Hymn to Hermes
While re-reading the Hymn to Hermes, I was soon struck with a flood of various other texts representing the same story of brotherly competition. Ken Kesey’s Sometimes a Great Notion, soon came to mind, as the main focus of the story deals with a power struggle between Leland and Hank Stamper, the two sons of the great Henry Stamper. Although Kesey’s story is far more comical and far less God like, the characters remain the same. Hank, the strong, well-know, well respected older brother, represents that of Apollo who we see as a hard-willed, extremely masculine character. We can also relate the sly cunning of Hermes, to the intellectual educated younger brother Leland Stamper, who through a series of planned, organized events overtakes his older, more powerful brother. Although the connection is some what loose, and far more variables are involved with each story, the theme remains the same.
While re-reading the Hymn to Hermes, I was soon struck with a flood of various other texts representing the same story of brotherly competition. Ken Kesey’s Sometimes a Great Notion, soon came to mind, as the main focus of the story deals with a power struggle between Leland and Hank Stamper, the two sons of the great Henry Stamper. Although Kesey’s story is far more comical and far less God like, the characters remain the same. Hank, the strong, well-know, well respected older brother, represents that of Apollo who we see as a hard-willed, extremely masculine character. We can also relate the sly cunning of Hermes, to the intellectual educated younger brother Leland Stamper, who through a series of planned, organized events overtakes his older, more powerful brother. Although the connection is some what loose, and far more variables are involved with each story, the theme remains the same.
2 comments:
Just another thought along the lines of stories about brothers fighting...before Antigone there were a few other plays. Sophocles' other Theban plays about Antigone's family are called King Oedipus and Oedipus at Colonus. Polynices and Eteocles are Antigone's brothers (Polynices is the one she buried), also in a power struggle. Polynices invades Thebes with an army, seven champions leading against the seven gates of the city. Eteocles defends the city, and they die at eachother's hands in the last battle.
Elizabeth, that is a good point, i had not even considered incorporating Antigone into this idea. When considering it though, it came to mind that there is even a similar struggle between Zeus v. Hades v. Posiedon, although Zeus is clearly dominate, there is still feuding between the three brothers.
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