“A moving account of a relationship between father and son” Is this an accurate assessment of

Ovid’s account of the tale of Daedalus and Icarus?

For the majority of the tale Ovid does portray an emotional father-son relationship;

While he is warning Icarus about how he should fly, Ovid says that Daedalus’s cheeks are wet with
tears; this obviously shows the emotion and love that Daedalus feels for his son and this gives us a
moving account of his relationship with his son.

Daedalus is very protective and worried for his son. This is shown by the repetition of words like I
“warn” you and I “order” you when he is giving Icarus flying instructions. His worry is shown by the
fact that while he is doing this his hands are trembling. By repeating ordering words and portraying
Daedalus as worried and protective Ovid successfully portrays a moving father-son relationship.

Daedalus is extremely distressed at the death of his son; this is shown by the repeated exclamation
of “Icarus” three times and the repetition of saying words like “dixit” and “dicebat” to show how
much shouting he was doing to find his son. This portrays a sense of tragedy and effectively gives a
moving account of this father-son relationship.

Not only is Daedalus is distressed at the death of his son, he also feels an immense sense of guilt.
This is shown by the fact that he “cursed his arts” following Icarus’s death. This emphasises the
tragic nature of Icarus’s death and gives a moving account of the father –son relationship.

This theme of tragedy is emphasised by the pathos and foreboding created the fact that Daedalus is
said to give Icarus a kiss that is “never to be repeated”. This gives the impression to the reader that
Icarus will die and the tragedy provided here puts more emotion into the account of the father-son
relationship.

The tragedy of the tale is emphasised by the helplessness of Icarus when he is flapping his broken
wings. He shouts his father’s name to no avail and is eventually taken by the sea. This creates
tragedy in the reader’s mind and emphasises the emotional side of the account given of the father-
son relationship.

The moving nature of the account is emphasised even more by the fact that Icarus is so young; this is
shown by his childish nature as his “playfulness was hindering the amazing work of his father” and
the fact that he is referred to as the “boy”. His youth emphasises the tragedy of the loss for Daedalus
and adds to the moving account of the father-son relationship.

Ovid creates more of a moving picture by describing Daedalus and Icarus as an anxious mother and
baby bird, with Daedalus leading Icarus out the nest for the first time. This metaphor adds to the
moving account of the father-son relationship as it gives the reader a vivid image of the situation.

However, there are some parts of the tale which do not show a moving account of Daedalus and
Icarus’s relationship;

The repeated use of the warning words that Daedalus uses may show the reader that he knows that
he is exposing his son to danger and is willing to risk his son’s life just to get out of Crete. This may
show a huge amount of selfishness on Daedalus’s part and does not convey a loving father-son
relationship.
It can also be said that Daedalus may be risking his son’s life due to his arrogance and ignorance; this
is shown by the fact that in making the wings he is “tampering with nature”. This conveys a sense of
the supernatural but Daedalus carries on to make the wings just so he can get out Crete and it may
also show that he feels so confident in his abilities that he tampers with nature, which eventually
leads to Icarus’s death. So in these ways the loving father-son relationship is definitely not conveyed
by Ovid.

Tom Gibbons