At its heart, Arachne is a story about pride and human limitation . An incredibly talented Weaver, Arachne is a young girl who feeds on the praise of her patrons. Eventually, youth and inexperience, coupled with consciousness of her superb gifts, causes Arachne to boast that her weaving is better even than Athena's.
What is the overall meaning of Arachne?
Arachne, her name meaning spider in Greek , was a beautiful woman that had a great talent in weaving. ... That is why goddess Athena transformed her into a spider to wave for all her life long.
What is the theme of Arachne the spider Woman?
In Ovid's version, it is clear that Arachne's problem was one of pride or hubris, an exaggerated belief in one's own abilities. Yet, in other versions the theme is more one of Athena's envy of a mortal whose skills are at least comparable with her own .
What lesson is taught by the myth of Arachne?
The myth of Arachne was a Roman addition to Greek mythology and served as a lesson about the consequences of hubris and refusing to acknowledge the gifts the gods bestow on mortals .
What transgression is Arachne guilty of?
Athena saw what Arachne was weaving and ceased her own work in rage. The sheer impiety and arrogance of the woman struck deep at Athena, who took her shuttle and rent apart Arachne's tapestry. She then thrust her hand to Arachne's head and filled her with guilt and shame.
What is theme in a story?
The term theme can be defined as the underlying meaning of a story. It is the message the writer is trying to convey through the story . Often the theme of a story is a broad message about life. The theme of a story is important because a story's theme is part of the reason why the author wrote the story.
What is the moral in the myth of Athena and Arachne?
What is the moral of the Arachne story? No matter how skilled people are, they are never any match for the gods. People need to remember their place , and not try to be stronger or wiser or smarter than the gods, or bad things will happen to them. And good women, because that is their fate, should always be spinning.
What's the meaning of theme in literature?
A literary theme is the main idea or underlying meaning a writer explores in a novel, short story, or other literary work . The theme of a story can be conveyed using characters, setting, dialogue, plot, or a combination of all of these elements.
What is the moral of the story of Minerva and Arachne?
Arachne's challenge to Minerva can be read as the challenge of the art worker being punished for challenging the status quo. ... It removes the moral superiority of gods and thus the moral right they have to punish. Unlike what the story seems to tell, Arachne does not lose the contest.
What is the theme of Arachne and Minerva?
Minerva and Arachne has an assortment of important themes; but the one that rings clear is to respect your superiors , and also to keep your arrogance in check. This is evident as Arachne's fate is one that is truly undesirable, ending up as a spider due to her disrespect and arrogance.
Was Arachne's punishment justified?
The story suggests that she is punished not because her skill at weaving is equal to that of Athena — in fact, Athena accepts that Arachne's tapestry is better than hers — but because of the failure to acknowledge her debt to Athena and because she was so self-confident (hubris, as the Greeks called it).
Why was Arachne so proud of herself?
She was small and pale with light eyes and dusty brown hair. She was quick and graceful. Arachne was very proud of her skill, so proud in fact, that she was angered easily when the on lookers thought that Athene was the only one that could teach her to weave.
What generalization or statement about human experience does the story Arachne?
—Sometimes great talent comes with great pride . That is the generalization or a statement derived from the story of Arachne. Most of the times, great talents of people do not make them humble and grateful because it makes them greedy, boastful and overly-proud to the point of ignoring the real source of it.
Why does Athena become angry at Arachne at the beginning of the story?
InSpite of being blessed with excellent weaving skills, Arachne was too arrogant. This made Athena furious because she was one of the best in weaving skills. She became angry at Arachne's foolishness at the beginning of the story.
What is the lesson of the story?
The moral of a story is the lesson that story teaches about how to behave in the world . Moral comes from the Latin word mores, for habits. The moral of a story is supposed to teach you how to be a better person.
What is the message of the interlopers?
This is a story that develops a theme about the futility of violence as a means to resolve external conflicts . Ulrich and Georg inherited their animosity. It stems from a lawsuit between their grandfathers, which resulted in the von Gradwitz family taking ownership of a stretch of disputed forest land.
What is main conflict in a story?
Conflict in a story is a struggle between opposing forces . Characters must act to confront those forces and there is where conflict is born. If there is nothing to overcome, there is no story. Conflict in a story creates and drives the plot forward.
What is central idea mean?
The central idea is the central, unifying element of the story , which ties together all of the other elements of fiction used by the author to tell the story. The central idea can be best described as the dominant impression or the universal, generic truth found in the story.
What is the point of view in the story?
Point of view is the “eye” or narrative voice through which you tell a story . When you write a story, you must decide who is telling the story, and to whom they are telling it.
What is plot in a story?
The plot is what happens in a story . ... A strong plot is centered on one moment—an interruption of a pattern, a turning point, or an action—that raises a dramatic question, which must be answered throughout the course of the story. This is also known as plot A.
What is the main conflict of the story of Arachne nature's Weaver?
Arachne challenged Minerva to a weaving contest because she was so talented . Minerva disguised herself as an old woman to see Arachne's talent. Minerva revealed herself and accepted the challenge to show Arachne how much more talented she was.
What advice does the transformed Pallas offer to Arachne?
Do not despise my advice; let the greatest fame for working wool be sought by thee among mortals .
What purpose did Minerva most likely have in transforming Arachne into a spider?
To escape the beating, Arachne hangs herself. Seeing the poor girl dead, Minerva has a moment of pity. She brings Arachne back to life and then transforms her into a spider, so that she can continue her weaving.
What is the differences and similarities between Athena and Arachne?
What is the difference between Athena and Arachne? – Quora. According to Greek mythology, Athena is a warrior goddess of wisdom, while Arachne is the goddess of spiders . Legend has it that Arachne was once a mortal woman who challenged Athena to a spinning contest.
What is the difference of Arachne and Athena?
Arachne was a girl who lived in Greece a long time ago. ... Arachne began telling people she was better at spinning and weaving than the goddess Athena was . Athena was also known as a good spinner and weaver. Athena was mad that Arachne would say that, and she challenged Arachne to a weaving contest.
Where is the setting of the story Arachne?
Minerva and Arachne is one of those rare stories where the setting makes almost no difference to the story whatsoever. We know that the story takes place in the small village of Hypaepa, which was a part of the larger kingdom of Lydia . Lydia, in turn, was part of Anatolia. Anatolia is now called Turkey.
What is the advice the old woman gives Arachne?
The old woman tells Arachne to be happy with being famous amongst mortals . She says that is no need to prove herself further and to stop bragging and challenging the gods.
What are Arachne's positive attributes?
What are Arachne's positive attributes? Arachne is a very talented weaver. Provide evidence from the text to support your argument. “ So soft and even was her thread, so fine her cloth, so gorgeous her embroidery , that soon her products were well known all over Greece.” What are her negative attributes?
Why did Arachne turned into a spider?
Arachne won the contest and Athena was angry. Enraged, Athena turned Arachne into a spider. If she was so great at weaving, then she could spend eternity weaving her webs . It is said that her and her children are forever cursed and remain in the form of a spider.
Who was the ugliest god?
Facts about Hephaestus
Hephaestus was the only ugly god among perfectly beautiful immortals. Hephaestus was born deformed and was cast out of heaven by one or both of his parents when they noticed that he was imperfect. He was the workman of the immortals: he made their dwellings, furnishings, and weapons.
What was Arachne's response to the old woman's advice?
Arachne, in her vanity, replied, “ No, not even Athena is as good as I am .” The old woman then tore away her disguise and revealed herself as Athena. She was enraged that a mortal could be boastful and would dare to compare herself to a goddess. And so, Athena challenged Arachne to a spinning and weaving contest.
What is Athena's original intention toward Arachne?
What is Athene's original intention toward Arachne? Hearing Arachne's bragging and seeing the scene that Arachne weaves into the cloth makes Athene angry . what makes athene angry? her skill draws much praise and admiration from all over greece.
What made Athena angry at Arachne as a result of her anger What did she do to Arachne?
When people saw Arachne's work, they would tell her how talented she was. ... Meanwhile, at the home of the gods, the goddess Athena had heard about Arachne. She was angered by the idea that someone would say that they were more talented than a god so Athena hatched a plan to confront Arachne .
What did Athena do to Arachne at the end of the story answer?
What did Athena do to Arachne at the end of the story? She turned her into a spider so she could continue to weave and make tapestries . How does the story of Arachne demonstrate dangers of pride and vanity? When Arachne agreed to the bet and lost she could never spin on a loom again.
What is the conflict between Athena and Arachne?
According to the myth, Arachne was a gifted weaver. However, her pride gets the better of her, and she boastfully proclaims her talents are far better than that of the Goddess Athena. Enraged at the insult, Athena challenges Arachne to a contest to determine who amongst them is the better weaver.
