The Metamorphoses Flashcards
Who is the author?
Ovid, the first major Roman poet to begin his career during Augustus’ reign.
Themes
- metamorphosis
- human vs nature
- love is destruction
- the power of art
What is the tone of the invocation?
Optimistic, hopeful, and confident as Ovid says the gods “will help [him], or [he] hope(s) so, with a poem”.
What, according to the narrator, was the universe like before the “creation”?
It was chaos and everything was all bunched together so you couldn’t make sense of it.
Why does the narrator refer to the order imposed on the world by the creator as “a liberation”? What did the god “liberate”?
The narrator is saying that God freed Heaven, and Earth, by making them separate places.
What does the narrator mean when he says “love is a finder, always”? What figure of speech is he using?
He means that love brings people together if they are meant to be. This is an example of personification.
How does the author use “The Story of Pyramus and Thisbe”s setting as a symbol for foreshadowing?
He uses the wall to say nothing will get between them, and the tomb to foreshadow their death.
What realistic details does Ovid use in “The Story of Pyramus and Thisbe”? What do they add to the story?
By the author including the guilt someone feels after losing a loved one. He is making the story more meaningful, and allows others to connect to it.
What details does the author use to characterize Daedalus? How does he characterize Icarus?
By explaining the details of the wing building he makes Daedalus seem smart and determined. Whereas Icarus is characterized as careless and too ambitious.
How does the point of view change throughout “The Story of Daedalus and Icarus”?
Most of it is in the pov of Daedalus but towards the end it is Icarus.
What happened to the place where Icarus landed? How is that significant?
The sea became the Icarian and the the land is named for Icarus. This is significant because it is a reminder of how powerful yet dangerous art can be.
In “The Creation” which portion does Ovid say the brothers of the earth hold?
Eurus, the east
Zephyrus, the west
Boreus, the north
Auster, the south
In “The story of Pyramus and Thisbe”, what literary devices are used?
Metaphors, similes, personification, allegories(symbols), and apostrophe(a figure of speech used to address someone who is absent or dead or even an abstract idea).
What is an important theme in Pyramus and Thisbe?
Love conquers all things
What word best describes Ovids attitude toward love in Pyramus and Thisbe?
Sympathetic
What was the agreed meeting place for Ovids two lovers?
Ninus’ Tomb
Daedalus and Icarus are trapped in Crete by?
Minos
Icarus meets his fate due to…
The ocean, the sun, and his curiosity.
The story of Daedalus and Icarus explains…
The name of the sea and the name of an area of land.
Setting of Pyramus and Thisbe
An eastern city in the brick-walled houses built by Semiramis
What did the brick wall represent in Pyramus and Thisbe?
Everything that was holding them back from being together, specifically their parents whom forebode them from marriage.
What did the chink in the wall that separates Pyramus and Thisbe represent?
How love always find a way and nothing can stop love from bringing people together.
What happened when Thisbe left her house to meet Pyramus?
She was greeted by a lioness and ran into a cave to hide from it.
What did Pyramus find when he left his house? What did this make him do?
He found Thisbe’s bloody vail that the lioness tore at. He then kills himself with his sword, believing that Thisbe was dead.
What did Thisbe do when she found Pyramus?
She took his sword and stabbed it in her so they would rest together under the same red mulberry fruit.
What did Daedalus do to escape his and his son’s exile on Crete?
He built them bird wings
