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On: The Triumph of Icarus

turnneea
Jan 18, 2017
3 min read

If you have ever happened upon Greek mythology (and our western-mandated school curriculum demands that you do) you have heard of the tragedy of Icarus. For those that have somehow missed out on this ancient story, here is a summary:

Daedalus, the architect of the famed labyrinth of King Minos, was imprisoned in his own maze for supplying the ball of string that led to Theseus's victory over the minotaur and Minos. Being an inventor and all-around clever fellow, Daedalus devised a way for he and his son, Icarus, to escape the island. He built two pairs of wax wings, so that they might fly away. Before setting off he warned Icarus to not fly too high or low. Flying too low would clog the feathers with humidity from the sea spray, and flying too high would cause them to melt. The wings worked. Almost too well, and Icarus began to play (as children are wont to do). In the end, he flew too high and his wings melted. Icarus fell into the waters below that now bear his name, the Icarian Sea.

It is a sad tale that we often reference as shorthand for hubris. We become swept up, in celebrating before a victory and we inevitably plummet into the sea. The inevitability of it is important. At least, it is to me.

(The Lament for Icarus by H.J. Draper)

The story of Icarus is so engrained in me that it is hard to remove myself, and consider how it really felt to hear it for the first time. Of course, I am fairly certain that I was introduced to Icarus through Disney's animated Hercules TV show. Icarus's character, if I remember correctly, survived the fall in the pilot, but was a little "off" ever-afterwards. This polishing for younger audiences ultimately made the real story seem even more tragic when I read it in a book of Greek myths. However, if I were able to remove myself from this Disney-fied first impression and then my second, more accurate impression I believe I would still see where the story was going.

After all, this is a Greek story, and a story about a man and his son trapped in a maze isn't going to be a comedy. And while the Greeks were many things, they were not the creators of the modern-day hero. Today, it is the young that survive and grow out of a loss. The Greeks flipped this concept. It was the wise that survived, and so that often meant that men were left to carry on without their wives and children. Youth would not protect you, and youthful pride would make you quick fodder for a Greek story's fire. Yes, the young could be heroes in ancient Greece, but it was the older heroes that were more likely to return home. The structure of these tragedies is largely the same. The weak are sacrificed so the strong can learn and become stronger. What has changed is our definition of weakness and strength. Icarus's weakness is his immaturity and pride. The weakness of say, Uncle Ben from Spiderman is that he is old and innocent. He is not conventionally strong and so he must be weak.

(Icarus and Hercules from Disney's Hercules [1998])

It makes me wonder if Icarus's story is more tragic today than it was when it was first told. Icarus was clearly in the wrong to the Greek's. From a middle-European standpoint, he would have been a cautionary tale. What we feel today is different, it is the loss of a child that had been metaphorically participating in something that is generally encouraged in today's society. Icarus's passion, his quick decision-making, and playfulness are things that we often praise. We view him as an innocent. To us, Icarus is the fallen hero. He is the one that dared to dream. Perhaps, this is why we often skip over Icarus's father in re-telling the story today. If Icarus is the tragic hero then the only purpose Daedalus serves is to mourn the loss of his son.

So then, what lesson should we take from young Icarus? Right now, I find myself with failing wings strapped to my back even as I speak. I hoped, I assumed, and I am now paying the price in the form of an aching heart and tears that haven't quite manifested. Whatever lesson he offered us was clearly lost on me. I am the fool surrounded by water and wax, and I am the man left alone in the sky, with no choice but to keep going.