Death In Venice Essay, Research Paper
Gustave von Aschenbach is certainly an artist A very decent one He has his life planned out is very accurate and organized Perhaps even a bit boring monotonous
Then he goes to Venice where all will change In his hotel he sees a young boy with whom he is fascinated The young boy is the perfect image of a happy idle child that has all it desires all Aschenbach never had Aschenbach studies the child and found out that his name is Tadzio Tadzio looks fragile Aschenbach would sit on the beach and watch him play the young child that in his point of view look like an angel Slowly but surely he becomes obsessed with Tadzio with his youth beauty effortlessness and his idleness
Whilst being obsessed with this young boy with whom Aschenbach has no connection or relation around him disease broods The plague is sweeping over Venice unnoticed at first and denied by the Venetians They are all lying denying and acting as to make sure the tourist business will continue to thrive People are dying around Aschenbach while he is alive in the midst of death
If he had been wise he would have left as soon as he started considering the fact there was indeed a plague in Venice Yet he could not leave He was so immensely drawn to Tadzio he could not make himself leave After he finally takes the step to leave his bags go missing giving him the opportunity he subconsciously longed for the opportunity to stay longer with a cause Even when his luggage is returned he has no intention of trying to leave again Instead he stays to be close to Tadzio with whom he believes to have a bond When the boy looks at him he feels that the boy is interested in him but it might as well have been a random look at which their eyes met for an instant Tadzio s family is now aware of Aschenbach keeping a peculiarly close eye on Tadzio Aschenbach change from a dignified artist to a scary old man
At this point Aschenbach s life goes out of hand He no longer is under control of it When he takes the gondola a foreign gondolier takes him across the waters
The gondolier seems to ignore the orders given to him and goes his own direction: a direction Aschenbach didn t ask to go to Someone else is now controlling his life he has lost grip of where he is going what he is doing and the consequences Aschenbach is indecisive will he let himself be directed or will he take action and rebel against this injustice? He decided to sit back and let himself be carried over the waters by a complete stranger He s out of control and he realizes it
He is so obsessed with Tadzio that he actually sits on the terrace with a drink pretending to enjoy it while in fact he is neither enjoying nor drinking He is there for Tadzio He s devoting and dedicating all his time to this stranger that he has not even had the courage to speak to He watches the performance being performed his face fixed in a painful smile while he is inwardly only thinking about Tadzio
Trying to stay as clean and decent as possible Aschenbach becomes a frequent customer at the barbershop Besides his hair getting cut and getting a shave the barber suggests for him to restore what belongs to him: his youth He dyes his hair as black as it once was His eyebrows were also tampered with they turned into youthful arches and the eyes become larger and more brilliant by use of some delicate touches His skin glowed again and his lips were full As he looks in the mirror he sees a young man looking back at him
Tadzio sees him following and Aschenbach believes that he is being admired but he is actually being ridiculed Tadzio and his family are getting tired of Aschenbach’s constant and persistent chase
The plague is now everywhere Reckless and careless as he is Aschenbach ignores the fact A simple act brings him closer to his death he buys some fruit and ate them Does he realize they carry the plague?
Each of this great man has a flaw Hamlet was indecisive Mac Beth had too much ambition Othello was jealous and Aschenbach was obsessive His obsession led him to forget about his own well-being and life That s what led him to his unlucky end An end that is not even as satisfactory as it could ve been An end he didn t deserve