The Death Of Osiris Analysis

The story The Death of Osiris, spoken by a devote ancient Egyptian, is directed to an ancient Egyptian audience. In this text, Seth murders Osiris in order to claim the throne. Isis, his wife, searches desperately for his body and brings him back to life. The quote selected takes place after Osiris’ resurrection. This quote establishes a theme in the story of restoration of peace in the midst of chaos, but most importantly, it emphasizes the importance of succession in the overall text. Although Isis seems like a loving and caring mother and wife, she only cares about the line of succession and power rather than her family.
Upon a first look at the text, her lack of motherly intentions is not apparent. The text uses keywords such as “forced,” …show more content…
Although it seems as if he was to blame in the abandonment of Isis and their child, in reality, she causes him misery which leads to his abandonment. Isis brings him back from his afterlife to a world where he felt incomplete and miserable. So much so that he had to retreat “in sorrow to the underworld.” She did not bring him back out of love, but rather for the production of an heir. This is displayed through the effort she went through to have his genitalia intact and how she hastily consummated her son. After they produced an heir, she did not care for her husband nor attempted to get him back when he left for the underworld. Therefore, she is not the innocent victim she is portrayed to be.
Consequently, she shows this lack of empathy for her family and others through the quote. She abandons her son after he is no longer of use to her. Not only that, but she brings her husband from a happy afterlife to a world of misery where he feels incomplete and is forced to retreat in pain. All of this was a ploy to gain access to power and continue the line of succession and gain power through her son. Overall, there is a more importance placed on the line of succession rather than love and