ovid background + context Flashcards
context, background, life, writing style + nature of ars amatoria
What were Ovid’s dates?
43 BC - 17 AD
What did Ovid live through?
5 civil wars by the time he was 12
Last being Battle of Actium in 31 BC
Who was the first emperor of Rome?
Augustus when Ovid was 16
How many times did Ovid marry?
3
The first 2 were short, the 2nd gave him a daughter
The 3rd was longer + possibly lasted his whole life
Why was Ovid exiled? Who exiled him?
For ‘a poem + a mistake’
By Augustus
What did Ovid want?
Wanted to be allowed back from exile
Wrote to friends, fam + Augustus
It never happened + he died in exile
What sort of genre was Ars Amatoria? What does this mean?
Didactic poetry
Its aim is to teach
Why was the Ars Amatoria significant?
The only poetry Ovid wrote for women; insight to their life + loves
What did Ovid believe about love?
Love isn’t romantic; its the seduction of a desired person + physical acts that follow; the chase of love
Which book is written for women?
Third
Who does Ovid write for more specifically in book 3?
Refers to ‘girls’
Unmarried women of a low social status
Why might we be wrong about the fact that Ovid is writing for women?
Low class women wouldn’t be able to read; they had no education
Who are the alternatives that Ovid may ACTUALLY be writing for?
Men - he uses the girls as a source of humour
What evidence is there that book 3 might acc be for men?
A lot of the advice seems to benefit men more
What does it mean if Ovid IS writing book 3 for men?
It doesn’t mean he doesn’t offer advice for women, it just means hes writing for a broader audience than he claims
When did Augustus make adultery illegal?
18 BC
What meter does Ovid use in the Ars Amatoria? What does this mean?
Elegiac couplets
Meter used in traditional love elegies
Why might’ve Ovid used elegiac couplets?
Appeal to tradition?
Ensure his didactic poems were separated from heavy, serious, weighty epics?
What role does Venus play in Ars Amatoria?
Goddess of love + beauty (Roman)
Ovid uses her as a reason or his book for the women
What does Ovid say about Venus in the start of book 3?
Venus ordered him to teach women because he’s taught the men
What does Ovid claim by using Venus?
Claims divine order, but no divine intervention - his words came from him
What does Ovid pair together?
Love + war
What war + love imagery is given in the beginning of the poem?
“Go equal to the fight”
“It’s not fair for armed men to battle w naked girls”
How does Ovid use youth vs old age?
Young brings joy for young women + this dudes when a woman ages
The image of the threat of old age hangs over every woman + Ovid urges women to spend their youth wisely in the seduction of men
What example in the Ars Amatoria is there of Ovid’s view on youth (quote)?
“Pluck the flower, which, if not plucked, will of itself, shamefully fall”
What does Ovid believe about women + men + age?
Women age out pf their prime; men age into theirs
Which heroins caused ill to their husbands?
Helen, Clytemnestra, Eriphyle
Why is Penelope renowned for her love of her husband?
Constantly faithful to Odysseus despite hr opportunities to remarry during his long absence
How does Ovid portray Medea?
Being wronged by her husband
How else did Ovid show men wronging women?
Aeneas leaving Dido
What is the myth of Pocris + Cephalus?
Pocris thinks Cephalus is being unfaithful so when he goes to hunt, she spies on him; she realises she was wrong + rushes out to embrace him but he kills her thinking shes an animal
What does Ovid warn w the myth of Pocris + Cephalus?
The dangers of jealousy
Why did Ovid’s work include a lot of humour?
Given the political climate
Hope that taboo nature given, Augustus’ legalisations, will amuse the audience
