Beyond the

Epic
The Metamorphoses
By: Publius Ovidius Naso
Translation By: Rolfe Humpheries
Project by: Kait Weaver
Ben Appiah
Tiona Coleman
 THE ROMAN POET
Publius Ovidus Naso

 Born: March 20, 43 B.C.

 Died: Died A.D. 16 or 17
 His father wanted Ovid to study politics
 Ovid rebelled insisting his success as a
poet (unlike Homer, Ovid was successful
and became famous throughout history
for his writings)
 THE PLAN FOR THE PLOT

 Due to the magnitude of this epic it is reasonable to discuss in

depth only the most significant books
 These books chosen strongly display central: themes, plots, epic
qualities, and structure
 The books chosen are: Book I, Book X, and Book XII
 The other minor books serve to support the major themes and
display literary devices (Ex: Meter, Narrative, Pathos, Transition)
 • Invocation
• Chaos and Creation
• Ages of Gold, Silver, Bronze, and Iron
• The Flood
•
•
•
Deucalion and Pyrrha
The New World
Apollo and Daphne
BOOK 1
• Io and Jove
• The Pipes of Pan
• Io and Isis Theme Stems
 Tragic Love and Lust  Divine Rape  Hubris
• Cupid, angry at Apollo* for defeating the and Lust • Phaethon (son of the Sun) and
“great Python” in the Pythian Feast, choses Epaphus (son of Jove) get into an
to act in anger to Apollo by shooting him • The god, Jupiter, rapes Io argument– Phaethon claims he is the
with an arrow causing him to lust for out of lust, sadly his wife son of the Sun but Epaphus
Daphne, whom he loved before the arrow Juno suspects his affair challenges him saying that he was
and he turns her into a lied to by his mother about his true
cow (Argus, the keeper of father, in an attempt to keep his
• The god, Pan, falls in love with the wood the cow, is murdered by word true he goes on a quest to seek
nymph, Syrinx. She does not love him and Mercury, sent by Juno… his father
senses his lust, her sisters help her by turning Io is transformed back
her into water reeds. Pan in disappointment into a nymph and bears • In transition to book two, in
turns his lover into what are called “musical Jupiter a son, Epaphus) arrogance, Phaethon almost
pan pipes”
destroys the Earth with his father’s
*Apollo is sometimes referred to by chariot from the Sun in pride
Ovid as Phoebus proving his word to his friend
 THE CALL
“My intention is to tell of bodies changed

To different forms; the gods who made the changes,

Will help me—or I hope some—with a poem

That runs from the world’s beginning to our own days.”

(pg.31, The Metamorphoses, Gregory)

• This invocation appears at the beginning of The

Metamorphoses– Ovid is calling on the gods for help and
wisdom as he writes this epic of the world

• Based on the definition of an invocation this particular

type of calling is known as a
Supplication of Prayer
IN THE MIDST OF IT ALL…

The Metamorphoses begins “all Nature as all

Chaos”. The poem begins while a creator is
creating the universe. (pg. 31, The
Metamorphoses, Gregory)

 Ovid morphs God and Nature into one

character
 Because Ovid starts with the creation of the
universe we know and can understand that this
adds to the intensity of the epic
 Once creation is over, the ages of Gold, Silver,
Bronze, and Iron can begin as the world
progresses toward evil
SETTING FOR THE STAGE

Creation of the World

• God (or a Nature) calmed the
elements.. “whichever God he was”
(pg. 31, The Metamorphoses, Gregory)
• Creation of the Elements: Earth,
Wind, Fire, and Air
• The whole first “mini” book of book
I is surrounded around the creation
of the world– this sets the stage for
the vast setting of this epic work
• You know that this is an epic based
on the fact that the setting is so vast
(the god’s roam the whole Earth)
 … A N D T H RO U G H T H E AG E S

1. The Golden Age 3. The Bronze Age

“The towns were not entrenched for time of  Humankind used were
war; they had no brazen trumpets, straight,
allowed weapons and
nor horns of curving brass, nor helmets,
shields nor swords.” (pg. 33, The
committed horrible
Metamorphoses, Gregory) crimes
4. The Iron Age
2. The Silver Age
 Humans disrespect the
 The seasons are created
(Fall, Winter, Spring, and Summer) Death
gods, evil sprung
becomes more prevalent (“flood”)
 LITERARY DEVICES…

 Metaphor:  Imagery:
• A comparison between two • Vivid descriptive language
unlike things uniting them that appeals to one or more of
together the senses

 Personification:
• An inanimate object used that
is given or endowed human
like qualities or abilities
 …IN THE LITTLE BOOKS
 Book II and V: Imagery
• “The palace of the Sun rose up in
columns of flaming gold and crass; ivory
the ceiling, and double palace doors were
bright as mirrors in silver light, and yet
more valuable that gold and silver was the
craft that made them.” (pg. 57, Book 2,
The Metamorphoses, Gregory)
• “See how Phorbas from Syene,
Metion’s son, and Amphimedon of Libya
wild to fight, rushed, slipped, and fell on
blood-wet floors, then rising met Perseus’
sword, which pierced the side of one,
then, flashing, cut the naked throat of
Phorbas.” (pg. 141, Book 5, The
Metamorphoses, Gregory)
 Book III: Metaphor
• “To liquid in mild heat, as autumn frost
changes to dew at morning, so did
Narcissus wear away with love, drained,
fading in the heat of secret fires.” (pg. 100,
Book 3, The Metamorphoses, Gregory)
 Book IV: Personification
• “Look out to sea! Swift as a diving,
tossing, knife-sharp-nosed ship that cuts
the waves, propelled sailed up while
churcning waters at its breast broke into
spray, leeside and windward” (pg. 132,
Book 4, The Metamorphoses, Gregory)
 Theme Stems
BOOK X
 Love
 Lust
• Orpheus travels to the Underworld to get his wife back, but • Myrrha loves her father, but doesn’t know how to
looks back out of concern and loses her forever express it, tricks him into sleeping with her, turns into
• Pygmalion falls in love with the perfect woman he created out a tree and has a son named Adonis
of ivory
• Venus is hit with Cupid’s arrow and falls in love with Myrrha’s
• The Story of Adonis, The Story of Pygmalion 
son, Adonis
Blessed love

 Art • The Story of Ganymede, Two Incidents of Venus’

• Orpheus’s songs (expresses his grief)
Anger, The Story of Cinyras and Myrrha  Lust
• Pygmalion’s statues (creates his own vision of perfection in
women)
• The Story of Cyparissus, The Story of Apollo and
Hyacinthus, The Fate of Adonis Disastrous love
Divine Anger
• Venus Tells Adonis the Story of Atalanta The anger of
the gods
• Two Incidents of Venus’ Anger
 EPIC EPITHETS
Features the use of epithets
 “the god Apollo, master of lyre and bow-
string” (Book X, The Story of Orpheus and
Eurydice, The Metamorphoses, Humpheries)

 “The foul Propoetides” (Book X, Two

Incidents of Venus’ Anger, The Metamorphoses,
Humpheries)

 “golden Venus” (Book X, The Story of

Pygmalion, The Metamorphoses, Humpheries)
 SPEAK TO THEE…
 Features long and formal speeches
• Orpheus descends into the Underworld to
persuade Pluto and Persephone to give back his
dead wife, Eurydice (Orpheus’ songs)

• “Gods of the world below the world…In the

death of two.” (Book X, The Story of Orpheus and
Eurydice, The Metamorphoses, Humpheries)

• Apollo weeps for Hyacinthus after accidentally

killing him during a match of discus-throwing

• “Fallen before your time, O Hyacinthus, I see

your wound…As this flower’s markings.” (Book X,
The Story of Apollo and Hyacinthus, The
Metamorphoses, Humpheries).
 HEROISM
Hero that embodies the values of the civilization- Orpheus
 Courageous – travels to the Underworld to plead for his dead wife back: “Orpheus mourned her to the upper world,
and then….dared to descend to Styx” (Book X, The Story of Orpheus and Eurydice, The Metamorphoses, Humpheries)

 Loyalty – Out of concern, Orpheus looks back at his wife on their way up from the Underworld; when other women
want “this poet for their own” he drives them away, live without a women for three years (Book X, The Story of Orpheus and
Eurydice, The Metamorphoses, Humpheries)

 Strength – able to transcend his tragic circumstances through his ‘power’ of art, influences others through his songs
(parts of nature are drawn to his song, there was strength in nature through his song

 Values -
• Life – goes to get his dead wife from the Underworld because she is taken before “the ripeness of her years” (Book X, The
Story of Orpheus and Eurydice, The Metamorphoses, Humpheries)
• Love – willing to go down to the Underworld for his wife, songs centered around love of boys, “for I would sing of boys
loved by the gods” (Book X, , The Metamorphoses, Humpheries)
• Art – is a poet, songs affect others, is sought-after by women because of his poetry
 LITERARY ELEMENTS
 Meter - the basic rhythmic structure of a verse
Dactylic hexameter
- Known as the “heroic” meter, associated with epic poetry
- Contains six feet (metrical unit), each holds a dactyl (long syllable-short syllable-short syllable)
- Line usually ends with spondee (long syllable-long syllable)

 Narrative - an account of a sequence of events

 Fluidity of chronological order
- No single storyline
- Books connected together by theme of metamorphoses (change)
- Chronological inconsistencies throughout middle part
- Framed narrative (story within a story)

 Transition – connection of two pieces of writing, relating to coherence

 Links
- Characters are followed throughout different stories
- Focus of one character is shifted to a relative
- Outcome of story influences the next one
 IN THE LITTLE BOOKS..
BOOKS VI -IX
 Dactylic
Hexameter
• Since the original structure is in
Latin, it is impossible to tell the
differences between the stressed and
unstressed syllables. The translations
are written so that they don’t fit
dactylic hexameter… Just know the
original text was written in this
meter
 Narrative
• Lelex’s story of Baucis and
Philemon, Book VIII - The
group of men are all sharing
stories while staying at Achelous
(river deity)’s home on their way
to Athens
• Achaleous’ fight for Deianira to
Nessus’ attempt to ravish(change
that word if you want) Deianira,
Book IX – the narrator jumps
suddenly from one story
concerning Achaleous and
Hercules to a completely
different story about Hercules
 Transition
• Arachne’s fate followed by Niobe’s
fate, Book VI – Arachne is
transformed into a spider by
Minerva, goddess of wisdom and art.
Niobe takes this lightly and still
refuses to revere the power of the
gods
• Minos’ military conquest of Athens,
Books VII to VIII – Minos seeks
allies in Book VII (briefly
mentioned), attacks city of Alcathous
in Book VIII and imposes just laws
on it after its defeat (larger portion of
the book)
 BOOK XII
Invasion of Troy
 Aesacus’ father, Priam, mourns his son’s
“death”
 Paris is missing from sacrifice ceremony; with a
woman he stole --causes warfare
 “Long warfare over the woman he had
stolen. A thousand ships were launched,
and all the Greeks, banded together…
taken their vengeance”
-War will last nine years
 “Our task will be of long duration: nine birds
mean nine years” (Book XII, The Metamorphoses,
Humphries)
Invasion of Troy: Achilles vs.
Cygnus
 Cygnus, son of Neptune, slay thousands of Greeks
 Achilles, Greek hero, rides through Trojan on a mission
to kill Cygnus
 Achilles spear is unable to penetrate Cygnus
 “It did not swerve, and the point was sharp,
but only bruised the breast, No damage
done” (Book XII. Humphries)
 Achilles questions his strength; test validity of strength
by throwing spear at another man and kills him.
 BOOK XII (CONT.)
 Cygnus’ skin cannot be pierced
 “ I do not wear this helmet, golden with horsehair crest, I do not carry this
hollow shield on my left arm, for safety. I wear them out of pride… If I lost
them, I still will walk unharmed” (Book XII. Humphries)

 Achilles kills Cygnus by choking Cygnus with his own helmet.

 “Achilles dragged him down… loosed his helmet-thongs, fastened them tight
around the throat and kept choking” (Book XII. Humphries)

 The war is ended

 “All this toil and warfare brought a long truce, and men laid down their
weapons and took their rest” (Book XII. Humphries)

 Ovid includes the story of the Trojan War as a means to mock The Illiad
DIVINE INTERVENTION
Neptune-god of water and sea
“Neptune, who had built the walls of the Troy, was
therefore bound to save the city”

Diana-goddess of moon and hunting

“So the goddess was satisfied; her anger and the
ocean’s subsided”
“Iphigenia was taken, and a deer left in her place as
victim”

God of Rumor
“She spread the tidings that the Greek fleet was
coming, and brave armies, and so the Trojans, dressed
in readiness, received them at their shores”
 EPIC CATALOGUING
Ulysses-Greek chief in Trojan War
 within Ulysses epic speech, there are epic catalogues pertaining to Ulysses
contribution to the war and why he is deserving of the arms of Achilles

“But ask me what I did, and I can tell you: Setting up ambuscades, constructing
moats, encouraging allies, counselling patience, building morale, securing food
and arms, sent where the need was greatest” (Book XIII Humphries)
 TO THE DEPTHS OF HELL

The Story of Orpheus and Eurydice

 In book X, Orpheus must travel to the underworld to ask for his
wife, Eurydice, who was killed when “a serpent bit her ankle”

 “Orpheus… dared to descend to Styx, passing the portal men

call Taenarian” (Book X. Humphries)
 THEMES SURROUNDING
BOOK XII

 Throughout Book XII, the overall theme changes itself (metamorphoses)

 After the Trojan War is over, Nestor tells the story of Caeneus
 Caenis was a beautiful woman who was raped by Neptune and her desire was to
become a man, Caeneus, so she may never be raped again

“[Caenis] used to walk the lonely shore, and Neptune got hold of her one day,
took her by force, and liked what he had taken and told the girl ‘Ask me for
anything and you may have it. What do you want the most?’ And Caenis replied:
‘The wrong you have done me makes me ask…that I may never again be able to
suffer so. I ask that I may not be woman’” (Book XII. Humphries)
 THEME BOOK XII (CONT.)

Hubris
 Within in book XIII, Ajax and Ulysses have an argument over the armor of Achilles
 Both characters display excessive pride when arguing
 Ajax: “I am no good at speaking, any more than he is good at doing. He can beat me in
talking, by far as I can beat him in the fierce battle-line. As for my deeds, O Greeks, I do not
think I need to name them, you have seen them”

Ulysses: “Who has more title to the hero’s arms than he who brought the hero to the Greeks?
Why should there be profit and gain for Ajax in seeming stupid, as he is? And why should I be
hurt because I used my wits always for your advantage?”
 INFLUENCE OF THE
METAMORPHOSES

“Now I have done my work. It will endure, I trust, beyond Jove’s

anger, fire and sword, beyond Times hunger. The day will come, I
know, so let it come, that day which has no power over my body, to
end my span of life whatever it may be. Still, part of me, the better
part, immortal, will be borne above the stars; my name will be
remembered wherever Roman power rules conquered lands, I shall
be read, and though all centuries, if prophecies of bards are ever
truthful, I shall be living, always.”
 INFLUENCE ON OTHER
WORKS
 Ovid’s Metamorphoses influenced the works of the great William
Shakespeare including:

 Titus Andronicus

 Midsummer Night’s Dream

 Julius Caesar
 REFERENCES
Gregory, H., & Ovid, (2001). The metamorphoses. New York: First Signet
Classic Printing.

Humphries, R. (1983). The metamorphoses. Bloomington, IN: Indiana

University Press.

Syrinx. (2013). Retrieved from

http://www.flutemonkey.com/Syrinx.html

B&N.(2013). The metamorphoses. Retrieved from

http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/metamorphoses