Endymion (Cyclopedia of Literary Characters)
At a glance:
- Author: John Lyly
- First Published: 1591
- Type of Work: Play
- Type of Plot: Comedy
- Time of Work: Remote antiquity
- Setting: Ancient Greece
- Genres: Drama, Comedy
- Subjects: Mythology or myths, Love or romance, Art or artists, Kings, queens, or royalty, Gods or goddesses, Greek or Roman times, Greece or Greek people, Moon or moons, Braggarts
- Locales: Greece, ancient
Characters Discussed
Endymion (ehn-DIHM-ee-on), who is hopelessly in love with the goddess Cynthia. To keep his true love secret, he pretends to be in love with Tellus. After being put into an enchanted sleep at the instigation of his jealous deceived sweetheart, he is awakened by Cynthia. He vows to spend his life in platonic devotion to her.
Cynthia, the goddess of the moon. Chastely above mortal passion, she is moved to pity by Endymion’s enchanted sleep, awakens him, and accepts his platonic worship. She has been interpreted as an idealized portrait of Queen...
[The entire page is 647 words long]
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