Icarus and the hubris of mankind.
The story of Icarus has to be one of the most well known stories in the Greek mythos. The myth of Icarus has left a lasting cultural impact on western civilization and the cultural zeitgeist of the whole world in the later centuries as the world became more interconnected.
Daedulus was a talented Athenian inventor. Daedulus was commissioned by the king of Crete, King Minus to imprison the Minatour. Under suspicions of helping the enemies of the king, Daedulus and his son, Icarus were imprisoned in the labyrinth that he crafted himself.
To escape Daedulus crafted wings for him and his son out of wax and feathers . Daedulus warned his son not to fly to close to the sun or to close to the sea. Icarus feeling the ecstasy from flight, kept flying higher and higher. One by one ,the feathers from his wings begun to fall off. By the time Icarus finally realized what is happening, it was too late. Icarus then fell all the way down into the sea and drowned.
It can be said in the past 2000 years, mankind hasn’t changed very much. We still face the same daily problems that the ancient Greeks had to face in their daily lives. It can be said the stories that we inherited from the ancient Greeks gives us immense value , not just from a cultural standpoint but also from a ethical standpoint. The story of Icarus is a cautionary tale meant to be placed down for generations.
The grand mythos surrounding Icarus and his eventual fall has been interpreted for centuries by various writers and artist. It has become etched in stone, the trope of the hero that eventually falls from grace. But there is a lot we can learn from Icarus.
The myth of Icarus is a warning to us all about the dangers of hubris. It was Icarus’s ignorance that he eventually met his down fall. His very own desire to sore higher and closer to the sun that lead to feathers of wings failing off.
The warnings that Daedulus preached to his son but were ultimately ignored is a mirror reflections of the relationships between many parents and their very own children. How their advice falls on the deaf ears of their children. Icarus demonstrates to us the importance of taking into consideration to the warnings and advice from our parents or our seniors in our life to avoid the fall that Icarus experienced.
It can be interpreted that the story of Icarus is a warning to all ambitious people. The story of the overambitious person stretching too far beyond their limits and succumbing to a downfall of their own making is a tale as old as time.
Whether it be famous conquerors like Napoleon or Alexander the Great, we all have had our own tall tale of falling prey to our egos. The importance of pushing past our limits in order to improve can be considered gospel, but we must always remember not to stray too far from the path we know. Getting lost in a maze of our own hubris will lead to the downfall of our own sense of self.
