Katabasis in Myth and Film

In the Homeric Hymn to Demeter I noticed that the actions of Demeter where similar to the actions of Odysseus and Athene. After Persephone was taken by Hades to the underworld Demeter, who was in pure distress, disguised herself as an elderly woman. When she met the young girls and later their mother she lied and told them a story of her being a Cretan who had been brought there by pirates. This was very similar to the disguise and story that Odysseus told when he needed to sneak into his household. It was interesting that it was Persephone who was taken into the underworld by Hades, yet the story does not put emphasis on her decent or journey. Instead, the sorrow and days of Demeter are focused on. Demeter creates her own type of hell for the humans and immortals because she deprives the earth of life. It is not until she sees her daughter that Demeter revives the earth saving the people from death and allowing the Gods to receive their gifts and sacrifices. Unlike the Katabasis of other men such as Odysseus, Persephone did not willingly plan or decide that she must take the journey. Instead, she was physically forced and held there by Hades. Also, Persephone did not comeback from her journey through her own methods. Hades, under the order of Zeus allowed her to go back and see Demeter, but not until he made sure she would have to come back. After Hades secretly had her eat a sweet pomegranate seed, Persephone was then in a way chained to the underworld and would have to reenter and remain there for one third of the year. Neither of the women was able to completely control the outcome of their situation. They did not come out of their journeys totally victorious since Persephone would have to go back. Demeter did not actively bring her daughter back from the underworld and Persephone did not fight to come back. Demeter had an influence because her sadness threatened the humans and in turn the Gods causing Zeus to take action and command her daughter’s return. Persephone seemed powerless and vulnerable.

While I was watching this movie, I automatically thought of this scene as a katabasis for Captain Willard because he said, “This was the end of the river alright.”  The scenes prior to this the crew is sailing down the river to try and find Kurtz.  This is much like The Odyssey where Odysseus had to reach the underworld by sailing there.  Therefore, once Willard declares that the river has come to an end, he is emphasizing that he has entered “the underworld.”  I could not find the other clip that I wanted to embed in which Kurtz says that if you do not allow horror to be your friend, it must be your enemy and it consumes you.  This shows just how horrible the island really is (and that it is much like the underworld).  It is full of lost souls, including Kurtz’s, that just wanted someone to “take the pain away”.  Captain Willard was there to save the island from Kurtz’s craziness and end his pain by killing him.  Because the island represents the underworld so accurately, the journey there for Willard is his katabasis.

Okay, the embedded object didn’t really work so here is the link to the youtube video:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2BqloFdNq…