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The Story of Arachne
A myth can be defined as a story that holds a purpose, usually sending a religious or a
social message. The myths we have read in this unit try to explain the relationship between
humans and gods through a story, often with a hero or heroine. One myth in particular that stood
out to me was the story of Arachne. Instead of having one main lesson, this story seemed to
revolve around many and constantly kept me entertained. Below, I chose two paintings to
compare and contrast that I felt were accurate to the story of Arachne. Both paintings portray the
same main character, Arachne, but have her involved in significant, yet different, events that
took place throughout the story. Each painting is painted in a very different style with the first
painting more abstract looking than the second. The interpretation by each artist reveals the
emphasis on different parts of the story he or she deemed most important.
Arachne, a Lydian girl, wove tapestries so beautiful that people would tell her she could
have only been taught by the talented goddess, Minerva. Arachne was not fond of these
compliments, as she hated not being better than the goddess. Once Minerva heard of Arachne's
attitude, she disguised herself as an old woman in an attempt to convince Arachne to repent to
the goddess for her mistakes. Arachne treated the old woman with disrespect and talked down on
Minerva, prompting Minerva to abandon her disguise and confront Arachne. Feeling overly
confident, Arachne challenged Minerva to a tapestry contest. Both tapestries were beautiful, but
displayed completely different stories. Minerva focused on the triumphs of the gods, in particular
the struggle between herself and Neptune for the right to name a city. Arachne's tapestry detailed
the many affairs of the gods, especially Jove's and Neptune's. In some scenarios, the gods
transformed themselves into earthly beings to rape women and nymphs. Minerva was upset over
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the portrayal of her fellow gods and made Arachne feel guilty…guilty enough to commit suicide
by hanging herself. Minerva took pity on the girl and transformed her into a spider, a creature
that spins tapestries of nature.
When challenging the goddess Minerva to a tapestry contest, Arachne proved herself to
be overconfident in her ability, as well as greedy for fame. "Arachne still insists upon the
contest: her senseless lust for glory paves her path to ruin-for the goddess does not ask for a
delay, or warn her anymore." As described by the quote, Minerva knew who the winner would
be. It is very unlikely for a person to rule a mortal's ability more superior than a god’s. The
quote, "Live then, but, for your perfidy, still hang," spoken by Minerva to Arachne, has two
meanings to it. Arachne committed suicide by hanging herself, and now as a spider she will
spend her days literally dangling from a spider web. Minerva's punishment for Arachne was very
fitting, as it will always remind Arachne of her shameful behavior towards Minerva and the
extreme action she committed.
The descriptions of the tapestries are very detailed and informative, providing many
words that appeal to the senses. The imagery is very helpful in that it helps convey Minerva's
resentment towards Arachne, due to the depictions in her tapestry. Without the useful imagery,
the story would be vague and hold less of a valuable meaning.
Both women wove tapestries that depicted scenes very different from each other’s. The
clash between these tapestries shows the different perspectives between a goddess with a divine
personality and a mortal. Each tapestry also reflects how each person views the gods. Minerva
views the gods as almighty and capable of anything, shown in her tapestry by a woman
triumphing over a man, a rare feat for this time period. Arachne seems to view the gods as
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deceiving and cruel, shown by her depiction of the innocent women being raped by the gods.
Although both masterpieces were flawless, the myth never stated who the winner of the contest
was. Deciding by the fate of Arachne, it can be inferred that Minerva won the competition.
One of the most prominent themes in the story was respect. When Minerva disguised
herself as an old woman, Arachne treated her poorly and with little to no respect. During that
time period, respect for one’s elders was considered one of the most important lessons to be
learned. Throughout the competition, Arachne displayed a lack of respect for Minerva although
she was a goddess who expected to be worshipped by mortals. Another prominent theme is that
overconfidence in your ability has its repercussions. For Arachne, that included death and the
transformation into a spider.
After hanging herself out of shame and guilt for
upsetting the goddess Minerva, Arachne is brought back to life
as a spider to face her punishment. In this painting, Arachne is
alone in a corner, undergoing her metamorphosis. Arachne
remains curled in a ball, showing fear, as she seems to try and
protect herself from turning into a spider. Her face is tilted
downwards, to hide her disgrace, with her eyes squeezed shut
in what looks like an attempt to not be repulsed by her new
self.
The colors around Arachne are many shades of brown to highlight the meaningful
transformation Arachne is undergoing. The shades of brown get darker the nearer they get to
Arachne's body in order to offer enough contrast between the setting and her glowing self. Her
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extended arm is pale and lifeless as a spider web begins to emerge from her hand, foretelling her
fate. Shades of gold and yellow seem to be brushed across the walls and floor, as well as
Arachne, adding more depth and meaning to the transformation. The spider web symbolizes the
new form and style of weaving that will allow Arachne to continue to use her great skill with its
intricate and delicate designs.
In the next painting, an upset Minerva is beating Arachne due to her senselessness and
lack of respect in choosing to portray the shameful affairs of the gods in her tapestry. One of the
servants in the background appears to be shocked, yet preoccupied with her work, all while
seeming oblivious to the severe beating Arachne is receiving. The other servant seems to be
gazing aimlessly past the two fighting women. In Minerva's raised hand lies a twisted material of
some sort, possibly a whip or lash. Minerva has her other hand firmly placed on Arachne's
shoulder, to keep her from moving, as she prepares to strike her with the lash. Arachne lies
beneath Minerva supporting herself with one hand on the ground while the other grabs Minerva’s
arm as she appears to try and move Minerva's hand from her shoulder. With her face looking up
at the goddess, eyes wide and mouth agape in fear, she seems to be bracing herself for the
beating.
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The background, including the servants, is an ordinary and dull shade. The red cloth
wrapped around Arachne's body and the blue cloth around Minerva's legs draw the eyes attention
as it contrasts with the dull background. The many clothes wrapped around each woman has
many different shading values to it, making it much more realistic looking and somewhat "alive"
with movement. The contrast between the fighting ladies and the background makes Minerva
and Arachne seem almost three dimensional.
Displayed in the upper left corner is a tapestry, possibly from the competition. Regardless
of whose tapestry it was, it supplies symbolism to the painting. The tapestry competition was the
reason for the beating, since Minerva chose to display more of the positive triumphs of the gods
versus Arachne who chose to display the assorted love affairs and whims of the gods.
Both paintings are similar in that they show Arachne's suffering. In one of the paintings,
Arachne is being tormented and beaten by Minerva. In the other painting, Minerva is not shown,
but with enough knowledge of the myth, it is understood that Minerva was the one that punished
Arachne by turning her into a spider. In both paintings, Arachne seems terrified for her life. At
first it is hard to see the terror on Arachne's face in the first painting, but after studying her
body’s position and her extended arm, one can conclude what she is feeling. Arachne may not
show terror on her face, as shown in the second painting, but she is feeling terrified. Both
paintings are also very similar in that the dominant area of attention includes Arachne. In the first
painting, the eyes are immediately drawn to Arachne, due to the surrounding color scheme of
dark neutral shades. In the second painting the eyes are drawn to the feuding women because of
the brightly colored clothes wrapped around their bodies, but also because of the neutrally
shaded surroundings. Both paintings have symbolism, with one being the spider web thrusting
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forward out of Arachne's hand in the first painting, and another being the tapestry on the back
wall in the second painting.
Although both paintings have some things in common, they differ in the amount of
people present. The first painting shows an isolated and somewhat abstract Arachne, whereas the
second painting shows a more classical Arachne surrounded by Minerva and two servants.
Besides the obvious, the second painting has more background detail and it seems to take place
in a large room. The first painting seems to lack background detail, showing Arachne in a dark
corner, so as to not take away from the meaning behind the transformation.
The story of Arachne teaches many important lessons to the reader, one of which is
respect. There are many interpretations of this popular myth, as can be seen in the two paintings
that were chosen. In both paintings the artists portray the punishment given to Arachne due to
her senselessness and disrespect directed towards the goddess Minerva. Respect for one’s elders
and superiors is expected and there are consequences when it is not shown. The gods are all
powerful and though their caprices may seem to be ridiculous, but mortals should know their
place and not dare to contradict them. Arachne’s overconfidence in her ability and lack of respect
for the gods led to her downfall. Although she is transformed into a spider, she will still be able
to weave masterpieces that will continue to enthrall the viewer of nature.