Question

click to read \the story of daedalus and icarus\ by ovid. then answer the question.

how does brueghels interpretation of the story of icarus differ from ovids story of icarus?

a. brueghel focuses on icaruss fall, but ovid tells about how the fall affected the people who saw it.
b. the painting shows icarus flying too close to the sun, but ovid does not include that part.
c. ovid explains that the people on the coast watched icarus fall, but the people ignore icarus in the painting.
d. brueghel focuses on daedalus making the wax wings, but the story does not tell about daedalus.

Explanation:

Analyze the two works

In Ovid's "The Story of Daedalus and Icarus" from Metamorphoses, the text describes onlookers (a plowman, a shepherd, and a fisherman) watching in amazement as Daedalus and Icarus fly overhead, mistaking them for gods. In Pieter Brueghel the Elder's famous painting Landscape with the Fall of Icarus, these same working-class figures (the plowman, shepherd, and fisherman) are depicted going about their daily routines, completely ignoring or oblivious to Icarus's dramatic plunge into the sea (where only his legs are visible splashing in the water). This contrast is a classic example of Comparative Literature and Visual vs Verbal Art analysis.

Evaluate the options

• A is incorrect because Brueghel's painting famously marginalizes Icarus's fall (making it a tiny, easily missed detail), whereas Ovid's narrative focuses heavily on the dramatic sequence of the flight and fall.
• B is incorrect because Ovid's text explicitly describes Icarus flying too close to the sun, which melts the wax on his wings.
• C is correct because Ovid describes onlookers watching them with wonder, while Brueghel's painting depicts the people on the coast ignoring Icarus as he drowns.
• D is incorrect because Ovid's story focuses extensively on Daedalus making the wings, and Brueghel's painting does not focus on the wing-making process at all.

Answer:

• (A) Brueghel focuses on Icarus's fall, but Ovid tells about how the fall affected the people who saw it.
• (B) The painting shows Icarus flying too close to the sun, but Ovid does not include that part.
• (C) Ovid explains that the people on the coast watched Icarus fall, but the people ignore Icarus in the painting. (Correct answer)
• (D) Brueghel focuses on Daedalus making the wax wings, but the story does not tell about Daedalus.