...Metamorphoses is a Latin poem written in the early first century BCE by a Roman poet named Ovid. It does not follow the common constraints and descriptions of single genres and instead includes elements of epics, elegies, and lyrical poetry. It even includes pieces of history, and philosophy in sections of the poem. He decided to band the elegiac couplet, which he had used in all of his other existing works and instead chose to use the same hexameter as Homer. Metamorphoses is a collection of tales of transformation that are based on Roman myths and legends. It beings with the creation of the world then follows the start of Rome, and finally to emperor Augustus’s reign in Ovid’s time. Throughout Metamorphoses Ovid references many earlier...
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...Metamorphoses is a ancient Roman epic poem (originally written in Latin) attributed to Ovid. It is a collection of stories with a common theme of transformation. Ovid represents pride as a negative emotion. One of the most prominent examples of pride is the story of Arachne, who pridefully claims superiority to the goddess of weaving, and is transformed into a spider because of it. Likewise, the story of Niobe also represents the negativity of pride. Niobe is extremely prideful in her ancestry and her children, mocks and disrespects the goddess Latona (the mother of Phoebus and Phoebe), and is therefore punished with the death of her children. Ovid uses these two stories to depict the danger of hubris. Arachne, full of hubris, challenges...
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...Ovid’s Metamorphoses was regarded as one of the best literary works ever written. High up there with Metamorphoses is definitely everything that remotely deals with Harry Potter. The great J.K. Rowling wrote seven novels in a series that shares many themes with Ovid’s work. Appropriately enough, the major common theme that this work shares with Harry Potter is metamorphoses and its ability to punish or disguise. In Ovid’s Metamorphoses, he emphasizes the element of transforming into other animals or parts of the earth as a very important part of Roman culture. Of that, he includes the story of the origin of the spider. The goddess, Minerva and the mortal, Arachne have a competition to see who the best weaver is. To her dismay, Minerva loses...
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...Wright 1 1960 words Julian E. Wright Dr. Sharon Fulton Literature Humanities/Essay 1 27 February 2014 Violence in Dante’s Inferno and Ovid’s Metamorphoses Scenes of great violence, as the prompt says, are often written into dynamic narratives of great literary merit. From Dante Alighieri’s Inferno to Ovid’s Metamorphoses, the inclusion of violence as a literary technique is used to propel the narrative forward, all while adding action, intrigue, and engaging the reader. Despite it’s validity as a literary technique, the inclusion of violent scenes in literature serve much more than the simple purpose of pushing a plot along a set of structured points. Scenes of violence provoke thought in areas ranging from human nature to the nature of sin, thoughts that often can’t be provoked my images of calm, sublime, or tranquility. Extreme violence, juxtaposed with other scenes, provides insight into the amazing nature of human capability and human nature. In Dante Alighieri’s Inferno there is an abundance of violence that is illustrated in varying ways. Despite the copious inclusion of violence scenes throughout the text, violence does not appear throughout the literary work for its own sake. As one reads on through the Inferno, it provides it’s own clarity. As the levels of Hell increase, the severity of violence does so as well. The violence that appears occurs in different fashions, sometimes mentally, sometimes physically and many times both simultaneously. The scenes violence included in Dante’s Inferno contributes...
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...Ovid's Metamorphoses, Book I Kings, Empires, Bigotries and Victories Introduction There are two parts in this essay: the former part Kings and Empires compares the beginning of the universe with the formation of empires and looks at the several transformations of the world as the manifestations of the great power of the ruler; whilst the latter part Bigotries and Victories takes reference from the the quote “History is written by the victors” and the bias narrations in some stories to bring out the darker attributes of the worldly reality and its celebrated protagonists. Kings and Empires It is said that an unknown god commanded the jumbled elements in the universe to fall into order. Then, he assigned characteristics to these elements; fire is the lightest while water is the heaviest. To this mighty god, the world without boundaries was chaotic and restless. By being powerful enough to command and order these rudiments, he laid out systems and set up the foundations of the universe itself. His values became ‘the order’ and his words became ‘the law’. The creator and Jupiter are thus similar, as both at one time, ruled the cosmos and wielded this great power of the king. However, they should not be confused as the gravity of influence new rulers can bring to the world could have been another analogy that Ovid may have wanted to make through his retelling of the banishment of Saturn, Jupiter’s father. Throughout the text, the kingship of the universe has changed...
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...Ovid, Metamorphoses During the time of Augustus, Greek literature and myths were highly influential throughout the Roman world. In particular, Ovid, a Roman poet born in 43 BC, retells and adjusts much of Greek mythology in a humorous yet personal style to suit himself and his audiences (Plant 2012, p. 298). A close comparison of Ovid and Hesiod calls for similarities and differences in their accounts of the human races. In Book I of the Metamorphoses, Ovid accounts four “Ages of Humankind”. He begins with the Golden Ages, where he describes to be a time of purity in humanity and the fertile land continues to prosper throughout “everlasting spring” (Ovid, Metamorphoses 1: 89-12). This period was known to be the climax of ‘peace and quiet’ on Earth as there were no warfare or negative qualities in human emotions. With the overruling of Saturn by Jupiter, his ascension was the beginning of The Silver Age as Ovid asserts. It was in this age that crops were planted and humans emerged from their cave homes to built homes of wood and bark (Ovid, Metamorphoses 1:121-124). Additionally, Ovid provides an aetiological explanation of the four seasons through the actions of Jupiter. The Bronze and Iron Age succeeded the Silver age, existing quite simultaneously. Cruelty in humanity influenced their submission to warfare, while by the time the Iron Age came, this worsened with ‘malicious evil’ roaming the land and the disappearance of ‘restraint, piety and truth’ (Ovid, Metamorphoses 1:...
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...Raunak Singh Student Number: 7817259 Dr. Efharis Kostala February 14, 2016 Judgment Of Io and Callisto CLA2323 ASSIGNMENT !1 Judgment of Io and Callisto The uncompassionate nature of the mighty Olympian Gods leads to the hardships of two maidens; Io and Callisto as described in Ovid’s Metamorphosis. The struggles of both maidens; one a mortal and the other a divine nymph are fairly similar but have subtle differences. Bothwere victims of a sexual violence committed by Jupiter; were punished by his jealous wife Juno; were changed into animals by the Gods. The terrible treatment by the Gods and the uncompassionate attitude of the divine towards them is a theme shared in the two stories. Helpless, Io and Callisto suffered as the Gods determined their fates. Both Io and Callisto endure a violent sexual assault by Jupiter. In Ovid’s Metamorphoses Io, was a priestess of Juno. Her beauty was so radiant that it caught the attention of Jupiter. Unable to resist the feeling of lust, Jupiter attempts to seduce her. When Io rejects Jupiter’s advances he shrouds the entire world within a dark cloud and rapes her “She was already in flight. She had left behind Lerna’s pastures, and the Lyrician plain is wooded fields, when the God hid the wide earth in a covering of fog, caught the fleeing girl, and raped her”. Callisto, a nymph and a devout follower of the virgin Goddess Diana was one day laying down in the grass. Noticing that she was alone Jupiter took on the...
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...1. Lorenzo Bernini (1598-1680), a. Rome Apollo and Daphne, 1622-25 i. made for Cardinal Scipio Borghese, (Marble) ii. Palazzo Borghese in Rome. 1. She’s exhausted (looking back) 2. Shows fright in her face 3. In Mid action (run) 4. Detail is shown by the strands of the hair. 5. Smoothness of the flesh (soft polished marble) 6. Her head you can see the individual leaves 7. Pay attention to open & closed space. (where marble is cut out and where it touches) b. Ovid’s Metamorphoses written c. 8 CE c. David iii. (1623-24) 8. In contrast with michaelangelo’s, a. Bernini looks older b. Bernini looks more focused. c. d. Portrait Bust of Cardinal Scipio Borghese iv. 1625, Borghese Rome v. Statue of a man, facial hair mustache and goatee. e. Ecstasy of St. Theresa of Avila vi. (1515-82, canonized 1622) Cornaro Chapel, S Maria dell vittoria, Rome 2. Rembrandt f. Self Portrait vii. 1628-29 9. Can’t see his face due to lighting 10. Can’t read his expression g. Self Portrait with Saskia (Story of the Prodigal Son) viii. 1636 ix. She seems amused, not jovial x. Man looks happy h. Bathsheba xi. 1654 11. Nude Body ...
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...There is a strong connection of love and lust between mythology and human nature in Mandelbaum’s Metamorphoses of Ovid. Ancient civilizations were subject to natural changes and how much they relied on nature. They adored nature to such a degree, to the point that they designed divine beings, who encapsulated the nature itself, to secure it. How about we consider, for instance, the Roman Flora, image for nature, blooms and fruitfulness, the Greek Ceres, likewise called Demeter or the Goddess of Earth who were human reciprocals of the normal components. Metamorphoses of Ovid’s expanded upon the topic to speak of those changed into new entities and, very often, those entities came from the natural world. Emblematic is the anecdote of Daphne e Apollo: fated by Cupid’s love-arrow, sees Daphne, who flees him because she’s been fated by Cupid’s love-repelling arrow and denies his love. Apollo pleads and persists, and Daphne cries out to her father for help. He responds by transforming her into a laurel tree....
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...Metamorphis by Ovid was first published in Latin in 8BC, during the reign of Augustus. It is a collection of 15 books, which form ‘one contiuouse poem ranging in time from the beginning of the universe to Ovids own lifetime. (p.3 Ovid). Since The first known English translation by William Caxton in it has been translated many times each version to suit the English speaking Audience of that day. I will be using the David Raeburn’s 2004 translation published by Penguin Classics. Ovid was writing for an audience of his time he continued with the ancient literary technique of retelling a familiar myths, the age he lived in was reflected in the content and style of his writing ‘ Ovid designed his poem to be delivered aloud in acceptable lenghts (p.xxxvii ovid) entertaining in a serial form (ovid (xxxviii) originally written in datylic hexameter. The ‘Dactylic hexameter rhythms signal that a poem is being recited’ ((skidmore.edu) By using this technique Ovid is suggesting his work should be compared to Homer’s Iliad the oldest surviving Greek poem and according to Herodotus the poet together with Hesoid who ‘described the gods for the Greeks and gave them all their titles, offices and powers.( Herodotus p33 visual sources.)...
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...Metamorphoses in Dune Alexandru Maniu In Dune, people can be both men and animals. For purely artistic reasons, the coexistence of different life forms under the same mask is a constant in Ovid’s Metamorphoses. In Orphism, nothing is immutable and everything is subject to change. For Ovid, this postulate must have had some limits generated by the artistic process: “nor can the arts that cure others cure their lord”. Transformed characters – so punished for ill behavior or challenging the gods – eventually acquire immortality, just like the poet himself. Deities can be either anthropomorphic or theriomorphic, yet they can change according to their own will and they don’t lose their divinity in the process. Ovid’s metamorphoses are usually final and the poor misfortunate loses some of his humanity forever. By far the cruelest fate is for one to lose his power of speech or his free-speech, as in the case of Acteon, changed into a stag, Callisto, changed into a bear or Lycon, who becomes a wolf. On a more subtle level, the nymph Echo is left only with the power of speech, but her words are not her own, as she is forced to repeat whatever she hears. All these stories cover a more complex level of understanding that deals with religion and ritual, and should not be taken as mere parables of morality. The myth of Artemis and Acteon encapsulates the confrontation between crude human conscience and the mystery of life, epitomized by the maternal deity (Isis, Artemis, Diana), with...
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...The Story of Baucis and Philemon Ovid is an extremely detailed writer, enabling the reader to envision what is written. Each story that Ovid writes seems to convey a deeper message, making Ovid’s writing even more appealing to the reader. Specifically, the myth that touched me the most was The Story of Baucis and Philemon. Its powerful content, coupled with its unique style, makes it a memorable poem in Ovid’s Metamorphoses. There is a specific writing style which keeps the reader interested in reading the poem itself. Ovid’s main message in the poem, which struck me most, was Ovid’s emphasis on the importance of hospitality to one’s neighbor. Despite their lack of money, Baucis and Philemon offered their guests only the very best they had. Baucis and Philemon undoubtedly made every effort to be hospitable to their guests, truly making them feel comfortable as though the guests were in their own home. To highlight the extent of their hospitality, Ovid goes into great detail about the set up of the dinner table and meal preparation. In doing so, the reader is able to experience for himself the time and effort that Baucis and Philemon put in to satisfy their guests. For example, Ovid informs the reader of such minute details such as the fact that Philemon pulled out a couch for the Gods to sit on while Baucis warmed up the fire to cook. Likewise, Ovid goes into great detail of the hard work Baucis put in for the meal preparation and the meal itself. “ One table-leg...
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...I really enjoyed reading both The Aeneid and Metamorphoses. I found that reading both of these assignments much more fluent than reading The Iliad was-meaning that it was easier for me to comprehend. The only aspects which I did not like for both assignments was the consistent need to refer to the footnotes for a more detailed explanation on those words which had footnotes associated with them. I felt that referring to those footnotes tended to slow down the pace of my reading. The other aspect which I did not like was that the Gods had different names-i.e. Jupiter as opposed to Zeus. That confused me somewhat in the beginning of the readings. In regards to The Aeneid, I really enjoyed how the story begins with a storm which disperses Aeneas’s ships. This separates him and his comrades “For years they wandered as their destiny drove them on from one sea to the next: so hard and huge a task it was to found the Roman people.” (NAWL p.1056) Apparently Juno was still upset with the Trojans “baleful Juno in her sleepless rage.” (NAWL p.1055) Eventually Aeneas arrived in Carthage, where he is greeted by Dido, queen of Carthage. Here Aeneas recaps all of the events of how the Trojans were tricked by the Greeks with the implementation of the Trojan horse “Knowing their strength broken in warfare, turned back by the fates, and years-so many years-already slipped away, the Danaan captains by the divine handicraft of Pallas built a horse of timber, tall as a hill, and sheathed its ribs...
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...In “Guigemar” Marie de France presents the archetype of the courtly love in fairy tale-like form. In this lai I found many parallelisms with The Romance of the Rose, however, while we finished The Romance of the Rose in a inconclusive way, Marie de France comes to a full circle. At the beginning of the story, Guigemar appears to be the personification of a courtly knight since he is handsome, young, intelligent, noble, and has the court’s favor. And yet he refuses to love anyone. But once he enters the woods, his fate as a vessel for courtly love is fulfilled. There is a parallel to Romance of the Rose where the narrator finally enters the garden of Diversion and Courtly Love follows him along with Sweet Looks who is the one carrying his...
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...Examination of John Keats’ Ode to a Nightingale Outline and Thesis of “Ode to A Nightingale” by John Keats. Thesis: John Keats correlated the nightingale’s transcendent song with man’s desire for immortality. I. Brief History of Poem A. Outline details, including when, where written. B. Outline interesting relevant historical facts II. Break down of poem – stanza by stanza A. Include description of title. B. Identify rhyme and metrical device employed in poem. C. Include theme, setting description. D. Identify literary devices utilized by Keats III. Closing Analysis A. Speculate about Keats ultimate inspiration. B. Relate inspiration theme to Ode to a Nightingale theme. C. Close with analysis of irony of respective poems compared. D. Repeat thesis statement in closing for synchronicity of essay. Written in May of 1819, “Ode to a Nightingale” was one of five “odes” written by John Keats during that year [1]. The poem, which was published July of the same year in the Annals of Fine Art, was originally titled “Ode to the Nightingale”, but was apparently changed by the publisher twenty years following the death of John Keats(reference here) . According to a recollection of Keats’ good friend, Charles Brown, Keats’ inspiration for the poem came while sitting under a plum tree growing upon Hampstead Heath. There, Keats was said to be mesmerized by the melodic song of a nightingale who proved...
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