Ovid's Metamorphoses: a mythical universe
9 important questions on Ovid's Metamorphoses: a mythical universe
What can broadly be said about the contents of Ovid's Metamorphoses?
1. cosmic (beginning of the universe)
2. mythologic (struggles between gods and humans)
3. historic (actual Roman history)
These three parts correlate to three types of epic (a long poem in hexameters).
To write this, Ovid was inspired by ancient writers like Homer, Apollonius Rhodius and Virgil.
What was the target audience of the Metamorphoses?
How do the Metamorphoses tie into the network of stories?
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Why are metamorphoses so important to myth?
Which moment in a metamorphosus do artists usually depict?
In which cases have metamorphoses been used as metaphors?
- The stones Deucalion and Pyrrha threw, turned into a race of hardy (stonelike) people.
- Daphne, whose name means "laurel" actually served as a laurel or prize to be won herself.
- Actaeon: the stag hunter becomes the stag.
- Narcissus: the beautiful man turns into a beautiful spring flower.
What was the metamorphosis of Julius Caesar supposed to mean?
What does Pythagoras teach?
How are metamorphoses used in the story of Minerva and Arachne?
- Arachne's tapestry was in catalogue form and showed the gods in short-lived metamorphoses raping women and boys.
Although Arachne's tapestry was perfect, Minerva destroyed it because it undermined the power of the gods and made them look bad. Then she felt bad and turned Arachne into a spider. This can be seen as a hint to power leading to abuse, just like how Ovid was exiled because August didn't like his work.
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