Ancient Love Themes in Contemporary Music
(Ancient Text by Longus, translated by Ronald McCail) and (Contemporary Song by Maroon 5) ParallelTextLyricsListen In Daphnis and Chloe, the main character’s lives are put against the backdrop of the natural world. While Daphnis and Chloe share romantic interest and Read More …
(Ancient Text by Ovid, translated by Rolphe Humphries) and (Contemporary Song by Tyler Farr) ParallelTextLyricsListen When you combine love with wine, the result of this mixture can either be pleasant or surprisingly bad. In the ancient as in the modern Read More …
(Ancient Text by Tibullus, translated by Bing And Cohen) and Just The Way You Are (Contemporary Song by Bruno Mars) ParallelTextLyricsListen Beauty is an important theme when discussing love because it is often the initial object of attraction between people. Read More …
(Ancient Text by Virgil, translated by Robert Fitzgerald) and You’re Somebody Else (Contemporary Song by Flora Cash) ParallelTextLyricsListen When a lover changes their behavior suddenly, their partner is left reeling. What are they to make of this new behavior, is Read More …
(Ancient Text by Euripides, translated by A.J. Podlecki) and Burn (Contemporary Song by Phillipa Soo – Hamilton) ParallelTextLyricsListen The characters Eliza Hamilton and Medea share a remarkably similar plight. Both are won over by the words of their spouse, both Read More …
(Ancient Text by Longus, translated by Ronald McCail) and Like Real People Do (Contemporary Song by Hozier) ParallelTextLyricsListen Hozier and Longus both speak of the anguish in a budding relationship of wanting to be with one’s love, but not wholly Read More …
(Ancient Text by Ovid, translated by Humphries) and Heart Don’t Stand a Chance (Contemporary Song by Anderson Paak) ParallelTextLyricsListen The refrain of Heart Don’t Stand a Chance speaks to the confidence that Ovid purports in the line “be a confident Read More …
(Ancient Text by Euripides, translated by A. J. Podlecki) and I knew you were trouble (Contemporary Song by Taylor Swift) ParallelTextLyricsListen A popular concept in love is betrayal and abandonment that leaves the other lost, confused and heartbroken. Of course Read More …
(Ancient Text by Plato, translated by Alexander Nehamas, Paul Woodruff) and Be Alright (Contemporary Song by Dean Lewis) ParallelTextLyricsListen In Symposium, many men are gathered and are discussing what love means to each of them. During Alcibiades speech, we see Read More …
(Ancient Text by Catullus, translated by Peter Bing, Rip Cohen) and Nicotine (Contemporary Song by Panic! at the Disco) ParallelTextLyricsListen Throughout Catullus’s 76 poem, we see him struggling to get over a relationship. He begins to describe it as some Read More …
(Ancient Text by Virgil, translated by Robert Fitzgerald) and Grenade (Contemporary Song by Bruno Mars) ParallelTextLyricsListen Unrequited love is no new concept looking at these two piece of works one can see that it was as prevalent today as it Read More …
(Ancient Text by Catullus, translated by Bing and Cohen) and The Next Ten Minutes (Contemporary Song by Jason Robert Brown) ParallelTextLyricsListen Catullus’ poem to Lesbia portrays his love for her by asking her to give him so many kisses that Read More …
(Ancient Text by Meleager, translated by Peter Bing and Rip Cohen) and Always in My Head (Contemporary Song by Coldplay) ParallelTextLyricsListen Both Coldplay’s song “Always in My Head” and Meleager’s poem G-P 41 are about lovers unsuccessfully trying to get Read More …
(Ancient Text by Lucretius, translated by Peter Bing and Rip Cohen) and Something in the Way You Move (Contemporary Song by Ellie Goulding) ParallelTextLyricsListen Lucretius criticizes love and claims that it is physically and emotionally damaging. He compares lovers to Read More …
(Ancient Text by Gaius Valerius Catullus, translated by Peter Bing and Rip Cohen) and Breathe Again (Contemporary Song by Sara Bareilles) ParallelTextLyricsListen Both Sara Bareilles and Catullus decide that the best way to escape love to is to leave it Read More …
(Ancient Text by Sappho, translated by Peter Bing and Rip Cohen) and Satisfied (Contemporary Song by Renee Elise-Goldsberry) ParallelTextLyricsListen Saphho’s poem describes how the narrator feels both physically and emotionally when she sees her lover with someone else. In this, Read More …