Hero And Leander

Hero and Leander is a narrative poem written by Christopher Marlowe, which tells the story of two young lovers, Hero and Leander, who live in the city of Sestos in ancient Greece. The poem is divided into two parts, each written by a different author. The first part was written by Marlowe, and the second part was written by George Chapman.The poem begins with a description of Hero, a beautiful virgin priestess of Venus, who lives in a tower overlooking the sea. Leander, a young man from Abydos, falls in love with Hero when he sees her at a festival in Sestos. He swims across the Hellespont, a dangerous strait that separates Europe and Asia, to visit her at night. They begin a secret love affair, meeting every night in Hero's tower.Their love is threatened by the jealous priest of Venus, who is angry that Hero has broken her vow of chastity. He tricks her into leaving a lamp burning in her tower, which attracts Leander to swim across the Hellespont during a storm. He drowns, and Hero, heartbroken, throws herself from the tower to join him in death.The poem is known for its beautiful language, vivid descriptions, and erotic imagery. It has been praised for its exploration of the themes of love, desire, and death. The book edition by Arnold, Edwin includes both parts of the poem, as well as an introduction and notes to help readers understand the historical and literary context of the work.THIS 26 PAGE ARTICLE WAS EXTRACTED FROM THE BOOK: Poems, by Edwin Arnold. To purchase the entire book, please order ISBN 0766102394.This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the old original and may contain some imperfections such as library marks and notations. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions, that are true to their original work.