Cultural differences of Petronius The Widow of Ephesus. Petronius The Widow of Ephesus is a folktale that has been modified by each culture to entertain and to teach. In their own ways, each version portrays the theme of lo
Sam Chuks
4/18/12
English 102
Cultural differences of Petronius’ “The Widow of Ephesus”
Folk tales are stories passed down usually by word of mouth but often they are written down. Folk tales teach a valuable life lesson while entertaining the reader or in some cases the listener. Petronius’ “Widow of Ephesus” is no exception when it comes to conveying an overall message to the reader. Regardless of the version, the tale teaches a lesson of love, loyalty, and sacrifice. Although most variations of “The Widow of Ephesus” express the same message, not all of the details are alike with each other. Generally, the theme is consistent: love breaking all ties between the widow and her husband are still present in each variation.
In the tales, the narrator recalls a tale of love in which an apparently faithful woman discredits her vows of marriage after a certain point subsequent to her husband's death. In “The Widow of Ephesus”, the widow met her breaking point when she “saw in him a young man, handsome and eloquent.” (Petronius). She then loses her ties with her deceased husband and “ceased to hold out, and the conquering hero won her over entire.” (Petronius). This same example of weakness is portrayed in the other tales. In “Mrs. Fox's Wedding” Mrs. Fox ends her depression and weeping when “finally one came who had nine tails, just like old Mr. Fox. When the widow heard that, she spoke joyfully to the cat: Open up the door And throw old Mr. Fox out.”(Grimm). In “Chuang-tzu and His Wife” the morning period once again is eventually over and the widow begins to take an interest in marriage again. The widow here simply replies “Since my husband is dead, what can they say?” (Werner) when objected to her interest in re-marrying.
Another notable similarity among all the tales is the male character, which in “The Widow of Ephesus”, represents the soldier. This character is the new love interest of the widow who comes along and breaks the ties between the widow and her husband. In “The Widow of Ephesus” the soldier notices the widow and her weeping and persists to cheer her up and eventually begins to gain her interest and affection. He then becomes the widow’s lover; although in some of the other tales this male figure is not always the lover, but simply a newfound love interest to the widow. In “Chuang-tzu and His Wife” the husband is in fact the male figure in disguise, testing his wife. She does not notice this until “She looked at Wang-sun and recognized the features of her husband. She was so overwhelmed with shame that she hanged herself.” (Werner). “The Perfidious Widow” is very similar to “The Widow of Ephesus” in that both of the male figures are soldiers on duty to watch over criminal bodies. The soldier in “The Perfidious Widow” also hears the cries of the widow and runs to her aid. She too was then “touched by his sweet and gentle words that she fell in love with him.” (Rappoport).
