Roman Epics XXII: Ovid’s Metamorphoses Book 1, or Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes

Posted byTriumvir ClioPosted inRoman Epics, The Romans

It’s a new epic! And a new poet! Ovid is going to change. Or at least write about changes. Something like that.

Another plug for the Galleria Borghese in Rome: This is where you can see Bernini’s beautiful, heartbreaking Apollo and Daphne. How that man managed to turn marble into flesh and bark and leaves, I don’t know. I recommend Googling to find more photos than what’s in the link above.

Discussion Prompts

  1. Compare and contrast the Book of Genesis and Book 1 of Metamorphoses.
  2. Do you think Ovid believes in any of the gods he’s writing about? Why or why not?
  3. Why do you think Ovid was banished?
  4. Was Ovid an epicurean? Why or why not?
  5. Which of the stories in Book 1 is your favorite? Why?
  6. How might these stories be different if Ovid were a woman?

Published by Triumvir Clio

I have a BA in History and Classical Civilization from Loyola University Chicago and an MPH from Western Michigan University. I've been a geometry teacher, a religion teacher, a writing tutor. I'm a writer, a knitter, a dancer, a singer, an actor. And, yes, for fun I like to reread everything that was assigned while getting my classics degree.

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