Name: Vidhya Pandya
Semester: MA – 4
Roll No: 30
Paper No:-13 The New Literature
Enrolment No: 2069108420190031
Email id: vidhupandya10497@gmail.com
Year: 2018 -20
Submitted to: Department of English , Maharaja Krishnakumarsinhji
Bhavnagar University.
Assignment Topic : Symbols and Codes in the novel “ Da Vinci Code”.
Words : 1698
◆ Introduction :-
"Nothing kills better than Religion."
- Dan Brown.
The novel “ Da Vinci Code” which is written by the American Author DanBrown and he also best known for his thriller novels and mysteriousnovels. The novel “ Da Vinci Code” is a 2003 mystery thriller novelby Dan Brown. This is Brown's Second Novel include character RobertLangdon.
The story unfolds around the major characters –
Symbologist Robert Langdon and Cryptologist Sophie Neveu.
The title links the symbolic significance of artistic works, such as Leonardoda Vinci's Mona Lisa, to the mystery and the code-based quest for the Holy Grail that lie at the centre of the book.
The novel explores an alternative religious history. The novel gives the main idea about Christianity that Who is the blood line of Jesus Christ
and Mary Magdalene’s role in the history of Christianity.
◆ The Novel "Da Vinci Code" :-
Novel's story unfolds around 3 layers of mystery :-
1. Murder of Jacques Sauniere
2. Who is Sophie Neveu
3. The secret of “Holy Grail”.
The Novel becomes much Controversial is that Brown about a museum curator with a secret life, a historian and how the church has been on a bloody tantrum for several years trying to cover up the“truth” about Jesus Christ and Mary Magdalene. Much like other mystery novels before its time, Along with Mary Magdalene’s untimely
historical death, Brown also incorporates the “butchery” of the concept of feminine divinity. Brown hookup all these concepts together, much
like a detective would, and likens these two separate, but similar, murder to one killer: the Church. Although Mary Magdalene’s role in
the known Bible is relatively short compared to other characters, Mary Magdalene plays a critical role in the book The Da Vinci Code.
◆ What is Symbolism?
Symbolism is everywhere; symbolism exists whenever something is mean to represent something else. Symbolism is a figure of speech
that is used when an author wants to create a certain mood or emotion in a work of literature. It is the use of an object, person, situation or
word to represent something else, like an
The symbols have various meanings in various places and archetypes so it define on the situation that how it represents in the particular
context.
“Language can be very adept at hiding the truth.”
Dan Brown.
Symbols are the artifacts which read in many ways. The hidden idea are
pop up with this symbols in any kind of Literature through the author.
In this novel Brown presents various codes, symbols and art which
helps to create the mystic element of the thriller.
◆ There are the symbols like:-
1. The Pentagram
2. The Symbol of SATAN: THE BAPHOMET
3. Rose Line
4. Holy Grail
5. The Last Supper
6. Mona Lisa
7. The Blade
8. Fibonacci Sequence
1] The Pentagram :
The Pentagram is the most identified symbol in all of Satanism and the
concealed in the Pentagram. The symbol of Pentagram is very
important in the novel. The Da Vinci Code opens with the murder of
Jacques Sauniere.
Sauniere's left index finger was also bloody, apparently having been
dipped into the wound to create the most unsettling aspect of his own
macabre deathbed; using his own blood as link, and employing his own
naked abdomen as a canvas, Sauniere had drawn a simple symbol on
his flesh- five straight line that intersected to form a Five-year pointed
star.
The Pentacle. (Chap. 6 page. 55)
'One of the oldest symbols on earth. Used over four thousands years
before Christ. ‘ (cha. 6 ,pa. 55)
‘The pentacle' Langdon clarified, is a pre- christian symbol that relates to Nature worship.The ancients envisioned their world in two halves- masculine and feminine. Their Gods and goddess worked to keep a balance of power. Yin and Yang. When male and female were balanced,
there was harmony in the world. When they are unbalanced , there was chaos.
Langdon motioned to Sauniere’s stomach and said...
【“ This Pentacle is representative of the female half of all things- a concept religious historians call the ‘sacred feminine' or the device goddesse (Ch. 6 pa. 56)】
【This symbol is one of the most powerful images you will see this term. Formally known as a Pentagram or Pentacle, as the ancients called it-
this symbol is considered both device and magical by many cultures.(ch.20 pa.132)】
◆ The Symbols of SATAN : THE BAPHOMET
While some may argue the Pentagram is not inherently evil there exists
one. The Baphomet has no equal in the hells of Satanism. The Baphomet has usually symbolised with a goat's head draw within the Pentagram. This is the symbolic meaning but in the novel it has also the literal meaning.
Langdon quickly explained to Sophie...
【“ That Baphomet was a pegan fertility God associated with the creative force of reproduction.”
Baphomet's head was represented as that of Ram or goat, a common
symbol of procreation and fecundity. (Ch.76 Pg. 417)】
'Baphomet' Teabing tittered....
【‘ The ceremony honoured the creative
magic of sexual union, but Pope Clement convinced everyone that
Baphomet's head was in fact that of the devil. The Pope used the head
of Baphomet as the linchpin in his case against the Templars. (Cha.76.Pa.417)】
◆ Rose Line :
The north-south stripe had been known as the Rose Line. For centuries,
the symbol of Rose had been associated with maps and guiding souls in
the proper direction. The Compass Rose- drawn on almost every map-
indicated North, East, South and West. (Ch. 22 Pa. 145)
On a globe , a Rose-Line- also called a meridian or longitude- was any
imaginary line drawn from the North Pole to the South Pole. There
were- an infinite number of Rose lines because every point on the globe
could have a longitude drawn through it connecting north and south
poles. The question for early navigators was which of these lines would
be called the Rose-Line- the zero longitude – the line from which all
other longitudes on earth would be measured. (Cha. 22 Pa.146).
◆ Holy Grail :
The hero of the novel explains that V shape, which corresponds to the
Cup part of the Chalice or Grail is an ancient symbol for the feminine.
As you can see when you imagine a line drawing of a frontal view of a
naked woman, and focus on the uniquely female part of human
anatomy, this place is where new life would be carried in a pregnant
woman(about where the flame is in the flaming chalice). In the novel
the thesis is that the Holy Grail really refers to Mary Magdalene, who
was actually married to Jesus Christ and who escaped, pregnant, after
the crucifixion of Christ and somehow got to France, where her child
was born and went on to have descendants, the latest of whom turns
out to be a main character in the novel.
Chalice is symbolic of woman was ‘U’. It regards the famous cup from
which Christ drank. The Chalice represents a cup or vessel, and the
womb; represents womanhood and fertility- the sacred feminine. The
Holy Grail is conspicuously left out of the painting: Last Supper. 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.
[‘ Holy Grail is the literal meaning of Sangreal. The phrase derives from
the French Sangreal, which evolved to Sangreal, and was eventually
split into two words, San + Greal' ( Ch.38, Pg. 219)]
[“ The Holy Grail, Sophie had thought, was the cup that Jesus drank
from at the Last Supper and with which Joseph of Arimathea later
caught His blood at the crucification. (Ch. 38 ,Pa. 219)]
According to Priory of Sion, the Holy Grail is not a cup at all. They claim
the Grail legend-that of a Chalise- is actually an ingeniously conceived
allegory. That the Grail story uses the Chalise as a metaphor for
something else, something far more powerful. ( Ch.38 Pa. 220)
◆ Mona Lisa :
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.
◆ The Blade :
Blade is the symbol of Man. It regards the symbology of Grail. Original
sign for a male was 'U'. It represents the aggression and manhood.
In the ending of the novel the symbol of Chalise and Blade represents
as ...
[“ The Blade and Chalice. Fused as one. The star of David.. the perfect
union of male and Solomon's marking the Holy of Holes, where the
male and female deities..- Yahweh and Shekinah- were thought to
dwell.” (pa. 581)]
◆ The Fibonacci Sequence :
In this Fibonacci Sequence this the last note by Jacques Sauniere and
wrote that....
【13-3-2-21-1-1-8-5
O, Draconian devil !
Oh, lame Saint !
P.S Find Robert Langdon】
This anagram or the Fibonacci Sequence was solved by Robert Langdon,
first he thought that it just a words but afterwards he rearranged the
words and became a very meaningful sentence.
A perfect anagram is ...
【Leonardo da Vinci !
The Mona Lisa !】
● Conclusion :
Thus, through these various types of Symbols , arts, codes and science
use in the novel make the work very classic. The tough of post
modernism and symbols added flavour in thrill and mystery.
● Work Cited :
Brown, Dan. The Da Vinci Code. Ed. Jason Kaufman. Newyork: Doubleday, 2003.
Carmichael, Martin Woods & Allison. Codes & symbols. 08 03 2020
<https://www.thedavincigame.com/codes-symbolism>.
"What is Symbolism in Literature? - Definition, Types & Examples." Study.com, 9 May 2015, study.com/academy/lesson/what-is-symbolism-in-literature-definition-types-examples.html
Semester: MA – 4
Roll No: 30
Paper No:-13 The New Literature
Enrolment No: 2069108420190031
Email id: vidhupandya10497@gmail.com
Year: 2018 -20
Submitted to: Department of English , Maharaja Krishnakumarsinhji
Bhavnagar University.
Assignment Topic : Symbols and Codes in the novel “ Da Vinci Code”.
Words : 1698
◆ Introduction :-
"Nothing kills better than Religion."
- Dan Brown.
The novel “ Da Vinci Code” which is written by the American Author DanBrown and he also best known for his thriller novels and mysteriousnovels. The novel “ Da Vinci Code” is a 2003 mystery thriller novelby Dan Brown. This is Brown's Second Novel include character RobertLangdon.
The story unfolds around the major characters –
Symbologist Robert Langdon and Cryptologist Sophie Neveu.
The title links the symbolic significance of artistic works, such as Leonardoda Vinci's Mona Lisa, to the mystery and the code-based quest for the Holy Grail that lie at the centre of the book.
The novel explores an alternative religious history. The novel gives the main idea about Christianity that Who is the blood line of Jesus Christ
and Mary Magdalene’s role in the history of Christianity.
◆ The Novel "Da Vinci Code" :-
Novel's story unfolds around 3 layers of mystery :-
1. Murder of Jacques Sauniere
2. Who is Sophie Neveu
3. The secret of “Holy Grail”.
The Novel becomes much Controversial is that Brown about a museum curator with a secret life, a historian and how the church has been on a bloody tantrum for several years trying to cover up the“truth” about Jesus Christ and Mary Magdalene. Much like other mystery novels before its time, Along with Mary Magdalene’s untimely
historical death, Brown also incorporates the “butchery” of the concept of feminine divinity. Brown hookup all these concepts together, much
like a detective would, and likens these two separate, but similar, murder to one killer: the Church. Although Mary Magdalene’s role in
the known Bible is relatively short compared to other characters, Mary Magdalene plays a critical role in the book The Da Vinci Code.
◆ What is Symbolism?
Symbolism is everywhere; symbolism exists whenever something is mean to represent something else. Symbolism is a figure of speech
that is used when an author wants to create a certain mood or emotion in a work of literature. It is the use of an object, person, situation or
word to represent something else, like an
The symbols have various meanings in various places and archetypes so it define on the situation that how it represents in the particular
context.
“Language can be very adept at hiding the truth.”
Dan Brown.
Symbols are the artifacts which read in many ways. The hidden idea are
pop up with this symbols in any kind of Literature through the author.
In this novel Brown presents various codes, symbols and art which
helps to create the mystic element of the thriller.
◆ There are the symbols like:-
1. The Pentagram
2. The Symbol of SATAN: THE BAPHOMET
3. Rose Line
4. Holy Grail
5. The Last Supper
6. Mona Lisa
7. The Blade
8. Fibonacci Sequence
1] The Pentagram :
The Pentagram is the most identified symbol in all of Satanism and the
concealed in the Pentagram. The symbol of Pentagram is very
important in the novel. The Da Vinci Code opens with the murder of
Jacques Sauniere.
Sauniere's left index finger was also bloody, apparently having been
dipped into the wound to create the most unsettling aspect of his own
macabre deathbed; using his own blood as link, and employing his own
naked abdomen as a canvas, Sauniere had drawn a simple symbol on
his flesh- five straight line that intersected to form a Five-year pointed
star.
The Pentacle. (Chap. 6 page. 55)
'One of the oldest symbols on earth. Used over four thousands years
before Christ. ‘ (cha. 6 ,pa. 55)
‘The pentacle' Langdon clarified, is a pre- christian symbol that relates to Nature worship.The ancients envisioned their world in two halves- masculine and feminine. Their Gods and goddess worked to keep a balance of power. Yin and Yang. When male and female were balanced,
there was harmony in the world. When they are unbalanced , there was chaos.
Langdon motioned to Sauniere’s stomach and said...
【“ This Pentacle is representative of the female half of all things- a concept religious historians call the ‘sacred feminine' or the device goddesse (Ch. 6 pa. 56)】
【This symbol is one of the most powerful images you will see this term. Formally known as a Pentagram or Pentacle, as the ancients called it-
this symbol is considered both device and magical by many cultures.(ch.20 pa.132)】
◆ The Symbols of SATAN : THE BAPHOMET
While some may argue the Pentagram is not inherently evil there exists
one. The Baphomet has no equal in the hells of Satanism. The Baphomet has usually symbolised with a goat's head draw within the Pentagram. This is the symbolic meaning but in the novel it has also the literal meaning.
Langdon quickly explained to Sophie...
【“ That Baphomet was a pegan fertility God associated with the creative force of reproduction.”
Baphomet's head was represented as that of Ram or goat, a common
symbol of procreation and fecundity. (Ch.76 Pg. 417)】
'Baphomet' Teabing tittered....
【‘ The ceremony honoured the creative
magic of sexual union, but Pope Clement convinced everyone that
Baphomet's head was in fact that of the devil. The Pope used the head
of Baphomet as the linchpin in his case against the Templars. (Cha.76.Pa.417)】
◆ Rose Line :
The north-south stripe had been known as the Rose Line. For centuries,
the symbol of Rose had been associated with maps and guiding souls in
the proper direction. The Compass Rose- drawn on almost every map-
indicated North, East, South and West. (Ch. 22 Pa. 145)
On a globe , a Rose-Line- also called a meridian or longitude- was any
imaginary line drawn from the North Pole to the South Pole. There
were- an infinite number of Rose lines because every point on the globe
could have a longitude drawn through it connecting north and south
poles. The question for early navigators was which of these lines would
be called the Rose-Line- the zero longitude – the line from which all
other longitudes on earth would be measured. (Cha. 22 Pa.146).
◆ Holy Grail :
The hero of the novel explains that V shape, which corresponds to the
Cup part of the Chalice or Grail is an ancient symbol for the feminine.
As you can see when you imagine a line drawing of a frontal view of a
naked woman, and focus on the uniquely female part of human
anatomy, this place is where new life would be carried in a pregnant
woman(about where the flame is in the flaming chalice). In the novel
the thesis is that the Holy Grail really refers to Mary Magdalene, who
was actually married to Jesus Christ and who escaped, pregnant, after
the crucifixion of Christ and somehow got to France, where her child
was born and went on to have descendants, the latest of whom turns
out to be a main character in the novel.
Chalice is symbolic of woman was ‘U’. It regards the famous cup from
which Christ drank. The Chalice represents a cup or vessel, and the
womb; represents womanhood and fertility- the sacred feminine. The
Holy Grail is conspicuously left out of the painting: Last Supper. 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.
[‘ Holy Grail is the literal meaning of Sangreal. The phrase derives from
the French Sangreal, which evolved to Sangreal, and was eventually
split into two words, San + Greal' ( Ch.38, Pg. 219)]
[“ The Holy Grail, Sophie had thought, was the cup that Jesus drank
from at the Last Supper and with which Joseph of Arimathea later
caught His blood at the crucification. (Ch. 38 ,Pa. 219)]
According to Priory of Sion, the Holy Grail is not a cup at all. They claim
the Grail legend-that of a Chalise- is actually an ingeniously conceived
allegory. That the Grail story uses the Chalise as a metaphor for
something else, something far more powerful. ( Ch.38 Pa. 220)
◆ Mona Lisa :
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.
◆ The Blade :
Blade is the symbol of Man. It regards the symbology of Grail. Original
sign for a male was 'U'. It represents the aggression and manhood.
In the ending of the novel the symbol of Chalise and Blade represents
as ...
[“ The Blade and Chalice. Fused as one. The star of David.. the perfect
union of male and Solomon's marking the Holy of Holes, where the
male and female deities..- Yahweh and Shekinah- were thought to
dwell.” (pa. 581)]
◆ The Fibonacci Sequence :
In this Fibonacci Sequence this the last note by Jacques Sauniere and
wrote that....
【13-3-2-21-1-1-8-5
O, Draconian devil !
Oh, lame Saint !
P.S Find Robert Langdon】
This anagram or the Fibonacci Sequence was solved by Robert Langdon,
first he thought that it just a words but afterwards he rearranged the
words and became a very meaningful sentence.
A perfect anagram is ...
【Leonardo da Vinci !
The Mona Lisa !】
● Conclusion :
Thus, through these various types of Symbols , arts, codes and science
use in the novel make the work very classic. The tough of post
modernism and symbols added flavour in thrill and mystery.
● Work Cited :
Brown, Dan. The Da Vinci Code. Ed. Jason Kaufman. Newyork: Doubleday, 2003.
Carmichael, Martin Woods & Allison. Codes & symbols. 08 03 2020
<https://www.thedavincigame.com/codes-symbolism>.
"What is Symbolism in Literature? - Definition, Types & Examples." Study.com, 9 May 2015, study.com/academy/lesson/what-is-symbolism-in-literature-definition-types-examples.html
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