Ovid

and trusted in the gods as much as they did. I also think it teaches a lot of morals that people of many centuries have followed. The texts that I will be analyzing are, Tantalus by Homer, Prometheus by Hesiod, Sisyphus also by Homer, and Arachne by Ovid. All of these myths are from the Ancient Greek times. In the myth of Tantalus by Homer, the theme of ‘Punishment from the gods’ is very relevant. Tantalus was the son of Zeus, he committed a lot of mild crimes but because of his relation to…

diminished (Ovid 1.15). The two survivors asked the gods for help and were able to repopulate the earth. However, their repopulation of the earth is much different than the ways told in the first two stories: They were told to cover their heads, loosen their clothes, and throw stones behind them—which turned into humans (Ovid 1.17). In this story, no animals were saved; the earth spontaneously created animal life forms, and eventually nature, when heat and moisture mixed and conceived (Ovid…

In many places in his Inferno, the reason for Dante the poet’s placement of certain souls is murky at best. Nowhere is this problem so compounded as in Canto IV, where Dante the pilgrim meets the souls in Limbo. Dante the poet’s choice of whom to include among the “virtuous pagans” seems inconsistent and his removal of the pre-Christian monotheists from Limbo leaves questions about what it means, in his mind, to believe in God and to live a righteous life by His laws and the rules of the church,…

leave her alone. But Apollo still loved her, and adorned her with compliments and prophecies. Daphne then “shook her branches and seemed to nod her summit in assent”. Which means she finally loved him after what I believe seeing his dedication to her (Ovid 658). In James Wyat Cook analysis of “Metamorphoses”, he mentions that “To assure that Apollo suffers, Cupid then shoots Daphne with a leaden arrow—one that prevents her also falling in love” (“Metamorphoses”). This just proves my point that…

Ever since we were babies, we were told to follow the rules. . But if the rules are corrupt, should we truly do as we are told?. The poem “Metamorphoses” by Ovid, as well as the short story “Harrison Bergeron” by Kurt Vonnegut both address this topic Emphasizing the themes of following the rules, pushing the boundaries, and striving to be different are also all addressed. By comparing these two literary works, we are shown how the plot, character traits, and the messages differ between the…

Ovid writes that “Whatever the gods determine is fulfilled” (Ovid 78). In the play, Prospero invites Juno, Ceres, and Iris to bless Ferdinand and Miranda marriage. If the gods and goddesses bless them with honor, riches, love, etc. than positive things will occur in their marriage. However, Ovid states that people “make the gods too great” In the play, Eshu is that so called bad god. He talks about…

good ones. The messages that “Pyramus and Thisbe” sends are similar to those of Romeo and Juliet, but also add in a separate lesson when Thisbe begs the mulberry tree: “Keep in remembrance always the sign of our death, the dark and mournful color”(Ovid 123). Like Romeo and Juliet, “Pyramus and Thisbe” also cautions against emotional decisions, but combines this with the purpose of a myth, which is to explain something in nature; in this case, the color of mulberries. While many things appear to…

Ovid tells a tale regarding the color of mulberrys (white when young, red when fully ripe.) Initially always white, two lovers meet an ill fate under a mulberry tree, their blood staining the white mulberries red, thus being Ovid’s explanation for the changing fruit color. Emil and Marie undoubtedly reflect this old tale. The aptly named section, “The White Mulberry Tree,” is a clear homage to Ovid and is revealing to Emil and Marie’s nature. If someone possesses prior knowledge of Ovid when…

Some may say that this is an act of disrespect, but that is simply false. The Parthenon does show Jove in a sculpture of the birth of Athena on the east pediment of the building, which is actually the front of the building. The fact is that the Parthenon was built to honor Athens’ patron goddess: Athena. The west pediment of the building is an aetion for how Athens got its name: Athena named it after herself after winning the contest. The sculpture, which was created long after this original…

semblance of free will within the present (Ovid). As the poem takes place within an epic, structurally, it brings attention to that there is a significant amount of history both before and after it. The piece does not rhyme, with the first four lines ending in “perōsus”, “amōre”, “undās”, and “illāc”, conveying how the present time is not controlled by a higher god, leading to the amount of disorder in life that allows one to choose their own destiny (Ovid). While at first glance this seems…