Exercise one

Francisca Lillo Razeto
Professor Beatriz Kase Sves
Classical and Medieval Literature LET1754-1
26 September 2008

Exercise One
1. - Analyse the illustration of the Cave of Calypso, and the twoillustrations of Laertes' Garden. After a careful re-reading of the texts in the hand-out, explain in what way the illustrations contribute and/ or fail to widen your understanding of the said texts.Firstly, I would like to write about the Cave of Calypso. The painting helped me a lot to see an overall view of the place where Calypso lives. Now, I see a little difference between theillustration and the text. For instance, in the text Homer describes the grove: “There was a growth of grove around the cavern, flourishing, alder was there, and the black poplar, and fragrant cypress”(63, 64). All the trees previously mentioned are not painted or not clear. The only tree described and painted is the vine. Going back to the theme of the environment description, the hearth of thecave is well achieved: “[…] a great fire blazing on the hearth, and the smell of cedar split in billets, and sweetwood burning, spread all over the island.” (59 - 61) It is the same case of the fourfountains and the meadows, which are also well achieved in the drawing. In general, the illustration contributed in my reading of the text, because it is exactly the way I would paint Calypso’s Cave.Secondly, in my opinion, Laertes’ Garden was well achieved in the illustration that had more setting, because as it has more setting, you can have a better context, and a better view of the picturedescribed in the text it is more complete. For instance, in the text there is a description made by Odysseus of a number of trees: “We went among the trees, and you named them all and told me what eachone was, and you gave me thirteen pear trees, and ten apple trees, and forty fig trees; and so also you named the fifty vines you would give.” (338 – 342) whereas in the watercolour illustration,...