Ovid (43 BCE–17/18 CE)

Question 1

Where was Ovid born?

Answer 1

Sulmo (modern Sulmona), Italy

Question 2

What career was Ovid’s family hoping he would pursue?

Answer 2

Law or politics

Question 3

Which Roman emperor exiled Ovid?

Answer 3

Emperor Augustus

Question 4

What was the reason for Ovid’s exile, according to him?

Answer 4

A poem and a mistake (carmen et error)

Question 5

What is Ovid’s most famous work?

Answer 5

Metamorphoses

Question 6

Name two other famous works by Ovid besides Metamorphoses.

Answer 6

Amores and Ars Amatoria

Question 7

In what year was Ovid exiled from Rome?

Answer 7

8 CE

Question 8

Where was Ovid exiled to?

Answer 8

Tomi, a town on the Black Sea (modern Romania)

Question 9

How did Ovid describe the theme of Metamorphoses?

Answer 9

A collection of myths focused on transformation

Question 10

Which Roman poet is known for exploring love and transformation in his works?

Answer 10

Ovid

Question 11

How did Ovid influence later literature?

Answer 11

His works inspired writers like Chaucer, Shakespeare, and Dante.

Question 12

How did the Metamorphoses influence the visual arts?

Answer 12

Many Renaissance artists like Titian and Rubens drew on Ovid’s myths.

Question 13

What genre of poetry did Ovid excel in?

Answer 13

Elegiac love poetry

Question 14

What is the name of Ovid’s work that offers advice on seduction?

Answer 14

Ars Amatoria

Question 15

During which historical period did Ovid live?

Answer 15

The Augustan Age

Question 16

What major political and cultural shift occurred during Ovid’s lifetime?

Answer 16

The rise of Augustus as Rome’s first emperor

Question 17

What were Augustus’ reforms focused on?

Answer 17

Moral reforms promoting family values and traditional Roman virtues

Question 18

How did Ovid’s poetry contrast with Augustus’ cultural agenda?

Answer 18

Ovid’s playful and sometimes subversive treatment of love and myth contrasted with Augustus’ moral reforms.

Question 19

Which poem of Ovid’s may have contributed to his exile due to its perceived immorality?

Answer 19

Ars Amatoria

Question 20

How long did Ovid remain in exile?

Answer 20

Until his death in 17 or 18 CE

Question 21

Name a poetic work Ovid wrote during his exile.

Answer 21

Tristia or Epistulae ex Ponto

Question 22

How is Ovid’s legacy perceived today?

Answer 22

He is considered one of the greatest poets of the Roman world.

Question 23

What central theme in Ovid’s work remains relevant across centuries?

Answer 23

The theme of transformation and change

Question 24

What is Ovid’s influence on classical mythology?

Answer 24

His Metamorphoses remains a crucial source for understanding classical mythology.

Question 25

How did Ovid describe the reason for his exile?

Answer 25

A poem and a mistake (carmen et error)

Question 26

What notable event in Roman history does the Metamorphoses end with?

Answer 26

The deification of Julius Caesar

Question 27

How did Ovid continue to influence Roman literature after his exile?

Answer 27

He continued to write and develop his elegiac style in works like Tristia.

Question 28

What famous label could be humorously given to Ovid due to Ars Amatoria?

Answer 28

Rome’s first ‘pickup artist’

Question 29

What style of poetry was Ovid known for in works like Amores?

Answer 29

Elegiac poetry