Calliope Calliope, Muse of Epic Poetry, by Charles Meynier, 1798, via the Cleveland Art MuseumĬalliope was the muse of epic poetry and her name translates in ancient Greek as “beautiful-voice”. The invocation would begin, “Sing, O Muse…”, or “Sing, Goddess…”ġ. In poetic composition, ancient bards would invoke the muses to help them sing, narrate a story, or remember the great stories of heroes and heroines. But critics have interpreted that Emily Bronte’. The essence of the Muse had always been feminine as creativity is naturally associated with women. However, a further deviation had been determined in Emily Bronte’s works. It was quite a deviation from invoking the goddess to being inspired by the ordinary. Wordsworth chose vagrants, solitaries and the destitute as personas of poetic inspiration to compose poetry that spoke of their existence to the world (Harrison, 16). The Romantic poets seemed to deliberately seek their Muses in the simple things of Nature and everyday life. The sound is forc’d, the notes are few! For the Romantics poetry need not depict lofty theme or high emotions. “How have you left the ancient love That bards of old enjoy’d in you! The languid strings do scarcely move! Blake in his poem To the Muses lamented the gradual disappearance of the spontaneity and poetic fervour. The poets of the Romantic tradition believed in as Wordsworth put it “spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings” as the primary requirement of poetry. It explains his creation of the sacred Muse. He had to reach sublime heights of artistic creativity to give justice to such a grand theme. He wanted to “justify the ways of God to men” which in itself called for intense philosophizing and unbiased thinking. “O Spirit, that dost prefer Before all temples th’ upright heart and pure, Instruct me, for thou know’st thou from the first Wast present…” Milton was approaching the biblical theme of the fall of man and had declared his intention behind his poetic attempt. His Muse was the divine and omniscient being the poet looked up to for guidance. Milton evoked an entity of awe and extreme reverence in his Muse. Milton introduced his own version of the Christian Muse at the onset of his grand epic venture Paradise Lost. Shakespeare was also believed to have located his Muse in the mysterious Dark Lady which was a radical deviation from the norm of idolizing fairness as the measure of beauty (Falconer, Martinelli, Mesa, 16). Being inspired by the Petrarchan tradition the Elizabethan poets fantasized their love-interests as their Muses which resulted in great lyric poetry. Said my muse to me, look in thy heart and write” (Astrophel and Stella) he probably conceived his Muse as his passion for his beloved. When Elizabethan poet Sir Philip Sydney wrote “Fool! The Muse is not conceived as a constant figure of divine inspiration but rather an ever evolving essence of the creative impulse. In literature the concept of the Muse rides a vast domain from being referred to as the creative urge to having psychic connotations or being the poet’s alter ego. Poets of every era have recounted their own perception of the Muse. The Muse in literature The Muse is the poetic inspiration or the force that compels the creative drive. The modern poets undermine the traditional role, subvert the meaning and reconstruct a whole new identity of the classical persona of the Muse. The presence of the Muse in modern literature is completely revolutionized. The Romantics considered their Muse as anything that had the power to stir up poetic creativity. The 16th century poets referred to the Muses ironically to achieve satirical effect or criticizing the works of other poets. The Elizabethan poets often seemed to idolize their beloved or lady love as the Muse and wove their poetic tales around the theme of unrequited love. Down the ages the concept of the Muse changed.
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