Analysis of Pygmalion

It can be quite amazing when one makes a wish and it eventually comes to pass. How about praying for something to happen and it immediately comes to be exactly how you prayed for it? This was the case for one Pygmalion a Cyprian sculptor during the 2nd Century AD. He was known for carving out a woman out of ivory and falling in love with it. Aphrodite the ancient Greek goddess of love, beauty and pleasure later approved that his wish would eventually come to pass once he got home. Both Charles Martin and Allen Mandel are translators who have similar and different overviews on how they see Pygmalion’s piece of art through a critical outlook of explanations based on how well they are able to relate individually.

      According to Charles Martin, Pygmalion observed the way the women lived lives that were not decent and were brought about by character through nature and what it had pushed towards the spirit of feminism staying as a bachelor and absolutely with no one to call his own. By this he created a statue made of ivory of marvelous art by creating a figure better than any woman could outstanding and embraced the creative passion of coming up with it. The model in stature looked so alive like a real maiden but the only thing it could not do was moving with modesty.

      The piece of art concealed, reveals to us his zeal for naturallnes and his burning love. He was amazed by the work in likeness of a body attempting to settle the fact that if it was a real body or a piece of art. Passionately giving it kisses as he imagined  that it gave them back, caressing and addressing it, seeking its affection through presents like seashells, pebbles, tame birds,armloads of flowers,lilies, bright painted balls, insects in amber, dressing it up, purchasing diamond rings to put in fingers and literally pampering it as if it was a real lady.

      Despite the rare ivory statute that was real, the belief that it  had a feeling and had the emotional aspect that every woman has. This was seen when he played her down in bed and put down pillows under her head assuming that she felt them. Faint heartedly praying to get what he asks for in terms of getting an ivory maiden just like his. Golden Venus was present at the Altar and she was aware of what he wanted to ask for and by good luck, flames soared up to the heavens and once he got home, he directly went to the statue and kissed it repeatedly as it got warmer.

      The ivory softened and its veins run by blood under his fingers which made him rejoice, doubt and afraid  that he had done something wrong.Pygmalion thanked the goddess through a speech as he caressed the maiden that was eventually turned out into a real woman to his exact liking. A wedding was attended before the ninth moon came to its crescent , thereafter bearing a daughter together known as Paphos, a name to the Island.

     According to Allen Mandelbaum, Pygmalion had seen the shameless lives of women in Cyprus and was disgusted by how they lived and for years he lived alone with no one to wife. He carved a snow-white ivory through fine-art and exquisite figure than any woman that was ever born could even match. He goes ahead to illustrate that he falls in love with the ivory enchanted and that ignites the flame of his emotional side towards her. Embracing and carefully touching it, murmuring words of love and offering gifts that girls love. The Venus festival is now here, people are paying the honors and when he is done, he stops before the altar and offers a timid prayer to the gods claiming that it was not an ivory girl but ‘his ivory girl’.

       Thereafter the flames flared more brightly into the air as Golden Venus was indeed present on her feast day after understanding this prayer. At home while caressing the ivory, it gets warmer as if his fingers probe beneath the sculptors touch. It becomes more pliant, excited but still in doubt. He thankfully pours out his heart to Venus and his lips touch on to lips that are not forgery or hard. The girl, blushing, lifts up her eyes towards the sun as she seeks him. Venus graces the wedding that she had brought into existence and when the moon is orb and not crescent for the ninth time, the wife gives birth to Paphos.

     What Charlie’s Martin allows me to see is the fact that Pygmalion is destined to fulfil his wish, but still gives it a different outlook that he too can fail. The statue is shown in a way that it has been made exemplary through art and therefore it is perfect from it’s figure to the way it looks by both translations. The fact that Pygmalion is put across and that all he needed was one with great character, splendid figure as opposed to the ones he was used to for so long. Both translators also termed  the model to looking so alike as a real woman only that she was not able to move around through how he kissed, caressed and pampered it with gifts that included diamond rings.

     His prayers to the gods made him go home to an ivory that was eventually blossoming into a woman. A wedding planned by Venus is braced by the translators even when the moon is not yet crescent, they have a child who is named Paphos as put.In both he thanks the goddess for making his prayers into reality as she attends the wedding that she had speculated when he went to the Altar. As much as both sound similar to some extent, they might differ with some variations but which eventually lead to a narrative that is or has been relayed to us time and again.

     What Allen Mandel allows me to see is the clear distinction of the ivory statute not to be only of ivory bug a clear specification that is a snow-white one quite different from what Charles says, “snow-white ivory” he tells us as he adds context to the ivory statute by identifying that it is a piece  of fine-art and has an exquisite figure.

Charles Martin 1997) p.664

Allen Mandel (1993) p.335

Creation of an ivory statue

Creation of a snow-white ivory statue

      Another striking difference is Charles demonstrates how the maiden was created through passion that led to concealing the naturallnes of his burning love as opposed to Allen where he says ” promptly conceived a passion for his own creation”. He also illustrates that Pygmalion is passionate about his piece of art that he compares its emotional side to a real woman .

Charles Martin ( 1997) p.665

Allen Mandel (1993) p.336

Promptly conceived a passion for his own creation

Pygmalion fell in love with his own creation

     Allen claims that Pygmalion was quite specific when he wished for the awakening of his art through his words ”the living likeness of my ivory girl”. The bearing of a daughter is well put by Charles, a name given to an Island but in contrast to Allen, Paphos is a child and in honor of them Cyprus since was called the Paphian isle.

      Despite these differences, the two translations are well illustrated and eventually come with solutions to our determined questions. They only complement each other but bring out an attentive noble translations on both translators making it considerable and consequential given the opportunity to be studied by almost anyone. Ceasingly, implying that readers can picture themselves into the transduction and not at all be intimidated by any unfamiliarity.

Work Cited

Charles Martin. Norton 664-665

Allen Mandel 1993, pp.335-338

Pygmalion(1983) an adaptation starring Peter O’otole, pp. 634-673