair with, cheating on his wife Molly. Bloom struggles with his own version
of an enchanted Siren figure in the form of Martha who is his seductress. The
bar is often considered a place one comes to forget about troubles and be
distracted, which is the overall point of Sirens to begin with. The song
coupled with the image of Martha, as well as the barmaids present, act as
Bloom’s distraction from thoughts of his wife and her potential sordid affairs
with Blazes Boylan.
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Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison
Although Ralph Ellison incorporates several mentions of music and famous musicians (usually jazz related) in his novel “Invisible Man,” none of these fit the plot as a Siren song. In the end, it seemed that the most Siren-like figures within the narrator’s life were the women he encounters in his dealings with white men. He learns later on that perhaps women have been used as snare or distraction for him starting with his first encounter with a stripper at the Battle Royale. “She seemed like a fair bird-girl girdled in veils calling to me from the angry surface of some gray and threatening sea,” this imagery relating directly to the original Greek mythos of Sirens who were depicted as women with the bodies of birds. She is there to keep the crowd distracted and entertained but when paraded in front of the Battle boys she is depicted as something they can never have, a carrot on a stick. Later on in his dealings with The Brotherhood, the narrator has two more affairs with white women who threaten to sidetrack him from his career. Although in the last affair with Sybil he seems to be the one in control of the situation, one could argue that the fact he is still involving himself wealthy white women could indicate that he wants to be continuously distracted possibly due to his loss of faith in the Brotherhood. |
The Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood
Margaret Atwood holds an avid interest in Greek mythology as well as
interpretations through a feminist lens as indicated through her reiteration of
the Odyssey through the eyes of Penelope. While the readers do not really get
much about the Siren encounter itself due to the action being centered on
Penelope left at home one could definitely read the Handmaids as Siren figures
within “The Penelopiad.” Much how the Sirens are always identified in a group,
never as individuals the Handmaids are a collective entity who notably dance
and sing in order to entertain or inform the reader. In the story the Handmaids
are asked to seduce the suitors in order to gain information which ties
directly into the notion of the Siren. But when we decided to use Atwood’s poem
“Siren Song,” there became even more ties due to her elements of writing and
how she chose to portray the two groups similarly. The Handmaids are seeking
help in the form of justice for their undeserved deaths. In “Siren Song” at
least one Siren seems to be asking to be saved from their situation. “This song
is a cry for help: Help me!” Therefore, adding up the themes of seduction and
singing along with Atwood’s own correlations between the two groups being a
victim in their circumstances allows for this poem to act perfectly as a Siren
song within the narrative of “The Penelopliad.”