ovid ars amatoria quotes + analysis Flashcards
What is said in Part 1 (it’s time to teach you girls) about arming?
“Its not fair for armed men to battle w naked girls”
What quotes are said in Part 1 (its time to teach you girls)?
“Old age will come for you”
“The years go by like flowering waters”
“Pluck the flowers which, if not pluck will of itself shamefully fall”
What does Ovid say about virginity in Part 1? How does this differ to Sappho?
“Don’t be afraid of casual loss”
Views virginity as a casual loss - Sappho is more longing for it
What does Ovid say about beauty in Part 2 (take care w how you look)?
“Beauty neglected dies”
“You shouldn’t weight your ears w costly stones”
Men will flee if women are too extravagant
What does Ovid say in Part 3 (taste + elegance in hair + dress) about hair?
“There isn’t only one style”
“Another tied up behind, in Dianas usual style”
What’s the comparison made in Part 3 between men + women?
“How many ways you have to repair the damage” (to hair)
“Our hair snatched by time like leaves” (mens hair falls out)
What does Ovid say about laughs?
“One laughs stridently in a hateful manner, like a mangy ass”
What does Ovid say about wine + lust going well together?
“Bacchus you dont go badly with Venus’ boy”
What is Ovid saying about the wine and lust going well together?
Bacchus - God of wine goes well w Venus - Goddess of love
What tone is part 4 (Make-up but in Private)?
Disrespectful, misogynistic
Tells women not to allow men to see them dressing up
What does Ovid say disrespectfully in part 4?
“Wild goat under your armpits, no legs bristling with harsh hair!”
What does Ovid say about blushing in part 4?
“She who does not blush by blood, blushes by art”
What does Ovid say about cosmetic bottles in part 4? What does this mean?
“Don’t let your lover find cosmetic bottles on your dressing table”
Don’t make it fully aware to your lover that you wear make up + youre naturally beautiful
How does Ovid refer to make up in part 4? What does this show?
“Cream smeared” - ref to the ugliness of putting on make up - potentially humorous
What does Ovid say thats misogynistic + offers his own view in part 4?
“Many things that please when done, are ugly in the doing”
What does Ovid say in part 4 about marble?
“That was rough marble now it forms a famous stone” - metamorphosis that occurs when women put on makeup
Where does Ovid reference female power in part 4?
“We’ll think you too are sleeping while you do your face”
Is Ovid protecting men or women in part 4?
He references natural beauty of women + may be protecting them by giving them power to deceive men
He may be protecting men by protecting them from the fact that women have to put on makeup
Which beautiful women does Ovid reference in part 5 (Conceal your Defects)?
Semele, Leda, Sidon’s Europa, Helen
What does Ovid say about fault in part 5? What does this mean?
“Faultless forms are rare: conceal your faults, + hide your body’s defects”
Most people have flaws but its good to conceal imperfections
What does Ovid tell women to do in part 5?
Tells them how to behave + dress according to their body type, nails, shoulders etc
What does Ovid say in part 6 (Be Modest in Laughter + Movement) about teeth?
“If your teeth are blackened, from birth, laughing would be a fatal error”
What does Ovid’s teaching about teeth in part 6 show?
Misogyny - laughing is an instinct and not smth easily concealed
What does Ovid say in part 6 about feminine laughing?
“Laugh modestly, teeth mostly concealed by the lips” - unrealistic expectation
What does Ovid say in part 6 about bad laughter?
“Distort her fact perversely by guffawing”
“Shakes w laughed”
“Mangy ass braying” - compares her to a donkey
What does Ovid’s words about bad laugher in part 6 tell us?
Crude + absurd imagery to provide humour (for men?)
How does Ovid tell women to behave in part 6 overall?
Feminine - female power found in deception; achieved by presenting themselves as powerless + not intimidating compared to men
What does Ovid say about female deception in part 7 (Learn music + read the poets)?
“Sirens were sea monsters who, w singing voice, could restrain a ship’s course as they wished”
Music for women is a form of deception - singing is enchanting + lures men into destruction
What does Ovid say about singing for women in part 7?
“For many your voice is a better procuress than your looks”
Singing is good for girls who look plainer
What does Ovid advise women to do in part 7?
Advises the women to read Sappho’s poetry
What does Ovid tell women to do in part 8 (Be Seen Around)?
Tells women to visit various places to meet men or so men can see them
What locations does Ovid suggest in part 8?
Pompey’s Porch, Egyptian heifer, Palatine
All locations linked to Augustus - would’ve insulted him
What does Ovid say about poets in part 8?
“Poets were once the concerns of gods + kings”
No longer honouring + appreciating poets - making it about himself and status/fame
Who does Ovid directly mention in part 8?
Scipio = famous general defeated Hannibal
Ennius = considered the father of poetry
What is Ovid annoyed about in part 8?
Poets were celebrated + earned big rewards for their names - Ovid’s annoyed that he doesn’t have that when he writes poetry
What ref to Homer does Ovid make in part 8?
“Who’d know Homer if his immortal work the Iliad were unknown?”
What was the ref to Danae in part 8?
“Who’d know of Danae, if she’d always be imprisoned” - locked in a tower to prevent being killed by her son
What does Ovid say about the crowd in part 8?
“Lovely girls, the crowd is useful to you”
What is the metaphor of the sheep + wolf in part 8?
Women is the wolf - Man is the sheep
Women are cunning + can trap men - men can be trapped + won’t even realise
What does Ovid say about bait + fish in part 8?
“Always dangle your bait: the fish will lurk in the least likely pool”
What is the ambiguity in part 8?
The women could be the predator or prey - the man could be the predator or prey
What does Ovid immorally tell women to do in part 8?
Get a mans attention by grieving + crying out at your husbands funeral
Who does Ovid tell women to avoid in part 9?
“Avoid men who profess to looks + culture” - avoid always perfectly looking men
What does Ovid say about the men who look perfect in part 9?
“What they tell you they’ve told a thousand girls: their love wanders + lingers in no one place”
How does Ovid say some will attack in part 9?
“Some will attack w a lying pretence of love + through that opening seek a shameful gain”
What does Ovid say about best dressed men in part 9?
“Perhaps the best dressed among them all’s a thief”
What does Ovid say about being listened to in part 9?
“Troy will remain if Cassandra’s warning had been heeded”
If women don’t listen to Ovid about men, it’ll end in disaster
What is the ref to Thesseus in part 9?
“Athenian girls, beware of trusting Theseus’ oaths” - Theseus abandoned Ariadne after making an oath that he’ll love her forever
What is the ref to the Vestal’s fire in part 9?
Temple of Vesta - Vestal Virgins were women in Rome who took vows of chastity + tended to the sacred flame
What would happen if the Vestal fire went out?
The Vestals could face serious punishment bc it’s meant to be an eternal flame
What does Ovid say about the vestal fire in part 9?
Denying the man who offers true love would be as bad as Vestals putting out the flame
What does part 9 tell us about women + men?
The advice is fairly useful to women + Ovid attacks men who are self-conceited
Ovid condemns perfect men - maybe he’s jealous?
What does Ovid tell women to do in part 10 (Take Care w Letters)?
“Wait a little while before you answer” - raise tension; don’t appear too eager
How does Ovid tell women to write in part 10?
“Write elegantly” - feminine, but not too showy of intelligence; simple to avoid misunderstandings
What does Ovid tell women about secrecy in part 10?
“Deceive your lovers”
Encourages women to cheat
An inexperienced messenger may not be reliable
What is the reference to Etna in part 10?
“He hold the flames of Etna” - met ref to volcanic activity of Mt Etna; someone who keeps tokens from past relationships is taking a risk
What should women do if they’re caught cheating in part 10?
“Don’t write on wax again unless its all been scraped”
“Let it be ‘her’ in your letters instead of ‘him’”
What does Ovid say about anger in part 11 (Avoid the Vices, Favour the Poets)?
“It’s important to banish looks of anger from your face”
Anger isn’t attractive
What does Ovid say anger does in part 11?
“Anger swells the face: the veins dark w blood the eyes flash more savagely than the Gorgon’s” - repelling qualities
What does Ovid say love is attracted to in part 11?
“Love is attracted to friendly eyes” - kindness is attractive
What does Ovid refer to himself as in part 11?
“We hate (believe the expert) disdain”
Ovid ref to himself as an ‘expert’ + convinces women to adhere to his advice
What is the ref to Tecmessa + Ajax in part 11? What does Ovid say about her?
Ajax committed suicide + Tecmessa begged him not to then she was the 1st to find his body
Ovid calls her gloomy which is ironic be Ajax was the one who killed himself
What misogynistic statement does Ovid make in part 11?
Questions whether Tecmessa referred to Ajax as “the light of my life” - implying it’s a wife’s hurt to please her husband
What does Ovid mean by “we can make beauties that please us widely known” in part 11?
Men can increase status of women
What does Ovid say about poets in part 11?
“Ambition + desire for possession don’t touch us” - Ovid is implying poets have noble qualities + aren’t materialistic
What must women do in part 11?
Women must reject love initially so they don’t seem greedy
What is the metaphor of the horse + rider in part 12?
The ride is the woman, the horse is the man - the woman is in control
What does Ovid say about 1 lover in part 13?
“Love + power don’t last long when they’re shared”
What war imagery does Ovid use in part 13?
“Your older warrior loves sensibly + wisely”
How does Ovid describe the older lover in part 13?
They’re sensible + wise and win’t be passionate or aggressive
How does Ovid describe the younger lover in part 13?
They’re more passionate + aggressive and will attack
What does Ovid say in part 14 (Use Jealousy + Fear)?
“What’s easily given nourishes love poorly”
Giving in all the time makes things boring - rejecting men sometimes makes things fun
What does Ovid tell women to fight w in part 14? What imagery is this?
“Fight w blades”
Military/battle imagery
What does Ovid tell women to deceive their lovers w in part 14?
Let them think they’re the only one, then let them sense a rival
What does Ovid say will happen to him in part 14?
People will use his work against him
What does Ovid say about affairs in part 14?
Don’t acc have an affair, hint at one to make Jim keener to fight
What does Ovid risk in part 14?
Risks getting in trouble w Augustus bc he’s encouraging women to cheat
What does Ovid say about being afraid in part 14?
Going through the window is more exciting; being afraid of getting caught is good + makes the relationship stronger
Plant some doubts in the mind of the man
Where does Ovid refer to Augustan laws in part 15 (Play Cloak + Dagger)?
Brides should fear their husbands - Ovid acknowledges Augustan laws
What is the ref to Argus in part 15?
A watchman w 100 eyes - if he can be deceived, anyone can
What does Ovid say about the maid in part 15?
Have a maid conceal the letters + write in milk so it can’t be seen until scattered w ashes
What’s the ref to the “Egyptian heifer’s sistrum” in part 15?
Temple of Isis - popular religion among women + slaves
Ref to guards - trying to prevent women from having affairs but women will get around it - no point in guards
What metaphor does Ovid use in part 16 (Make Him Believe He’s Loved)?
Military metaphor - “Why show a naked front to the enemy + betray myself on my own evidence?”
Why should Ovid give advice to women if it doesn’t benefit him - but he does it anyway
What’s the metaphor of the stag + hounds in part 16? What does this mean?
“The stag doesn’t teach the savage hounds to run”
Ovid presents women predatorily - hounds
Who were the Lemnian girls mentioned in part 16?
Women who rose against men + killed them but didn’t spare their husbands
How does Ovid portray men as foolish in part 16?
“Make us believe (it’s so easy) that we’re loved”
What does Ovid tell the women to do in part 16?
Tells the women to make the men believe you them; pretend they miss him + add tears
What is the ref to Pocris in part 16?
Pocris thought husband, Cephalus was cheating w someone called Aura + Pocris tries to catch him but it leads to her death - don’t believe rumours
What’s the ref to the thrysus in part 16?
Compares Pocris to a Maenad for going crazy w jealousy
Who killed Pocris?
Cephalus bc he thought she was a wild beast
Why does Ovid tell women to arrive late to functions in part 17 (Watch How You Eat + Drink)
So the lamplight covers their appearance + imperfections
What does Ovid say about drinking in part 17?
Consuming alcohol makes the women more beautiful, even if they’re ‘plain’
How does Ovid say women should take food in part 17?
“Take the food faintly”
What’s the ref to Paris in part 17?
If Paris saw Helen eating greedily, he would think less of her
What does Ovid say at the start of part 18 (And So to Bed)?
“Let each girl know herself”
Each girl should use what works for them to make themselves attractive
What’s the ref to Andromache + Hector in part 18?
“Andromache was too tall to straddle Hector’s horse”
What does Ovid say about love in part 18?
“Women, feel love, melted into your very bones”
What does Ovid say about seduction in part 18?
“Don’t leave out seductive coos + delightful murmurings”
What does Ovid say about pretending in part 18?
“Pretend to sweet delight w artful sounds”
What does Ovid say about women in the end of part 18?
“Dont let light into the room through all the windows: its fitting for much of your body to be concealed”
What does Ovid end part 18 w?
“The game is done”
“Inscribe on your trophies ‘Ovid was my master”
