Anne Carson, Plainwater: Essays And Poetry

Anne Carson, Plainwater: Essays and Poetry

"I Love You" - An Analysis Of Zeus's Relationship To Hera, And All It's Complexities

Requested by @sworebytheriverstyx to expand on what I meant in this post, so I decided to write upon it! Also @withlovefromolympus bc I can <3

Enjoy!

So in the post mentioned above, I stated that in every interaction Zeus has with his wife, Hera, he would end it with an "I love you", but with time, the meaning/connotation/perception has changed (and maybe connotation wasn't the right word for that post... idk, it was late and now idc *shrugs*). Now, what do I mean by that? Many things.

In the beginning, back when Zeus was trying to seduce Hera or even further into the beginnings of their actual relationship, Zeus used this phrase as a way of connection. Of flattery and of security. That no matter what, he will always love her. And he meant this phrase fully and genuinely each time, showing to her that even when his mind was always occupied, or even angered, he will always love her. He would whisper it after their small fights or during a long night of sleep deprivation and trying to rule a newly-formed kingdom. A connection, a bridge for him to give as she walked upon it and stayed close to him.

Hera loved this. She was and never will be a person of physical and shown affection, especially as public as their lives may be as King and Queen, so Zeus doing all the work for them, to keep that connection verbally while she may be too shy to do it in any other place than their bed, is really appreciated. It warms her heart to know that, no matter what, he will love her. That, no matter if their hands cannot touch each other in the way they both want them to, his words will connect them. That she can take those vibrations and wrap them in her wind, have them echo and vibrate around her as she sometimes travels far away from him. It is their connection. Their Purpose together as King and Queen.

It starts out affectionate.

Then... it turns to something else.

She catches him cheating. They fight and throw things at each other, hurtling insults and trying at their power dynamics. She turns her back on him to leave (flee) and, still, he always whispers those three words. "I love you," comes from his lips and she's fooled each time. She comes back to their chambers warm and waiting, her skin icy cold but those words always trying to warm her from her core. He says it each and every time and, suddenly, it's not intimate anymore. Her skin is too cold and they are said to often, to thrown away, to carry their warmth to her core anymore. The connotation is different now. It's like he's trying to ask for her forgiveness. That their three words will make any difference in the already-determined outcome. She forbids him from saying it in their bedroom anymore, eventually extending that ban to all of Olympus. He tries to push her, to continue saying it, but she stands her ground by leaving it. She does not care if he says it anyway. They are not them anymore.

Zeus still tries. He seeks his wife out in the dark, in places nobody could possibly see her so she could maybe open a little more up. She tries to flee and, in the beginning, he lets her, but he tightens his grip more and more as he realizes they aren't getting anywhere. To him, the words are still a sign of their Love. Mortals preach and preach about loving someone forever, that people change but if you love them enough, then they will stay with you. He's tried everything with Hera. Talking, taking her out on dates, and Tartarus! he's even attempted to stay faithful for a long time for her, just enough for her to settle down for them to have a proper Talk! But Hera wouldn't budge and the longing for a mortal's softness, for a mortal's insignificance, was too much when his bed was already becoming too cold. At first, it was a release. A curiosity and a homesickness of back when he was young, running around Gaia's Plains like he had no care. He missed those days and wanted to experience that again, to take a break from his Kingly Load and just experience mortality again. Now, it's become a coping mechanism. The thought of coming home from a long day to see his wife not talking to him and practically mountains between them made his heart ache and so he went to different beds, trying out their warmths and softness and experiences. He tells her he loves her, trying to rekindle their relationship again, but even he knows it's drifting away. That it's more of an excuse now, but it's the only thing he can seem to grasp of her now. He's trying, he swears, but they're now too broken to be fixed.

The connotations of love between Zeus and Hera, written by Altis (sleepdeprivationbutposeidon)

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zoexqsblog

2 years ago