Ovid Poem Notes Flashcards
What does the hunting imagery tell lovers?
Lovers must be like hunters and fishermen, whatever their prey
‘Tuis’ is at the end of line 1 for emphasis. Why?
Impose responsibility on the recipient
What sort of grammatical feature is ‘ubi tendat’?
Relative purpose clause
What sort of clause is common in this type of poem?
Relative purpose clause
‘Frendens’ is used a lot to describe what?
A wild boar
Give a passive verb in the first five lines?
Natentur
To teem
How does Ovid emphasise the endurance of his love affair?
On line 6, the words ‘longe… Amori’ are separated
What sort of imagery is in the first 5 lines?
Hunting imagery
What do we know from Catullus about love affairs?
Short love affairs are preferred by poets of the time
What is Ovid’s love affair like? Is this unusual?
Long
What he obtains is different and less transitory to the general poet society
What is his tone like in lines 6-7? Give evidence
Direct
‘Disce’ imperative
How are lines 6-7 emphasised?
Hyberbation- unnatural word order
‘Ante’ should belong with ‘disce’ but they are separated
How is ‘puella’ use poetically in line 7?
It is used as a singular when the meaning is plural
What do his instructions mean on line 9 onwards. Give the examples of how this is juxtaposed
He who is seeking love need not journey far
Perseus beheaded Medusa
Paris won Helen
What is the story of Perseus and Andromeda?
Perseus beheaded Medusa with his eyes turned away to avoid her eyes. He was on his way past Ethiopia when he saw Princess Andromeda chained to a rock as a sacrifice to the sea monster. He killed the monster and brought her home as his bride
What does Ovid mean when he says india? How do we know?
Ethiopia
‘Nigris’
What is the story of Paris?
Paris won Helen, the most beautiful woman in the world as a prize for choosing Aphrodite as the fairest Greek goddess. He had to travel from Troy to Sparta to steal her from husband Menelaus
What in line twelve emphasises the abundance of girls in Rome?
Alliteration of ‘t’ sounds
What does the alliteration of ‘t’ sounds in line 12 reflect?
The abundance of girls in Rome
What does the force of the past tense ‘fuit’ show?
The Rome of Ovid’s day contains as many kinds of girl as the whole of the ancient world
What imagery is used in lines 14-16? What grammar? What does this show?
Nature imagery
Similes
Depicts the countless number of women
E.g. As many as the stars, birds etc
Where does Catullus use nature imagery and similes like Ovid?
In his poem ‘how many kisses?’
What in line 13 onwards emphasises the vast number of women?
Anaphora of ‘quot’
What balances out the ‘quot’ section?
A final ‘tot’ on line 16
How does Ovid create a similarity between women and stars?
The dissyllabic rhyming (each word of two syllables) to strengthen the comparison
Why does Ovid use ‘tua’ on line 16?
To encourage his audience to take as much pride in their city as he does and realise how much it has to offer
What is the general meaning of ‘caperis’ in latin love poetry? What does this show?
To capture one’s heart
To conquer
The love game is also a battle
In the context of this poem, what does ‘iuvenem’ mean?
Young girl
Even though it is masculine
Where is polyptoton used in the poem?
Line 20
‘Iuvenem… Iuvenes’
What is the effect of using polyptoton?
Adds stylistic flair to the poem
Where does he suggest is particularly popular with young girls?
The theatre
Where is featured largely in poems regarding the pursuit of love?
Theatres
What word picks up hunting language from the start of the poem?
‘Venare’
What sort of poem is Ovid’s?
Didactic
Aims to teach the audience
Give an agricultural metaphor and the meaning
‘Fertiliora’
More fertile
In lines 23-24, Ovid presents four options. What does this reflect? What else emphasises this?
Reflects the multiplicity of love available
Anaphora
Why can ‘quod’ be used in these poems?
Used in contexts where it is desired to refer to the variety of something
What is chiastic in lines 23-24?
The arrangement of the four phrases
Love, lust, lust, love
Why does Ovid use a nature simile of ants and bees?
To add vividness, aptness and humour
How do bees and ants relate to girls?
Ants go constantly to and from their store
Bees flit from flower to flower
Like how the girls of Rome go from theatre to theatre
How are lones 25-30 a stylistic arrangement?
Split into three pairs
Two for ants
Two for bees
Two for the women
Give examples of poetic singulars that’s meanings can be plural
Femina
Formica
Iuvenem
What are Ovid’s feelings in line 30? Give an example
Pretends to be perplexed by the richness of choice
‘Copia’ gives an erotic sense
