"Temple of Melpomene" is an expression that is often found in fiction. Educated people sometimes use it in colloquial speech in order to give their words a special sophistication. Who is Melpomene? What does this character symbolize? The meaning and origin of the phraseology “the temple of Melpomene” is disclosed in today's article.
Muses
There are many characters in ancient Greek myths. Many of them are sons or daughters of Zeus. Muses also have a direct relationship with the main ancient Greek god. The daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne - the goddess personifying memory - live on Parnassus, patronizing art and science. These characters are mentioned in Homer's works - Odyssey and Iliad.
How many muses are there? The myths of the ancient Greeks say about nine. Each of them manages a specific area of activity of mere mortals. Euterpe, for example, patronizes music and poetry. Clio - stories. What is the scope of the muse named Eroto, it is easy to guess. According to the beliefs of the ancient Greeks, the fate of the authors of lyric poems depended on this deity.
We will not talk in detail about all the muses, but we will pay attention to the heroine of ancient myths, on whose behalf the expression "temple of Melpomene" occurred. What is this muse responsible for?
Melpomene
The deity was portrayed as a young beautiful woman with a bandage on her head. She certainly wore a wreath of ivy leaves and grapes. She was dressed in a theatrical mantle, which partially reveals the meaning of the phrase "temple of Melpomene."
In the photograph presented in this article, you can see the sculpture. It depicts a woman in whose hands is a tragic mask and a club. What do these attributes symbolize? The club means the inevitable punishment to anyone who violates the will of the gods. The muses were delicate and beautiful creatures, but, like the true daughters of Zeus, sometimes they were cruel.
The very name "Melpomene" in translation from ancient Greek means "a melody pleasing to listeners". In honor of this ancient Greek character, an asteroid was discovered, discovered in the middle of the 19th century. One of the books of his "History" Herodotus dedicated to this deity . This female character was very popular with the ancient Greeks. And the motives of ancient legends penetrated deeply into the culture of Europe. It is not surprising that in the speech of modern people the phraseology “temple of Melpomene” is often found. What kind of art did the muse patronize?
The meaning of phraseology "temple of Melpomene"
The muse patronized the tragedy. This genre of literature was very popular among the inhabitants of ancient Greece. The founder of the tragedy is Aeschylus. Today it is generally accepted that Melpomene personifies theatrical art, which should be understood not only as a tragedy, but also as a comedy.
Phraseologism, the meaning of which we are considering, can sometimes serve as a synonym for the word "theater". Melpomene is a symbol of tragic stage art. Her name was often mentioned in their works by poets.
In one of Pushkin's poems we meet the phrase "pet of Melpomene." As for phraseology, which is mentioned above, it is present in the works of many authors, including Joseph Brodsky. One of his poems he called - "Temple of Melpomene."