Apollo

Nicolas-Rene Jollian; Hyacinth Changed into a Flower, 1769, Petit Trianon, Versailles, oil on canvas.

Brenner Tahimic Philbrook

Apollo is the god of a variety of things such as the Sun, poetry, and archery. As a god with many powers and a list of lovers, it is easy to associate Apollo with masculinity. Ancient Greece, however, had characterized him to be much more than a typical masculine figure in Western culture. The myth of Apollo and Hyacinthus allows people to view Apollo as a three-dimensional figure who is more than his masculinity, he is compassionate, caring, and can express his grief in a mature way.

Hyacinth Changed into a Flower by Nicolas-Rene Jollian shows a version of the god that is compassionate and loving. The painting captures the strong connection between Apollo and Hyacinthus. The painting depicts the ending of the myth where Hyacinthus has passed away and Apollo can do nothing but lay with his deceased lover. Hyacinthus lays his head on Apollo’s leg facing the heartbroken God who can do nothing but accept the fact that his love cannot be revived back to life. Apollo, the god of music, is shown with a lyre, sat down next to him to represent that even music cannot ease his pain, all he can do is remain there wallowing in his own sadness. This emotional side of Apollo is also depicted in Ovid’s Metamorphoses when Apollo cries out, “you are my grief and my guilt—my own hand is branded with your death!” (Morford. 260) This emotional side of masculine men is uncommon since men are often taught to put their emotions aside because being sad is a sign of weakness, but grief and sadness are emotions that everyone experiences and Apollo demonstrating that makes him more three-dimensional.

Even with his power Apollo chooses not to cause chaos despite the pain he is in. Jollain’s beautiful depiction of the myth goes against the typical outcome of a Greek God not getting their way. In most myths when something does not go in favor of the gods, they act out in anger, for example, Aphrodite’s tendency to interfere with the love lives of others or Athena’s punishment against Arachne because Athena had lost to her in a competition (Morford 185), but the myth of Apollo and Hyacinthus does not have this brash behavior. Apollo could have easily fought or punished Zephyrus, the god responsible for Hyacinthus’s shortened life; he could have interfered with the sun or light to express his frustration and consequently ruin the lives of mortals on Earth like Demeter when Persephone was taken by Hades (Morford 335). Instead, Apollo uses his pain to create something, a hyacinth, a purple flower “more brilliant than Tyrian dye.” (Morford 260) This detail is referenced in the painting shown by the flowers that are growing around Hyacinthus.

Works Cited

Jollian, Nicolas-Rene. Hyacinth Changed into a Flower. 1769, Petit Trianon, Versailles.

Morford, Mark, et al. Classical Mythology. 11th ed., Oxford UP, 2019.