Daedalus and Icarus

“ Daedalus planned to escape Crete, a country surrounded by sea, because the king wanted him dead. He thought that while the king may block his escape by land and sea he still can make his escape through sky. So, he invented a flying device made from birds’ feather and wax. While his father laboured with the construction of the device Icarus played around and hindered his work, oblivious to the gravity of their circumstances. Finally finished, they prepared for their flight. Daedalus warned his son to follow his lead and not too fly too high nor too low. If he soars too high his wax would melt by the sun’s heat, and if he flies too low he would fall into the ocean. But thrilled by this new experience, Icarus ignored his father’s advice and went too high that the wax melt and the feathers disintegrated. While he was falling he cried out his fathers name for help but already he was swallowed by the sea. Daedalus tried to save his so but it was already too late. Saddened, he buried his son on an island and thereafter the island was called Icarus. ”

Ovid’s Icarus is one of his most renowned masterpieces. It is a heart wrenching tragedy of a death of a young boy as atonement for his father’s wrong doing.

Icarus is made a paragon of a man who forgets his limitations. However, this act of laxity did not come as a surprise. Icarus is a boy who has been spoilt by his father’s love. He had been raised without any burden of responsibility as we can see through his rather childish act, ‘Icarus stands beside him, laughingly captured the feathers which blew away in the wind, or softened the yellow wax with his thumb, and by his pranks hindered the marvellous work on which his father was engaged…’ However, never once his father disabuses him of this rather childish preoccupation and tries to make him a man. His father never wished to share his worry with his son, content to let his son as worriless as a baby. This dependence on his father leads to Icarus being immature, unable to be independent and careless. Therefore, this explains his lack of mind to his fathers warning. It is not that he does not want to heed the warning. It was his upbringing that taught him to always indulge in pleasure and leave the critical things in his father’s hands. Being given a toy that is so fun to play with, like a child he overlooked the danger it poses to him. Perhaps, like other children who always think that their father is powerful and capable to do anything, he thought his father would be able to pull him out of any mud he stuck himself in. His dependency and trust in his father capability is apparent through his calling his father’s name when his wing incapable to support him anymore, plunging downwards into the sea.

Daedalus is a great inventor but not a wise man. He allowed himself to be consumed and guided by jealousy and love that he disregarded the consequences of his action. He once tried to murder his own intelligent nephew in his jealousy and worry that the boy might surpass him. However, the boy’s life was not forfeited, but instead he was turned into a bird called lapwing and remained a reproach to Daedalus. Thus, his son’s death is in a way atonement for his wrong doing. In stealing other people’s life he lost the life of the person most dear to him. I would say apart from that it is his fault that the boy was incapable of looking after himself. His supposedly fatherly love had put his son away from being able to stand on his own two feet and spoilt his son to his death. I would say the blood is on his two hands.

Therefore, in a nut shell, Icarus death is both his and his father’s fault. In whatever situation we have to always bear in mind our limitations; we have to stretch our arms no further than our sleeves will reach. We also have to always practice moderation, as too many sugar may cause our death, too much love would also handicap ones life.