At the start of the play, Proteus is initially in love with Julia. The great bard chose the name Proteus because the character was of changeable affection. Moving to the 15 th century AD, William Shakespeare named one of his main characters Proteus, in the play, The Two Gentleman Of Verona. Menelaus followed Proteus’ instructions and soon returned home. Menelaus held on undismayed and Proteus eventually tired, at which point Proteus spoke, “What is it that you want from me?” Menelaus replied, “What have I done to offend the Gods?” Proteus answered, “you must make choice offerings to Zeus to reach your own country soonest over the wine-dark sea”. Proteus, true to his name, changed his form from a bearded lion, to a snake, a panther, a monstrous boar and even running water, and then to a leafy tree. Soon enough Proteus arrived and Menelaus pounced and attacked Proteus. So Menelaus hid in wait on a beach where he knew Proteus would arrive to come and count his seals. He will seek to foil you by taking the shape of every creature that moves on earth, and of water and of portentous fire but you must hold him unflinchingly”. He met a sea nymph, Eidothea, daughter of Proteus, who took pity upon him and he asked her “Goddess, whoever you may be, I must have offended the Gods and why have they thwarted my journey?”Įidothea answered: “If you can ambush and capture Proteus, the ancient sea god, he will give you your answer. Menelaus was a Trojan warrior looking to return from Troy, however, the winds were so fierce he was unable to get his ship back out onto the seas. And an encounter between Menelaus and Proteus is particularly interesting. Proteus was the son of the Great Sea God, Poseidon, master of the seas. One of the earliest depictions of Proteus, found on an archaic black figure amphora, made in Athens, 520 BC (The digital images were obtained courtesy of the Curator at the British Museum, London) They demonstrate versatility by secreting enzymes, which allow them to evade the host's defense systems. Proteus bacteria directly derive their name from the Sea God, due to their rapid swarming growth and motility on agar plates. The Oxford English Dictionary defines the word ‘protean’ as to mean changeable, variable, and existing in multiple forms. It is particularly difficult to distinguish from neurofibromatosis, due to its various forms in different individuals. ![]() The ‘elephant man’ was afflicted by a severely disfiguring disease, described as ‘Proteus syndrome’. ![]() Shakespeare re-introduced Proteus into English literature, in the 15 th century AD, in the comedy The Two Gentleman of Verona, as one of his main characters who is inconstant with his affections. In the 8 th century BC, the ancient Greek poet, Homer, famous for his epic poems the Iliad and Odyssey, describes Proteus as a prophetic old sea-god, and herdsman of the seals of Poseidon, God of the Sea. Greek mythology describes Proteus as an early sea-god, noted for being versatile and capable of assuming many different forms.
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