The God of Love Eros Essay - 1010 Words

In Greek mythology, Eros is the god of love and beauty. When one falls in love, fate falls into the hands of this saintly figure. Many people fail to notice the presence of Eros, and both Robert Bridges’ poem â€Å"ΕÎ ¡ÃŽ ©ÃŽ £Ã¢â‚¬  and Anne Stevenson’s poem â€Å"Eros† focus on this forgotten god. Despite the focus of each poem being centered on Eros, Bridges uses literary techniques such as metaphor, elated language, and poem structure to enforce the idea that Eros is a dictator over human emotions, while Stevenson creates the notion that Eros is a slave to humans’ desire for love by using metaphor, poem structure, diction, and dialogue. The visual images of Eros described in each poem convey a drastically different type of god. Robert Bridges depicts Eros†¦show more content†¦The speaker doesn’t recognize the god, asking him â€Å"Eros, my bully boy, / can this be you,† (5-6). This dialogue indicates that Eros is somehow i ndistinguishable from the speaker’s preconceived notions of the god. Unlike Bridges’ poem, â€Å"Eros† lacks evenness and instead contains a stream of lines in an almost stochastic and hesitant pattern, enforcing the speaker’s confusion and shock of the sight of the god. Eros’ true image is covered by the effects of abuse brought on by the activities of humans, which is revealed when the speaker is told by Eros himself â€Å"the brute you see / is what long overuse / has made of me† (10-12). Eros has become so abused that his face actually offends the speaker, which is a sharp contrast to the perfection that lies in the form of Eros as depicted in Bridges’ piece. The psychological perception of Eros is depicted in opposition between the two poems. Using captivating diction and steady poem structure, Bridges paints a picture of the constant gripping qualities love has over human beings. The metaphors Bridges uses link love to a  "tyrant of the human heart† (3), implying that Eros takes full control over human emotions. The human race is described as â€Å"victim of thy grace† (23), which tells of the submissiveness a human presents towards Eros. Bridges uses constant syllables in each line of the stanzas to emphasize the relentlessShow MoreRelated Comparing the Forgotten God of Love in Robert Bridges’ Poem EPÙÓ and Anne Stevenson’s Poem Eros852 Words   |  4 PagesComparing the Forgotten God of Love in Robert Bridges’ Poem EPÙÓ and Anne Stevenson’s Poem Eros It is often—in books, poems, paintings, and sculptures—that one hears of and sees the goddess of love. But when is it that one hears of the god? In Greek mythology, Eros is the god of love, and a god who is many times overlooked. In Robert Bridges’ â€Å"EPÙÓ† and Anne Stevenson’s â€Å"Eros†, the idea that Eros is overlooked is portrayed, but in two separate ways. 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