Icarus’s Demise

Despite being one of the most recognizable figures in Greek mythology, I find it ironic that both William Carlos Williams and Pieter Brueghel devoted their works to the “Landscape with the Fall of Icarus” instead of having Icarus’s death be the center of focus. Throughout the majority of the poem, William depicted “the whole pageantry” associated with the vernal equinox that was illustrated in Brueghel’s magnificent landscape. The primary subject of the piece wasn’t revealed until the end by identifying “a splash quite unnoticed” and the trajectory of feathers, which ultimately lead to the conclusion that it was “Icarus drowning”. The satirical poem exposed the insignificance of death by highlighting the fact that life moves on as time continues to proceed. Williams wanted the readers to come to arealization that the circle of life is analogous to the intervallic seasonal changes, as Icarus’s life came to an end during the spring renewal. I believe that the poet’s proposition on the irrelevance of life  is derived from his fear of not having the recognition he deserve after his death. Conversely, I truly believe that whoever you might be, you will always occupy a special place in certain people’s heart, whether if it’s your love ones, your family, or friends. So regardless of what your achievements in life will be,  it will all be worth it in the end.