What is the meaning of the story of Icarus?

Answer 1

Icarus and his father Daedalus escaped from prison and flew away from crete. But Icarus did not listen to his father, and flew too close to the sun.

Answer 2

Icarus/ Ίκαρος and his father Daedalus/ Δαίδαλος the famous Greek [Athenian] architect and inventor were invited by King Minos of Crete in order to prepare a prison for the son of Minos' wife Μινώταυρος and guarantee that would not be able to escape and place at risk the Minos reign. Daedalus delivered the Labyrinth/ Λαβύρινθος that even Daedalus could not escape from it. King Minos feared that Daedalus could reveal his secret and instead of letting them free kept them under his surveillance and custody. Daedalus prepared two pairs of wings for their escape consisted of bird's feathers and wax. He instructed Icarus to avoid flying too close to the sun or too close to the sea for a safe flight. Unfortunately Icarus did not fly as instructed and when he was too close to the sun he lost the feathers of his wings and as result he went down to the sea near by an island that bears his name ever since. The island's name is Icaria/ Ικαρία and the sea is called Icarian sea/ Ικάριον Πέλαγος. The myth has at least three levels of reading from the simple one of disobeying to instructions of those who know better is dangerous, the second is that someone may not be careless about powers/ dangers not evaluated properly and the third the ways of an initiated person have a great risk of failure that sometimes the result is death. The flight of Icarus could be interpreted as a lesson in the value of moderation. The danger in flying "too high" (i.e. melting of the wax wings) or in flying "too low" (i.e. weighting down the wings by sea-water spray) were advocations for one to respect one's limits and to act accordingly.

Answer 3

Icarus and his father Daedalus were escaping from a prison on wings glued with hot wax, but the wings would melt if they were flown to high. Icarus got carried away and flew higher and higher until the wings broke apart and he fell to the sea, thousands of feet below.

The story of Icarus is thought to be a deep spiritual warning about unlocking the secrets of the gods and the universe. Icarus travels to the Sun- the 'light from which we came', but he is shown not to be worthy, as he has cheated the gods by gluing wings to himself with hot wax.

The irony of the story, the fact that it is the beauty and awe of the sun that melts the wings, is a warning that if you fly too high in life, without your feet on the ground, then you may meet a terrible fate.

The Greeks believed that Destiny (symbolised by the sun) and Fate (symbolised by ironic suffering) were interconnected, and that if you attained Destiny either before your time, or by use of cheating, that the Fates would come for you, restoring balance to the Universe.

Many have suggested this is why great hero's in our culture often meet ironic and untimely ends. Most famous recent examples include Bruce Lee and Mohammed Ali. Both attained God-like status. Lee was famed as the 'fittest man in the Universe', but was killed on taking an everyday medical supplement. Ali was famed for his incredible physical prowess, and his rhetorical ability. After a heroic career, he was robbed of both by Parkinson's disease.

The Icarus Myth is related to many other such myths, such as Achilles, who chose a brief life of glory and to meet an early end, rather than to live an average long life. This is the theme of the hero, most notably pointed out in the final speech of Dr Martin Luther King, shortly before his death.

Answer 4

He and his father were imprisoned on an island. They made wings for themselves so they could fly to freedom. However, Icarus flew too high, and the sun melted the wax that held the feathers onto his wings. He, thus, plunged into the Icarian sea and died.

**- they were imprisoned by king minos

Answer 5

It could be said that the lesson is to listen to your parents, and do not become too overconfident in your abilities- as a result of disobeying his father and flying too close to the sun, the wax on Icarus' wings melted, and he plummeted to his death.

Answer 6

The genius Athenian engineer, Daedalos, crafted wings for his son and himself, so that they could escape the island of Crete and the imprisonment of Minos. The wings were held together with wax, so Daedalus instructed his son Ikaros (Icarus), not to fly too close to the sun, lest the wax melt and the wings fail.

All was fine until they were about halfway home. The youthful Ikaros was lost in the glorious feeling of flight and forgot his father's warning until it was too late. The wax began to melt and the wings failed, causing Ikaros to fall into the sea. The sea and nearby island were named for him (Icarian Sea and Icaria).

Another version says that he flew too close to the ocean spray, which wet the feathers and made them too heavy to keep him aloft. Both myths end in his death.

Answer 7

Icarus flew too high and the sun melted his wings. So basically pride goeth before a fall.

Answer 8

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Answer 9

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