With the advent of cinema and the ability to produce visual representations of fictional (or non-fictional) characters, situations and settings, one of the natural paths is It was adapting literary works to the new medium. Over time we have seen this happen endlessly, with subjectively varying results. Literature has been adapted to forms such as plays, live readings, as well as other visual forms, such as painting, sculpture, or photography, and in each adaptation to a new medium, aspects of the tangible essence of fiction are translated into adapting to its new form of expression. In Thomas Mann's Death in Venice, the novel's protagonist Gustave Aschenbach's struggle traces back to Greek mythology through the contemplation of emotion versus reason. In the novel, this is done by using internal dialogues to vividly express the conflict that lies within humanity between instinctive and conditioned thinking regarding beauty in the world, in Aschenbach's internal debates. However, in cinematic translation, many of the internal dialogues must be represented visually, with different forms of symbolism that, while easily conveyed in the text, are more difficult to incorporate in such an external and demonstrative medium. In this article, I will attempt to explore Thomas Mann's references to Greek mythology and their meanings, and how both are interpreted and in some cases modified in film translation. To begin, we must first begin with one of the concepts that often frames Death in Venice, the conflict between reason and emotion expressed in terms of two Greek deities, Apollo and Dionysus. In the novel, these gods are referenced symbolically through the use of first-person description, through subtle clues that allude to the mythology of... middle of paper... forced to return by eating food to Hades. In Aschenbach's case, after deciding to leave early, he ran into Tadzio after breakfast (54), causing him to rethink his decision and return. The fact that he drinks pomegranate juice later in the book, after his failed "escape" seems to mean that he is eating the food of his own "Hades", headed for death, deceived by the rules just like Persephone.Works CitedMann, Thomas. Death in Venice. Ed. Noemi Ritter. Boston: Bedford Books, 1998. Print. Neginsky, Rosina. “Lesson: Thomas Mann.” Cinema Europeo.UIS, Nd Web. 11 November 2011. Neginsky, Rosina. “The origin of Dionysus”. European Cinema.UIS, Nd Web. 11 November 2011.Smith, Herbert O. “Prologue to the Great War: Encounters with Apollo and Dionysus in Death in Venice.” Robertgraves.org. Robert Graves, Nd Web. 11 November. 2011.