Symbols Of "The Da Vinci Code"

Devangiba Gohil

1. Name :- Gohil Devangiba Aniruddhsinh Roll No. :- 14 Email Id :- [email protected] Paper No. :- 13 (The New Literature) Topic :- Symbols Of “The Da Vinci Code” Submitted To :- Department Of English M.K.B.University

2. What is symbolism ? Symbolism is the practice or art of using an object or a word to represent an abstract idea. An action, person, place, word, or object can all have a symbolic meaning. When an author wants to suggest a certain mood or emotion, he can also use symbolism to hint at it, rather than just blatantly saying it

3. Chalice or Holy Grail The  chalice  is an ancient symbol. Long before it became the symbol of the Holy Grail or the cup that caught Christ's blood. it was completely female in its symbolism, from the water it carried, the female element, to its shape as a womb-like receptacle. Given the origin of this symbol, it is no real surprise that books now abound claiming that the Holy Grail was in fact Mary Magdalene. The Holy Grail is conspicuous by its absence in Leonardo Da Vinci's painting of The Last Supper, where instead of just one chalice on the table, each disciple has their own cup.  

4. The Pentagram The Pentagram is a symbol of beauty and perfection and is connected to the goddess and the Holy Lady Each point of the Pentacle has a different meaning and these are written in reverse writing round the outside of the circle: The All, Spirit, the Divine. Intelligence and the Arts. Stability and the Physical. Courage and Strength and lastly Emotions and Intuitions. Since ancient times these have all been guiding forces for the good of humanity. Never more so than now do we need to be reminded of the importance of the balance and harmony between all the people of the Earth and between humanity and the natural world.

5. The Blade Blade is symbolic of Male. It regards Symbology of the Grail: original sign for a male was ‘U. It represents aggression and Manhood.

6. Fibonacci Sequence The Fibonacci sequence describes a natural growthpattern common to all life, as seen in the structure of a nautilus shell. Dan Brown features the Fibonacci sequence as one of the many clues left behind by Jacques Sauniere , the Louvre curator. The puzzle is instantly recognized and unscrambled by his cryptologist granddaughter. It's only later discovered that Sauniere's deposit box account number at the Zurich bank is the Fibonacci sequence numbers, arranged in the correct order.

7. Sauniere’s Knight The knight that sits in Saunière’s office is an ironic symbol: knights are supposed to protect the Grail but this knight, which Teabing has bugged, betrays the Grail. This “betrayal” illustrates two interrelated points 1. all knights cannot be trusted, 2. things are not always what they seem. These points relate directly to Teabing . When Langdon tells Sophie about Teabing , he remarks, “There is no one better to help them on the quest for the Grail than a knight.” Teabing is both a “bad” knight and something other than what he seems. Like the knight in the office, he betrays the Grail and is much more dangerous than he appears.

8. The Last Supper At the heart of Brown's novel is the story that da Vinci hid a major clue in his masterpiece,  The Last Supper . On reexamining the painting, it's discovered that sitting at Jesus' right hand is Mary Magdalene, not as is commonly believed, the apostle John. In addition, the famous cup from which Christ drank, the Holy Grail, is conspicuously left out of the painting. Here is where Brown cleverly weaves medieval legends with high Renaissance art to suggest that the Holy Grail - which became the subject of endless search by medieval knights - was not a cup at all but Mary Magdalene herself, the human receptacle for Jesus' blood line.

9. Mona Lisa: Painting Another clue in the novel is seen in one of da Vinci's  Mona Lisa  which Langdon states is an expression of the artist's belief in the " sacred feminine .“ The conclusion drawn is that Mona Lisa is not any particular person, but a cryptic reference to the Egyptian gods Amon and Isis. "Mona" is an anagram of Amon and "Lisa" a contraction of l'Isa , meaning Isis. In the novel, Professor Langdon discovers that da Vinci painted the Mona Lisa in opposition to the Church's suppression of Mary Magdalene's true identity.

10. Vitruvian Man the Vitruvian Man represents creative genius, art, music, film, and literature and the amazing people who created them, their names and creations hidden in anagrams. the Vitruvian Man represents creative genius, art, music, film, and literature and the amazing people who created them, their names and creations hidden in anagrams.    

11. The Rose Roses  are a traditional gift symbolizing romantic love. They have different meanings depending on their color, the white rose is symbolic of innocence and the feminine and the red rose, true love and the masculine, in The Da Vinci C ode a pink rose has been used to signify a graceful merging of both feminine and masculine. Less commonly colored roses include yellow for platonic love, orange for passion and blue for mystery. The rose has been used here to denote geographical locations on our planet, many of them, but not all, reflecting the beauty of the rose .

12. Cell Phones The cell phone symbolizes the fact that in the modern world, secrets are both harder and easier to keep. Teabing conceals his identity as the Teacher by using cellphones to communicate with his unknowing allies. Sophie has tipped Langdon off by looking up her phone number, which is stored in his cell phone, and finding that it matches the number Sophie gave Langdon as the American Embassy’s number.

13. Blood  Blood stands for truth and enlightenment in The Da Vinci Code. Sauniere draws a pentacle—for him, a symbol of the Church’s intention to cover up the true world—on his stomach in his own blood. Sophie realizes that her grandfather has left a message farther on the Mona Lisa because a drop of his blood remains on the floor. Teabing spies atrickle of blood on Silas’s leg, which he takes to mean that Silas has a cilice, a barbed punishment belt, on his thigh, and disables him by hitting him there. For Silas, blood means cleansing of impurities. And at the very end of the novel, the discovery of the blood of Mary Magdalene running through Sophie and her brother’s veins proves that the story of the Grail is true.

14. Bibliography http://www.cbn.com/special/davincicode / http ://www.gospelway.com/religiousgroups/davinci-mary.php http://www.gospelway.com/religiousgroups/davinci-goddesses.php http :// www.pubbys.com/davincianswers/Da%20Vinci%20Code%20Is%20Overtly%20Feminist.htm www.sparknotes.com www.wikipidia.com