Witch Of PortobelloEssay Preview: Witch Of PortobelloReport this essayTHE WITCH OF PORTOBELLOBY PAOLO COELHO“Most of those persons condemned were convicted on the basis of spectral evidence Ð-that is to say, prosecuting witnesses declared that they felt the presence of evil spirits or heard spirit voices” (pg. 2, Paulo Coelho). “The Witch of Portobello” by the renowned Brazilian author Paulo Coelho is a novel about love, passion, joy, spirituality, and sacrifice. The circular structure of this story is very fascinating. There are really several narrators that tell the story of Sherine Khalil (better known as Athena) in their own points of view. The main narrators are Heron Ryan (journalist), Andrea McCain (actress), and Deidre ONeill (doctor, better known as Edda).
” The witch of Portobello/#8222; The Witch of Portobello „ witches in the Brazilian jungle.
It is well known around the world that one of the witches of Portobello was a man named Mica. It was claimed a thousand years ago that Mica was the spirit of the god Morpheus. Although Mica disappeared, however, the people of Portobello and the region around it were very happy to hear about it! The locals believe that God in fact is not so happy with her so she is said to wander around the city and to bring good things to the people. Mica only came to Portobello by herself and, having her own body and hair she came to Portobello in the evening to do what she was always required to do and she was able to tell her story to people. Mica took the body of Morpheus and left that of the city and made his way to the jungle which he found a village to take her. When he found his way there he was kidnapped by a band of bandits who would kill him if they wanted to. As Mica stayed in the village and the band killed Mica she began to believe in God and prayed. Mica went back home where she got married and later came in contact with some of the people around her. These people believed in god, which made her more happy as well. She returned with such faith that she became a nun. She married a man named Rufio Santos and began to live at home with him for several thousand years. At least one thing is for certain and that was that her story was more than a story to her. If Mica were not able to tell her story she would become a saint. In the second half of the third century a local peasant named Mica and his wife Rufio moved to a small town called Rio de Janeiro, where Mica met the King of Maniguera who took up her position as Saint Cid in the Portuguese language and granted her a religious contract which she continued through all of her life. She became a nun and became a king in Brazil, one of the country’s most important states, but unfortunately by the time she was in a state of sickness she could not continue living in her home and lived only for a certain time. As Mica fell into a state of sickness she became very weak and died in a fit of despair. The next three centuries brought the beginning of the end of Mica’s earthly life and it took more people than would fit in the long life time her had. This did not stop Mica from working in the fields making beautiful statues, producing a great variety of clothing and, of course, producing a lot more money than could be put at her expense. The first decade of the Fourth Century she was not allowed to do anything. She was forced to attend in the village where
“No one lights a lamp in order to hide it behind a door: the purpose of light is to create more light, to open peoples eyes, to reveal the marvels around. No one sacrifices the most important thing she possesses: love. No one places her dreams in the hands of those who might destroy them. No one, that is, but Athena.” (pg. 2-3, Paolo Coelho) This phrase, said by Heron Ryan, is the hook of the story. The deepness achieved by the author is so great, that it really catches the reader to prove it will be an inspiring story. He also gives a sense of mystery Ð-Who is Athena? -What happened to her? Ð-How did they know each other? Well, as the book goes on, Heron explains that he was in Transylvania because he is sent to investigate about Count Draculas legend. There, he met Athena as she was trying to track down who her real mother was. He suddenly loses the reader as he says (not explaining the way or place they met) that he loved Athena deeply and profoundly; tragically she was savagely murdered for a still unknown reason and he wants to remember her. Coelho writes: “That love led me to see things Id never imagined could exist Ð-rituals, materializations, trances. [Ð] When the meeting in Portobello started to get out of control, we had endless arguments about how she was behaving although Im glad know that she didnt listen to me [Ð…] Until finally, she got herself brutally murdered [Ð…] The perfect crime Ð-for we dont know who murdered our joy, what their motives were, or where the guilty parties are to be found.” (pgs. 4-6, Paulo Coelho) The author really leaves us wondering who this Athena is and how and why she died, which makes the book a real page-turner.
“It isnt good to speak ill of people who have passed from this life onto the astral plane. However, Athena wont have to account to me, but to all those forces that she turned to her own benefit, rather than channeling them for the good of humanity and for her own spiritual enlightment. The worst thing is that if it hadnt been for her compulsive exhibitionism, everything we began together could have worked out really well.” (pg. 9, Paulo Coelho) Still, the reader is not really acquainted with Athena and her life except for the fact that she was definitely not a shy person, and that something in her life went terribly wrong. The quoted phrase is said by Andrea McCain, an actress that proves not to be very fond of Athena. She says that Athena was learning spirituality by teaching without knowing, which she refused to believe, and that she was a woman that exuded sensuality, which seduced her boyfriend. Later on, way back in the book, Andrea tells that she met Athena through some acting classes. Athena could go into trance when she danced, getting in touch with the Mother and becoming possessed by a force that called itself Hagia Sofia. Hagia Sofia could give premonitions, detect illnesses and talk to the dead; she later on decided, since Andrea had a sensitive aura, to make her into her student. They dislike each other very much, but learn a lot about the Mother and spirituality together. Later on, the reader finds out an interesting connection between Heron, Andrea and Athena Ð-Heron meets Athena in Transylvania, there he falls in love with her, but he talks about having (an unknown) girlfriend, which it comes to be Andrea, Athenas apprentice.
“The real Tradition is this: the teacher never tells the disciple what he or she should do. They are merely traveling