Who is the hero in Ovid Metamorphoses?
Hercules. The greatest Greek hero, and the first person to be deified in the Metamorphoses. Hercules is the son of Jupiter and Alcmena and the husband of Deianira and Hebe.
Is the story of Medusa in Ovid?
In Metamorphoses, Ovid recounts the tale of the legendary monster, Medusa. The most beautiful of the Gorgon sisters, Medusa was cursed with the power to turn to stone anyone foolish enough to stare into her eyes.
Is Perseus a metamorphose?
Metamorphoses Book 4: Perseus and Andromeda Perseus, whose mother, Danae, was impregnated by Jove in a shower of golden rain, flew over the earth with Medusa’s severed head in his hands.
How does Ovid present Medusa?
The snake-haired Medusa does not become widespread until the first century B.C. The Roman author Ovid describes the mortal Medusa as a beautiful maiden seduced by Poseidon in a temple of Athena. Such a sacrilege attracted the goddess’ wrath, and she punished Medusa by turning her hair to snakes.
Who are the gods in Metamorphoses?
Characters
| Name | Role |
|---|---|
| Aesculapius | God of medicine and healing. Son of Apollo and Coronis. |
| Aeson | Father of Jason and king of Iolcus, Thessaly. He was usurped the throne from his brother Pelias. |
| Agamemnon | Son of Atreus and king of Mycene. He led the Greeks in the Trojan War. |
| Aglaulus | One of the three daughters of Cecrops. |
Why did Juno punish her husband?
Soon afterward, Callisto gives birth to a son, Arcas. After this, Juno reveals that it was she who had brought to pass Callisto’s pregnancy and motherhood, as punishment for sleeping with her husband, Jupiter.
Did Poseidon and Medusa have a child?
Medusa was the only Gorgon who was mortal; hence her slayer, Perseus, was able to kill her by cutting off her head. From the blood that spurted from her neck sprang Chrysaor and Pegasus, her two sons by Poseidon.
Was Athena a punishment or protection?
Athena did it to protect Medusa. No one would look at her luscious hair or beautiful face again in lust without seeing serpents and without being turned to stone. Medusa never again had to worry about being raped or fighting off a rapist.
Which book of Metamorphoses is Medusa in?
The most influential, canonical account of the Medusa myth comes from Ovid’s Metamorphoses (4.604–5.263), which tells us that Medusa was a beautiful young woman, known for her lovely hair.
What is Ovid’s myth?
His best-known work is the Metamorphoses, a collection of mythological and legendary stories, told in chronological order from the creation of the universe to the death and deification of Caesar. Through the Metamorphoses, Ovid gave many Greek legends their definitive forms for subsequent generations.
What happened between Poseidon and Medusa?
When Medusa had an affair with the sea god Poseidon, Athena punished her. She turned Medusa into a hideous hag, making her hair into writhing snakes and her skin was turned a greenish hue. Anyone who locked gaze with Medusa was turned into stone. The hero Perseus was sent on a quest to kill Medusa.
What is Ovid best known for?
The first major Roman poet to begin his career during the reign of Augustus, Ovid is today best known for the Metamorphoses, a 15-book continuous mythological narrative written in the meter of epic, and for works in elegiac couplets such as Ars Amatoria (“The Art of Love”) and Fasti.
Where was Ovid born?
Ovid was born in Sulmo (modern Sulmona), in an Apennine valley east of Rome, to an important equestrian family, on 20 March, 43 BC. That was a significant year in Roman politics.
How is Ovid portrayed in the Metamorphoses?
The 20th Century British poet laureate, the late Ted Hughes, follows in the tradition of portraying a wild, immoral and violent Ovid in his free verse modern translation of the Metamorphoses and Ovid’s portrayal of the fickle and immoral nature of the Gods. Ovid as imagined in the Nuremberg Chronicle, 1493.
What was Ovid’s education?
Ovid was born in Sulmo (modern Sulmona), in an Apennine valley east of Rome, to an important equestrian family, on 20 March, 43 BC. That was a significant year in Roman politics. He was educated in rhetoric in Rome under the teachers Arellius Fuscus and Porcius Latro with his brother who excelled at oratory.