Arthur kills a unicorn, bringing a curse "down upon" all of Camelot

Question

Is "on" a synonym of "down upon" in "Arthur kills a unicorn, bringing a curse down upon all of Camelot"?

Answer 1

Both have the same meaning in this context, although I wouldn't say "on" and "down upon" can be used interchangeably in all contexts, as "on" is very general and can be used anywhere, e.g.

I went on stage

You can't say:

I went down upon stage

So in some cases it is a "synonym".

Arthur kills a unicorn, bringing a curse down upon all of Camelot.

^ Has the same meaning as:

Arthur kills a unicorn, bringing a curse on all of Camelot.

Answer 2

I would say it would be the same to say

Arthur kills a unicorn, bringing a curse down on all of Camelot

You could, of course, omit the "down" but then you could also omit it from the original:

Arthur kills a unicorn, bringing a curse upon all of Camelot

"Down" carries the implication that the curse fell on them, from Heaven, perhaps, or that it was hanging over their heads until he did so.

Answer 3

The functional meaning of the sentence remains the same (following the murder of a unicorn by Arthur, Camelot was cursed) but 'down upon' provides literary narration; it gives a certain feeling; of encroachment (the city being slowly closed in and engulfed) by the greater (than the city's) power of the curse.

It's also just modern, looking at the other comments, to avoid the association with God and etcetera. It's a figure of speech in a way, ambigious in old fashion, so I disagree it was about Heaven or God anyway!

I think something is lost in abbreviation, but it is mostly of storytelling value.