Theme Of Lust In Metamorphoses

Metamorphoses is a narrative poem written by the Roman poet Ovid in the early first century BCE. The book focuses on the creation of the world and is based upon Roman myths and legends. Throughout the poem, many different types of lust are described within the myths. These varieties of lust include the craving for revenge, the longing for possessions, and the sexual desire for a person. The yearning for revenge is one of the driving parts of the book and is found multiple times, including Juno’s revenge on Io and Procne’s retaliation towards Tereus. Another variety is the hunger for power and possessions, demonstrated in Ajax and Ulysses’s arguments for the Armor of Achilles. The libido for a person is seen in the stories of Echo and …show more content…
This sexual desire is seen in Tereus’s lust for Philomela. Tereus, a Thracian king, marries Procne, an Athenian princess, and she moves to Thrace with him. After moving to Thrace she begins to miss miss her sister, Philomela. She, in turn, begs Tereus to bring her sister to Thrace so she can see her. He quickly agrees and travels to Athens to bring Philomela back to Thrace. Tereus, however, quickly finds himself attracted to his sister-in-law. When Tereus first saw Philomela, “he was driven by an innate lust, a bent that Thracians have for lechery: he burned with his and his nations’s heart.” Tereus’s desire for Philomela is described as being natural and typical of Thracian people. They are described as having an excessive sexual desirer others. Tereus is not excluded from his peoples extreme sexual desires and is easily stricken with desire for others, even though he is married. After first meeting his sister-in-law is struck with sexual attraction toward Philomela. Tereus is unable to control his lust for his sister-in-law and it continues to build. This extreme sexual desire ultimately leads to Tereus raping Philomela and cutting out her …show more content…
Apollo speaks derogatorily toward Cupid and his bow. Cupid shoots two arrows in response, one striking Apollo and the other Daphne. One causes Apollo to fall in love with Daphne, while the second causes Daphne to flee Apollo. After being struck by the arrow and seeing Daphne, Apollo’s “heart was utterly afire, and hope sustained his unrequited passions” and he “praises everything that he can see-her fingers, hands, and arms, bare to her shoulders- and what is hidden prizes even more.” Apollo after being struck with Cupid’s arrow falls in love with Daphne. When ever he sees her, he can only speak praises about her perfection. His “ Apollo desires Daphne more than anyone else in the world. His lust, however, goes unrequited as Daphne is always fleeing from him. His lust eventually drives her to beg for her fathers help to protect her from Apollo and she is transformed into a