ANALYSIS PAPER

THE GORGON’S HEAD

Nathaniel Hawthorne

Submitted to:

ALLEN C. LONGNO
English Teacher

In Partial Fulfillment

of the requirements in English

Submitted by:

JULIAN DAVE M. GUERRERO

Grade 10-Wisdom

August 13, 2019

I. AUTHOR AND HIS WORKS
Nathaniel Hawthorn - New England writer Nathaniel Hawthorne was born in 1804 in
Salem, Massachusetts, where his paternal ancestors had been prominent since the
founding generation (who then spelled their last name Hathorn). When he began writing
fiction, he was drawn into a search for material in the careers of his early ancestors and
in the history of colonial New England. While attending Bowdoin College, Hawthorne
began writing tales or a romance or both. He would go on to write many American
stories and novels, including “Young Goodman Brown” (1835), Twice-Told Tales
(1837), “Ethan Brand” (1850), The Scarlet Letter (1850), The House of the Seven
Gables (1851), andThe Blithedale Romance (1852).

 The Ambitious Guest  The Wedding Knell

 The Artist of the Beautiful  Young Goodman Brown
 The Birthmark  John Inglefield's Thanksgiving
 The Canterbury Pilgrims  A Bell's Biography
 The Celestial Railroad  Beneath An Umbrella
 David Swan  Biographical Sketches
 The Devil in Manuscript  Biographical Stories
 Dr. Heidegger's Experiment  Buds and Bird Voices
 Drowne's Wooden Image  A Book of Autographs
 The Egotism; or Bosom Serpent  Chippings With A Chisel
 Endicott and the Red Cross  The Christmas Banquet
 Ethan Brand  The Dolliver Romance
 Feathertop: A Moralized Legend  Dr. Bullivant
 The Gentle Boy  Earth's Holocaust
 The Gray Champion  Edward Fane's Rosebud
 The Great Carbuncle  Fancy's Show-Box
 The Great Stone Face  Fire Worship
 The Hollow of the Three Hills  Footprints on the Sea-Shore
 Legends of the Province House: I.  The Gorgon's Head
Howe's Masquerade  The Hall of Fantasy
 Legends of the Province House: II.  The Haunted Mind
Edward Randolph's Portrait  The Intelligence Office
 Legends of the Province House: III.  The Lily's Quest
Lady Eleanore's Mantle  Little Annie's Ramble
 Legends of the Province House: IV. Old  The Man of Adamant
Esther Dudley  The New Adam and Eve
 The Maypole of Merry Mount  The Old Manse
 The Minister's Black Veil  The Old Apple Dealer
 Mr. Higginbotham's Catastrophe  The Prophetic Pictures
 Mrs. Bullfrog  P.'s Correspondence
 My Kinsman, Major Molineux  A Rill From the Town Pump
 Peter Goldthwaite's Treasure  A Select Party
 The Procession of Life  The Seven Vagabonds
 Rappaccini's Daughter  Sights From A Steeple
 Roger Malvin's Burial
 Wakefield
 II. SUMMARY OF THE GORGON’S HEAD
Acrisius, King of Argos received a dreadful oracle from Delphi. According to the priestess
of Delphi, he will not have a son but a grandson from whose hands he will be killed. Frightened,
King Acrisius hid his only daughter Danae from the sight of all men. Danae was locked up inside
a house of bronze sunk underground. Zeus entered into the underground chamber in the form
of the shower of gold through the roof partly opened. He appeared in front of Danae and in an
instant Danae conceived a baby. Later, Danae had given birth to a boy named Perseus. She
kept her baby a secret from her own father. But days have come and King Acrisius learned
about her secret. The King ordered his people to have a chest built for Danae and child
Perseus. Danae and her child were put inside the chest and sent adrift the sea.

Dictys discovered the chest and when he opened it he saw Danae and with her son
Perseus. King Polydectes, the king of island Seriphus, he is the brother of Dictys and he fell in
love with Danae. Perseus is the reason why he felt jealous because of the love and protection
that Danae was giving to her child. King Polydectes sent Perseus into dangerous and
impossible adventure (to cut-off the head of the mortal Gorgon- Medusa) so that he will assure
that the attention of Danae would be given to him. The Grey Women “Graeae” helped Perseus
to go to the Nymphai so that Perseus will know what things do he need to have to continue in
his journey.

Perseus doesn’t have any idea on how to kill Medusa, and then he met Hermes and
Athena as he met those two gods he asked for a help and they helped him. They let Perseus to
use their items and they told Perseus what he is going to do to slay Medusa. When Perseus
already reached the cave where the Gorgons lived, he didn’t waste the chance to kill and to cut
the head of Medusa. He immediately cut-off the head of the mortal Gorgon while looking at the
bronze shield to avoid looking at the eyes of Medusa that could turn him into stone. And
Perseus got the head of Medusa and flew away. When the two Gorgons- Euryale and Stheno
awake they chased Perseus but, Perseus used the Helm of Invisibility the Helm of Hades and
he escape to those two more Gorgons who chased him.

Perseus asked Altas to help hide him but he said no so, Perseus turned him into stone by
showing him Medusa's head. From there Perseus went and saw Andromeda chained to a rock.
He saved her from the sea creature that was going to kill her as a sacrifice to Poseidon. She
became his wife even though she was promised to her uncle

Perseus and Andromeda then ventured home to show that Perseus, in fact, did take the
head of Medusa. When they got there Danae was locked away and basically being held as a
slave for not wanting to marry Polydectes. Perseus was fuming he was so angry that he went up
to Polydectes and held up the head of Medusa and watched the man turn in to solid stone.
Later, Perseus gave the head of Medusa to Athena to put on the front of her shield.
They stopped to play some games on the way home, like discus. Perseus threw the discus and
it hit an old man in the crowd; this old man was his grandfather, making the original prophecy a
reality.

© brainly.ph / © myreadingdesk.wordpress.com
III. ANALYSIS

A. CHARACTERS

• Perseus - son of Danae and Zeus

• The Gorgons - The monstrous creatures. Hands made of brass, sharp fangs and a
beard covered with impenetrable scales and with hair of living snakes.

• The Gray Women - Three Monstrous sisters of Gorgons namely Enyo the Shocking,
Pemphredo the horrifying and Deino the dreadful.

• Medusa - a monster with living venomous snakes in place of hair

• King Acrisius - He was the king of Argos. Grandfather of Perseus.

• Polydectes – He was the ruler of Seriphus and fell in love with Danae.

• Dictys - He is the brother of King Polydectes, fisherman of island Seriphus.

• Andromeda - Daughter of Queen Cassiopeia and King Cepheus and later on

becomes Perseus wife when Perseus met her and saved her from the serpent.

• Hermes - the messenger of the gods and protector of the travelers, Son of Zeus, he
helped Perseus to cut-off the head of Medusa as he allowed Perseus to use the curved
sword and a pair of flying sandals.

• Athena - the goddess of wisdom, she also helped Perseus to kill the mortal Gorgon-
Medusa.

• Danae – mother of Perseus, daughter of King Acrisius

B. SETTINGS

• Seriphus is the setting of the story, Seriphus is an island in the Aegean Sea. This is
the home of our hero Perseus and his family, including the home of the Graeae, the
home of the Nymphai, and the cave of the Gorgons. Perseus even flies over Africa,
where he happens to see upon the Princess Andromeda. Because he journeys to so
many far off places, his adventures seem very epic. This is where the story happened
and also where the life of Perseus is being told.
C. THEME

•The theme of the story is about being courageous just like what Perseus showed to
us as he killed the Gorgon Medusa with all of his strength and full of courage. Also the
theme of the story is love Perseus did everything he can for his mother’s sake, in other
words if you love the person, you will sacrifice yourself just for the sake of that person
and you will do everything for his/her own happiness.

D. CONFLICT

The conflict in this story is Man vs. Man. The main conflict of the story is how will
Perseus kill Medusa and how will he get or cut-off the head of this Gorgon. Perseus has
no idea on how to complete the quest just for his mother’s sake. He doesn’t know what
he will do to save himself and his mother’s life but when he met the two gods: Hermes
and Athena, he already knew what he will do to cut the head of the Gorgon Medusa the
mortal Gorgon.

E. PLOT

1. EXPOSITION

There was a king in the Argos named King Acrisius, and he has a lovely daughter
Danae. The oracle said that not his son will end his life but his grandson will do.
Because of fear he hid his daughter Danae. But Zeus (king of gods) in the form of a
shower of gold, entered Danae’s underground house and as he appeared in front of her,
a baby was conceived. The baby was kept as a secret until she gave birth and named
him Perseus, later on, King Acrisius found out the secret, he ordered to put his daughter
and Perseus to the chest and should be sent to the sea.

2. RISING ACTION

Dictys discovered the chest and when he opened it he saw Danae and with her son
Perseus. King Polydectes, the king of island Seriphus, he is the brother of Dictys and he
fell in love with Danae. Perseus is the reason why he felt jealous because of the love
and protection that Danae was giving to her child. King Polydectes sent Perseus into
dangerous and impossible adventure (to cut-off the head of the mortal Gorgon-
Medusa) so that he will assure that the attention of Danae would be given to him. The
Grey Women “Graeae” helped Perseus to go to the Nymphai so that Perseus will know
what things do he need to have to continue in his journey.
 3. CLIMAX

Perseus doesn’t have any idea on how to kill Medusa, and then he met Hermes
and Athena as he met those two gods he asked for a help and they helped him. They let
Perseus to use their items and they told Perseus what he is going to do to slay Medusa.
When Perseus already reached the cave where the Gorgons lived, he didn’t waste the
chance to kill and to cut the head of Medusa, he immediately cut-off the head of the
mortal Gorgon while looking at the bronze shield to avoid looking at the eyes of Medusa
that could turn him into stone. And Perseus got the head of Medusa and put it inside the
wallet, when the two Gorgons- Euryale and Stheno awake they chased Perseus but,
Perseus used the Helm of Invisibility the Helm of Hades and he escaped to those two
more Gorgons who chased him.

4. FALLING ACTION

Perseus asked Atlas to help hide him but he said no so, Perseus turned him into
stone by showing him Medusa's head. From there Perseus went and saw Andromeda
chained to a rock, he saved her from the sea creature that was going to kill her as a
sacrifice to Poseidon. She became his wife even though she was promised to her
uncle.

5. DENOUEMENT

Perseus and Andromeda then ventured home to show that Perseus, in fact, did
take the head of Medusa. When they got there Danae was locked away
and basically being held as a slave for not wanting to marry Polydectes, Perseus was
fuming he was so angry that he went up to Polydectes and held up the head of Medusa
and watched the man turn in to solid stone. Later, Perseus gave the head of Medusa to
Athena to put on the front of her shield. They stopped to play some games on the way
home, like discus. Perseus threw the discus and it hit an old man in the crowd; this old
man was his grandfather, making the original prophecy a reality.
IV. FAMOUS LINES OF THE STORY
• “Perhaps they thought you might like a surprise. I am tiring of this idiot! Prepare to be
turned to stone. I’m going to take my glasses off.” – Medusa

• “I am not stone. I am alive! But Medusa? Blimey!” – Perseus

• “Stand your ground!" Stheno yelled. "I've got free samples!” - Stheno

• “You may gaze at her reflection In still waters of the lake, But don't look at her
directly Or death will be your fate!” – Gorgons

• “And will they indeed tell me?” Perseus asked Hermes

• “That’s ridiculous. My daughter’s son will kill me? Nobody kills their own grandfather!”
- Acrisius

V. MORAL OF THE STORY

One of the moral of the story is being brave. You need to be brave in everything that
you will face, being brave will lead to you in a successful life and will bring you positive
mind. Sometimes we only think that challenges are difficult, we only see how hard it is
but we don’t see what rewards are waiting to us. Only the situation is bad but you have
a great destination.

And also it teaches us how to love. Just like what Perseus showed to us, he did
everything that he can do just to save his loved ones. If you love a person truly you will
sacrifice even if it is your life. Because true love shows effort and sacrifice so if you love
a person you will show effort and sacrifice.

The Gorgons head simply reminds us that we all have faith and destiny in our lives.
It is given and it is always be there waiting for us. Whatever you do to avoid it, in the
end, you will ended up facing it.

We should never give up on the challenges given to us and we must also fight for
our love ones and also to ourselves for us to reach the true happiness.