Ovid goes meta by telling stories about people telling stories.
Discussion Prompts
- What’s the deal with the house of Cadmus and the very specific form of madness resulting in people thinking other people are animals and killing them with their bare hands? Why that specific curse?
- What do you think of Cadmus and Harmonia being turned into snakes? What does it say that they are peaceful snakes?
- Is there anyone left who doesn’t worship Bacchus?
- How do you think the rest of Minyas’s household feels when his daughters declare that they will keep working despite the mandatory celebration happening outside?
- What’s your favorite of the many stories told in this book? Why?
Triumvir Clio's School of Classical Civilization 