The tale of Daedalus and Icarus is one of the most widely known myths in all of Greek mythology. ___ also embodies one of the clearest themes in Edith Hamilton's rendition of mythology. A relatively old poem that is strikingly similar conveys the same type of message. The two works, Edith Hamilton's Mythology and Macklin MacKenzie's "If You Could Fly", both describe pleasures, in their case flying, as something that can often mask reality and judgement.
The poem starts off as a fairly happy tale but ends in a strange fashion as the author states, "But in the air, with no one there, the loneliness would rise. There'd be no way to compensate, you say if you could fly"(MacKenzie l. 19-21). This strangely specific description is interesting given that it could be from either Daedalus' or Icarus' …show more content…
Since the poem does not directly link to Greek mythology, it conveys more of a hypothetical standpoint on flying. After all, the title of the selection is "If You Could Fly," not "when you do." This simple detail shows that the two are of varying genres although the themes are relevant to each other. When it comes to differing themes, this also plays a role since a theme is easier to extract from the short and direct poem than the long and detailed story. When analyzed from different aspects, the poem sounds like it is aiming towards fame, or things that are viewed as impossible to reach, such as the wonder of flight. Once one achieves it, because of this high pedestal, separation and loneliness is sure to follow him.
Digging deeper into the tale of Daedalus and Icarus leads to an overall central theme of obeying those in authority or else harsh consequences may follow. The text states that, "this new and wonderful power went to the boy's head"(Hamilton 194), the boy being Icarus and the power being flight. This supernatural ability causes Icarus to forget his father's warning since he is overcome with awe and