Egyptian Love Poems Essay - 1239 Words

Table of contents 1. Introduction 3 2. How they made sense of love 3 3. Girl, boy and society 4 4. 3 Themes of love prevalent in Love Songs 5 5. Conclusion 6 6. Work cited 7 1. Introduction During the time of ancient Egypts New Kingdom, love songs were recorded and later discovered by excavators. The importances of these songs are that they contradicted the perception which Egyptologists had of the ancient Egyptians. No longer were the ancient Egyptians viewed as being a dull society, focused on death and the afterlife, but rather a society with a love for living through loving love itself (Fowler 1994:xiv). Thus, in this essay, through analyzing the Ramesside love songs, I shall explore this different view†¦show more content†¦Thus, what we can deduct from the love songs is that the ancient Egyptians understood and could make sense of what the concept love was and meant to themselves and their society. 3. Girl, boy and society Now that is clear that the ancient Egyptians could understand what love was, the question begs as to what this understanding entailed. When analyzing ancient Egyptian love songs, what I firstly noted was that the concept of love was not stereotyped in being predominantly a masculine or a feminine concept. Both men and woman expressed their emotions of both pain and joy throughout (Fowler 1994:30). However, some contrast does exist in a few songs in that girls are portrayed as being more assertive, more dominant and taken more initiative than boys (Fowler 1994:40). This is clear as boys are never portrayed in addressing their loved one in the second person, rather in the third person and also, does not initiate action but rather sits and waits for action to come his way (Fowler 1994:62). Thus, these love songs provide us with an insight into the manner which couples behaved, and were viewed by others when in love. This view and understanding of love I believe is a direct reflection of the ancient Egyptian society where woman were seen as being sexually untrustworthy and men the slave to this sexual nature of woman. Furthermore, although it is clear that the concept of love was symbolized through the ultimate togetherness of lovers, beingShow MoreRelatedThe Connection Between Nature And Love1066 Words   |  5 Pagesrenounced artist, Vincent Van Gough once said, â€Å"If you truly love nature, you will find beauty everywhere†. Often people associate nature with just being the outdoors, plants, and animals, but it also can be more than that, such as human nature. In other words, the art and desires of humans and what is considered â€Å"natural†. This connection of human nature is depicted through the desires and human love shown in the Egyptian love poems. 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