The Metamorphoses
by Ovid
[Medea] says, “O Night, most faithful to these my mysteries, and ye golden Stars, who, with the Moon, succeed the fires of the day, and thou, three-faced Hecate,22 who comest conscious of my design, and ye charms and arts of the enchanters, and thou, too, Earth, that dost furnish the enchanters with powerful herbs; ye breezes, too, and winds, mountains, rivers, and lakes, and all ye Deities of the groves, and all ye Gods of night, attend here; through whose aid, whenever I will, the rivers run back from their astonished banks to their sources, and by my charms I calm the troubled sea, and rouse it when calm; I disperse the clouds, and I bring clouds upon the Earth; I both allay the winds, and I raise them; and I break the jaws of 232 VII. 203-229 serpents with my words and my spells; I move, too, the solid rocks, and the oaks torn up with their own native earth, and the forests as well. I command 259 VII. 204-229 the mountains, too, to quake, and the Earth to groan, and the ghosts to come forth from their tombs. Thee, too, O Moon, do I draw down, although the Temesæan23 brass relieves thy pangs. By my spells, also, the chariot of my grandsire is rendered pale; Aurora, too, is pale through my enchantments. For me did ye blunt the flames of the bulls, and with the curving plough you pressed the necks that never before bore the yoke. You raised a cruel warfare for those born of the dragon among themselves, and you lulled to sleep the keeper of the golden fleece, that had never known sleep; and thus, deceiving the guardian, you sent the treasure into the Grecian cities. Now there is need of juices, by means of which, old age, being renewed, may return to the bloom of life, and may receive back again its early years; and this ye will give me; for not in vain did the stars just now sparkle; nor yet in vain is the chariot come, drawn by the necks of winged dragons.”
"The Metamorphoses" by Ovid
Metamorphosis
by Franz Kafka
“Now, then”, said Gregor, well aware that he was the only one to have kept calm, “I’ll get dressed straight away now, pack up my samples and set off. Will you please just let me leave? You can see”, he said to the chief clerk, “that I’m not stubborn and I like to do my job; being a commercial traveller is arduous but without travelling I couldn’t earn my living. So where are you going, in to the office? Yes? Will you report everything accurately, then? It’s quite possible for someone to be temporarily unable to work, but that’s just the right time to remember what’s been achieved in the past and consider that later on, once the difficulty has been removed, he will certainly work with all the more diligence and concentration. You’re well aware that I’m seriously in debt to our employer as well as having to look after my parents and my sister, so that I’m trapped in a difficult situation, but I will work my way out of it again. Please don’t make things any harder for me than they are already, and don’t take sides against me at the office.”
"Metamorphosis" by Franz Kafka
The Tempest
by William Shakespeare
Hast thou, which art but air, a touch, a feeling
Of their afflictions, and shall not myself,
One of their kind, that relish all as sharply
Passion as they, be kindlier mov’d than thou art?
Though with their high wrongs I am struck to th’ quick,
Yet with my nobler reason ’gainst my fury
Do I take part: the rarer action is
In virtue than in vengeance: they being penitent,
The sole drift of my purpose doth extend
Not a frown further. Go release them, Ariel.
My charms I’ll break, their senses I’ll restore,
And they shall be themselves.
From The Tempest by William Shakespeare
Question
Use the three excerpts to answer the question.
In Ovid’s Metamorphoses, Medea asks for help. How do Shakespeare and Kafka approach the idea of asking for help differently?
(1 point)
Responses
Shakespeare shows that Prospero is justified and reasonable in his request. Kafka shows that Samsa is unreasonable and making too many demands.
Shakespeare shows that Prospero is justified and reasonable in his request. Kafka shows that Samsa is unreasonable and making too many demands.
Shakespeare has Prospero, like Medea, list his accomplishments before asking for help. Kafka has Samsa list his shortcomings before asking for help.
Shakespeare has Prospero, like Medea, list his accomplishments before asking for help. Kafka has Samsa list his shortcomings before asking for help.
Shakespeare has Prospero make a request of one other person. Kafka has Samsa make a request of everyone who he encounters.
Shakespeare has Prospero make a request of one other person. Kafka has Samsa make a request of everyone who he encounters.
Shakespeare has Prospero’s request come from his own reflection on his treatment of others. Kafka has Samsa’s request come from his own inability to continue daily life in his new form.
1 answer
The correct response is:
Shakespeare has Prospero’s request come from his own reflection on his treatment of others. Kafka has Samsa’s request come from his own inability to continue daily life in his new form.
This answer highlights the different motivations behind the characters' requests for help. Prospero's request is rooted in his contemplation of his actions and their impact on others, while Samsa's request arises from his struggle to cope with his transformed state, indicating a sense of helplessness.
