Caceres Carlos Ancients and Modernists 5/5/09
The Concept of Love in Kafka and Euripides Love reveals the true personalities of the people it touches. Euripides's Helen and Franz Kafka's novella "The Metamorphosis" grasp the emotion by giving characters contrasting personalities that reveal the author's thoughts on love. They believe that there are two different types of love: false and true. In Helen, Helen has been held captive as a bride for several years and when her husband Menelaus returns to her, she has to find a way to escape with both their lives. The Metamorphosis tells the story of Gregor, a man who has mysteriously turned into an insect and needs to struggle with everyday life while slowly learning the truth about the family he has come to completely depend upon. Although the conflicts in each story are different, the concept of love does not change. Euripides and Kafka show that false love is that of carnal needs and general selfishness while true love is expressed as sympathetic and selfless. By creating the misfortunes and achievements of those who embrace false and true love respectively, the emotion shows how embodying the latter is the only route towards tranquility. The selfishness of Theoclymenus in Helen is used to show that false love brings only shame, as he loves Helen, an already married woman. His love is very quickly denounced, as his sister states that the "marriage over which [he rages] was not to be....[Helen] must be once more married with her own, and go home, and live with her husband," going against what Theoclymenus's wishes, causing his anger (245). Theoclymenus is intent on wedding
2 an already married woman, greatly hinting at the turmoil false love causes. Theoclymenus' false love is shown through his selfish act of keeping a married woman from the Achaeans because of his hatred towards them. . By "marrying an already married woman [it] brings shame to his father's grave," showing exactly how false love affects Theoclymenus's family (232). His selfishness is the cause of misfortune towards his father, an incredibly looked-down upon act coming from a king. The misfortune shows that false love can negatively affect both a character and the people closest to him/her. Through false love, Theoclymenus walks a path of misfortune, never solving his dilemma and watching his love be taken away by those he hates most. By succumbing Gregor to its false love through self-interest, "The Metamorphosis'" Samsa family faces continuous suffering and never truly achieves the peace it desires. Although left ambiguous, the text strongly suggests that false love turns Gregor into an insect to make his family suffer for their incompetent nature. Even before the family discovers Gregor's transformation, the family shows its false love when an unusual morning occurs and all they wonder about is if Gregor was "going to catch the train" (66). That question, although superficially caring, reveals that their mind sees only the income that will be lost if the train is missed. Their thoughts on income come before any thoughts towards their son's health. When they discover Gregor's condition, they all immediately suffer through emotional problems as the mother "sinks to the floor, her face buried on her breast" and the father "[clenching] a fist with a menacing expression, as if he meant to beat Gregor back into his own room (74)". Even their response to what false love has done to their son shows false love as they immediately judge and become defensive against their own child. The suffering continues for weeks, as the entire family regretfully takes jobs to maintain
3 themselves. Their false love for Gregor is never changed, eventually leading the father to "fill his pockets from the fruit bowl on the sideboard and [throw] one apple after another," at his own son (94). Gregor soon dies after his ordeal and it seems that the peace his family wanted has finally come. Although not realizing it, the family learns nothing of their suffering and replaces Gregor with his sister Grete. The parents agree "the time was ripe to find her a good husband... when at end of the journey their daughter was the first to rise to her feet and stretch her young body" (110). They view Grete the same way they viewed Gregor; as an object. The language suggests that although the family believes their troubles are over, their false love for each other will make Grete into the new family insect, starting the cycle once again, eventually bringing even more suffering. Gregor's family is forever destined to suffer, as they never embrace true love to better their situation like their son and Euripides's characters. The true love that Helen and Menelaus exhibit through their selfless acts in saving each other ultimately brings the tranquility they desire. Helen's selflessness is seen when she admits "[she] will die and never change [her] mate," that showing she would rather perish than have any husband besides Menelaus (227). Her true love for her husband is returned as Menelaus also reveals his true love for his wife. Usually a fighter, Menelaus puts his warrior abilities aside and listens to his wife unconditionally. Knowing that what she says is for the best, Menelaus shows ideal examples of understanding and caring. Being new to the area, he trusts Helen with "a single hope for escape, a single way" (234). The love between the couple has Menelaus trusting in Helen, even if it was customary for the man to take charge in ancient times. This allows them to plan an escape that will guarantee survival. When it is
4 time to escape, the couple has Theoclymenus abandon the chase for Helen. By embracing true love, Menelaus and Helen become selfless and achieve what they most desire. Not only do they escape a selfish man, but also sail away in complete tranquility, knowing that their love for each other saved their lives. Being a selfless person, Thenoe puts her life in danger to successfully save her family, showing that true love can even the dead and bring peace to a family. When Helen approaches her to save Helen and Menelaus, she agrees, going against the will of the king, an act punishable by death. Theonoe's love for her father is shown as "while [she] has the strength, [his] name of goodness shall not change to a vile name," an event that would occur if she stands aside, allowing Helen's death (232). Theonoe's selflessness puts her in mortal danger, but by allowing it, her father's name is kept from being shamed. Being the sister of the king, Theonoe knows the punishments of lying to Theoclymenus, but continues with her plan. By having true love for her father, Theonoe manages to bring peace to her and her father's name, as she survives with no punishment. Knowing that Theonoe was in the right, the son of Zeus Castor prevents any harm towards her, telling Theoclymenus "[his] sister kept the righteous orders of [his] father and the gods" (259). Although likely seeing her safety, Theonoe's true love for her father still made her choose to save Achaean strangers and her father's name. By embodying true love, Gregor's complete selflessness and care for his family allows him to reach ultimate tranquility through death. When he turns into a giant insect, he has a peculiar reaction. He wakes up and thinks "ah well, I haven't given up all hope yet;
5 once I've got the money together to pay back what my parents owe-that should be managed in five or six years- ill do without fail. For the moment though, I had better get up, for my train goes at five" (67). Fully aware of his transformation, he is incredibly calm and worries only about missing his train, which would cause a loss of income for his family. Being completely selfless, his true love for family keeps him working in a meager job for years to pay off their debt. No one asks for his help yet he is glad he can help his family, giving up years of his life for them. Instead of worrying about his own, much bigger problem, Gregor simply shakes it off, as it has nothing to do with the family. When his family discovers his situation, Gregor tries to keep the burden off of them as much as possible, showing that he feels responsible and does not care about his situation as long as it does not affect his family. When he finds out about extra money that has been hidden away, Gregor's selflessness keeps him from blaming his parents and simply states that it is all for the best (84). His true love for his family keeps him from realizing the truth about how they abuse him, both as a person and an insect. This abuse culminates into having apples thrown at him, one that infects his body and ultimately leads to his death. Although Gregor suffers slightly, the true love for his family allows him to escape his tortuous environment and achieve a tranquil afterlife. By showing the pains of false love and the joys of true love, it is evident that Euripides and Kafka meant to tell the world their feelings towards family. They believe that true love should always be kept in the family, no matter the circumstances. The authors wanted to leave the reader with a sense of thankfulness for having a loving family and that it should not be underestimated. As shown by Helen and Theonoe, happiness and tranquility
6 can be achieved only through working with family. Kafka reinforces this by showing the break down of the family by not truly loving each other, as his characters do not respect each other and are forced to lose members of the family. Gregor achieves his happiness because he does try to work with his family. Through their works, Kafka and Euripides say that the family is the most important aspect in a person's life and it should be kept through pure love to get the most out of it. By being selfless and caring for others, anyone can achieve the tranquility they most desire.