Term 3 - Lecture 7 Flashcards
Where was Ovid from? When did he live?
From Rome. Lived from 43 BCE to 17 CE
What is the favourite theme of Ovid?
Erotic love
What does metamorphoses mean?
Book of transformations
What language is the metamorphoses written is? How many books?
Written in Latin, 15 books
What time period does the Metamorphoses cover?
Creation to Augustan Rome
Essentially, what happens in Ovid’s story of creation?
First chaos. The order begins to come with separation of elements and establishment of boundaries. Then animal creation.
Finally humans are made, they ALONE can look up to heaven.
What are the four ages detailed in the Metamorphoses? Compare this to Works and Days by Hesiod.
- Golden (Saturn) - peace, abundance, spring
- Silver (Jupiter) - world of Jove, seasons, houses, agriculture
- Bronze - war
- Iron - evil, violence, greed, navigation, mining, impiety, injustice, assaults on Heaven, contemptuous of the gods
They are the same as in Works and Days, except for the Age of Heroes is 4th for WAD and Iron is 5th.
However, both go from order to chaos.
In Meta. what is the age of Kronos? What about in WAD?
Both are the golden age
Which age is Metamorphoses missing compared to WAD?
The Age of Heroes
How old is Ovid compared to Virgil?
A generation younger. He is wittier, he is extremely well-educated. He knows less about the civil wars. `
Is the metamorphoses in epic poetry style?
Yes
Does Ovid call on the muses? How does he start his poetry?
No he does not. HE is the poet, he does not need to call on anyone to give him authority.
What occurs during Ovid’s Iron Age?
- boats are made to harness the ocean (violation against nature)
- a man would kill his wife
- piety lay vanquished
What does Jove suggest to do with Ovid’s bronze age?
To wipe them out. The other gods shuttered at this idea.
What occurs in the story of Lycaon? How does Zeus punish Lycaon?
The gods assemble on EARTH. Other people gather to worship, but Lycaon resists worship, and killed another person. He served it to the gods at dinner.
Zeus punishes Lycaon by throwing a bolt of lightning at his house, which turns him into a wolf.
What is Lycaon an example of? What does his name mean?
Evil and hybris.
Name means wolfy-guy
“He took a hostage, cut his throat, boiled pieces of flesh and set them before me on a table”
Lycaon
After Zeus meets and turns Lycaon into a wolf, what does he think?
He thinks its about time to eradicate the human race
How does Zeus intend to wipe out the human race?
By using a flood
What oracle do Deucalion and Pyrrha consult?
Themis
What metamorphosis occurs in Deucalion and Pyrrha?
Stones to humans
Who is Deucalion the son of? Who is Pyrrha the daughter of?
Deucalion: Prometheus
Pyrrha: Pandora and Epimetheus
What can the flood be compared to?
The beginning of time. Everything suddenly becomes utterly chaotic
Who are the two divine archers?
Apollo and Cupid