Morality and the Arts | Classical Era
Resilience This painting in particular has a special place in my heart. My first copy of Frankenstein by Mary Shelley had the wounded Philoctetes painting as its cover. While at first, I simply thought that the cover was beautiful because of its value and form, years later I realized it had served a purpose. Both pieces talk about issues of suffering, loneliness, and rejection by society (Tremper, 2017). Philoctetes is left behind because of his agonizing wound, similar to Frankenstein’s monster who was rejected by his creator (Green, 2019). Both of the characters had no control over their situation, it was simply unfair. The presentation of Philoctetes's suffering resonated with the creature's emotional pain, which aligned with the novel's theme of empathy and humanity. Abildgaard, N. (1775) ‘ The Wounded Philoctetes ’. Copenhagen, Denmark: Nicolai The piece portrays the story of Philoctetes. The hero was bitten on the foot by a snake and his cries of agony led his comra...