Publius Ovidius Naso

“Ovid”

Latin 4 Honors
Andrews
April 2023

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Ovid

On March 20, 43 BC, Publius Ovidius

Naso, better known to modern
readers as Ovid, was born at Sulmo,
90 miles from Rome. Ovid's father,
who was a respected member of the
equestrian order, expected Ovid to
become a lawyer and official and had
him schooled extensively for that
purpose. After working in various
judicial posts, Ovid made the decision
to dedicate himself to a life of poetry
instead. Ovid's elegance, both in verse and comportment, made him a
favorite among the moneyed class of Rome, and it was not long before
Ovid was widely hailed as the most brilliant poet of his generation. His
elegant verses on love appealed to a society being forced into a period
of moral reformation by the emperor, Augustus. It may have been these
same poems, namely those of his The Art of Love (3 BC), that caused Ovid
to be exiled to the barren region of Tomi in AD 8.

The reason for Ovid's exile by Augustus is unknown. What is certain is

that in AD 8 Ovid was sent to the bleak fishing-village of Tomi for what
he describes as "a poem and a mistake", Ovid attempted on numerous
occasions to find his way back into the good graces of Augustus, writing
poems to the emperor and other influential friends. The poems, which
were far less polished and elegant than his previous works, had little
effect on Augustus, and Ovid remained in exile until his death in AD 17.

Ovid's poetic influence continued long after his death. His most famous
work, The Metamorphoses (AD 8), had a great influence upon writers of
the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, and the 12th century was named
the Ovidian age for the numerous poets writing in Ovidian hexameter.

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 Source: https://poets.org/poet/ovid#:~:text=On%20March%2020%2C%2043%20BC,schooled%20extensively%20for%20that%20purpose.
Ovid: Facts

 Birth:

 Death:

 Exile:

Augustus’ Reign: 27 BCE – 14 AD

Pros Cons

 Most infamous work:

o Genre:
o Length:
o Meter:
o Theme:
o Content:

Some of Ovid’s more notable myths …

Arachne Niobe
Pyramus and Thisbe Cupid and Psyche
Diana and Callisto Narcissus
Apollo and Daphne Phaethon
Pygmalion Death of Actaeon
Baucis and Philemon Venus and Adonis
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 The opening lines …

In nova fert animus mutatas dicere formas

corpora; di, coeptis (nam vos mutastis et illas)

adspirate meis primaque ab origine mundi

ad mea perpetuum deducite tempora carmen.

Latin: Translation:
(meus) animus fert (me)

Dicere formas mutatas

In nova corpora;

Di

Nam vos mutastis et illas

Adspirate meis coeptis

-que ab prima origine mundi

Ad mea tempora

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Deducite perpetuum carmen.

Scansion Practice:

Ante mare et terras et quod tegit omnia caelum

unus erat toto naturae vultus in orbe,

quem dixere chaos: rudis indigestaque moles

nec quicquam nisi pondus iners congestaque eodem

non bene iunctarum discordia semina rerum.

nullus adhuc mundo praebebat lumina Titan,

nec nova crescendo reparabat cornua Phoebe,

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 Ovid’s Pygmalion

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 Myth Research: pygmalion and galatea
Characters – quis est? Plot

Facta de Antiquiīs

Aetiological Feature

Documentum

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 Term: Definition: Derivatives:
Aevum, aevī, n.

Crimen, criminis, n.

Vitium, vitiī, n.

Opus, operis, n.

Body Parts:
Artus, artūs, m.

Auris, auris, f.

Collum, collī, n.

Corpus, corporis, n.

Digitus, digitī, m.

Faciēs, facieī, f.

Membrum, membrī, n.

Oculus, oculī, m.

Pectus, pectoris, n.

Adjectives:
Cunctus, cuncta, cunctum

Verus, vera, verum

Verbs:
Careo, carēre, caruī … + abl

Labor, labī, lapsus sum

Metuo, metuere, metuī, metutum

Reddo, reddere, reddidi, redditum

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Sculpo, sculpere, sculpsī, sculptum

Tango, tangere, tetigi, tactum

Timeo, timēre, timuī, …

Vereor, verērī, veritus sum

Ovid, Metamorphoses, 10.243-269

'Quas quia Pygmalion aevum per crimen agentis

viderat, offensus vitiis, quae plurima menti

femineae natura dedit, sine coniuge caelebs 245

vivebat thalamique diu consorte carebat.

interea niveum mira feliciter arte

sculpsit ebur formamque dedit, qua femina nasci

nulla potest, operisque sui concepit amorem.

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Quia Pygmalion viderat
quas

Agentes aevum per crimen

Offensus vitiīs

Quae plurima natura dedit

feminae mentī

Caelebs vivebat sine

coniuge

-que carebat diu consorte

thalamī.

Interea sculpsit ebur

niveum mirā arte feliciter

-que dedit formam

Quā nulla femina potest

nascī

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-que concepit amorem suī
operis.

virginis est verae facies, quam vivere credas, 250

et, si non obstet reverentia, velle moveri:

ars adeo latet arte sua. miratur et haurit

pectore Pygmalion simulati corporis ignes.

Saepe manus operi temptantes admovet, an sit

Corpus an illude bur, nec adhuc ebur esse fatetur. 255

oscula dat reddique putat loquiturque tenetque

et credit tactis digitos insidere membris

et metuit, pressos veniat ne livor in artus,

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Est facies virginis verae

Quam vides vivere et velle moverī

Si non reverentia obstet

Ars adeo latet arte sua

Pygmalion miratur

Et haurit ignes simulatī corporis

pectore.
Saepe admovet manus temptantēs
operi
An sit corpus an illud ebur

Nec adhuc fatetur esse ebur.

Dat oscula

-que putat reddī

-que loquitur

-que tenet

Et credit digitos insidere tactis

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membris
Et metuit
Ne livor veniat in artus pressos

et modo blanditias adhibet, modo grata puellis

munera fert illi conchas teretesque lapillos 260

et parvas volucres et flores mille colorum

liliaque pictasque pilas et ab arbore lapsas

Heliadum lacrimas; ornat quoque vestibus artus,

dat digitis gemmas, dat longa monilia collo,

aure leves bacae, redimicula pectore pendent: 265

cuncta decent; nec nuda minus formosa videtur.

conlocat hanc stratis concha Sidonide tinctis

adpellatque tori sociam adclinataque colla

mollibus in plumis, tamquam sensura, reponit.

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Et modo adhibet blanditias

Modo fert illī munera grata

puellīs,

conchas, teretesque lapillos,

et parvas volucres, et flores
mille colorum, liliaque,
pictasque pilas, lacrimas
Heliadum lapsas ab arbore;

Quoque ornat artus vestibus

Dat gemmas digitis

Dat longa monilia collo

Leves bacae [pendent] aure

Redimicula pendent pectore:

Cuncta decent;

Nec videtur minus formosa

nuda.

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Conlocat hanc stratis tinctis
concha Sidonide

-que adpellat sociam torī

-que reponit colla in plumis

mollibus
Tamquam sensura.

Introduction to Figures of Speech/Poetic Devices in Ovid’s Pygmalion:

 Alliteration – repetition of the same sound at the beginning of words

Magno cum murmure montis …

 Assonance – close recurrence of similar sounds

Amissos longo socios sermone requirunt …

 Anaphora – repetition of the same word for emphasis

Hic illius arma, hic currus fuit; hoc regnum …

 Asyndeton – omission of conjunctions in a closely related series

Veni, vidi, vici

 Chiasmus – ABBA word ordering

Magnas urbes oppida parva (adj, noun, noun, adj)

Sculpsit ebur formaque dedit (verb, acc, acc, verb)

 Elipsis - omisson of one or more words necessary to the meaning of the sentence

Haec secum [dixit]

 Litotes – double negative, or denial of the opposite

Neque ignarī sumus …

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  Polysyndeton – Over use of conjunctions

Eurusque Notusque ruunt reverque Africus …

Which rhetorical devices are being used in the following lines?

Page 2.

 _________________ Virginis est verae facies, quam vivere credas

 _________________ Et si non obstet reverentia velle moveri
 _________________ Ars adeo latet arte sua miratur et haurit
 _________________ Oscula dat reddique putat loquiturque tenetque

Page 3.
 _________________ et parvas volucres et flores mille colorum
Liliaque pictasque pilas et ab arbore labsas
 _________________ dat digitis gemmas, dat longa monilia collo
 _________________ aure leves vacae, redimicula pectore pendent
 _________________ … ornat quoque vestibus artus
Dat digitis gemmas, dat longa monilia collo,
Aure leves vacae, redimicula pectore pendent:
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  _________________ … nec nuda minus formosa videtur.
 _________________ conlocat hanc stratis concha sidonide tinctis

Scansion Practice …

et modo blanditias adhibet, modo grata puellis

munera fert illi conchas teretesque lapillos

et parvas volucres et flores mille colorum

liliaque pictasque pilas et ab arbore lapsas

Heliadum lacrimas; ornat quoque vestibus artus,

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In the lines above, what specifically draws your attention to Pygmalion’s almost
erratic activities?

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