Study Guide for Ovid's Metamorphoses

Internet Resources

The Ovid Project at the University of Vermont

Ovid FAQ

 

Discussion Questions

General questions about Ovid

• In what ways is Ovid different from the other ancient poets we have read?  Does he treat any themes we haven't seen in other works?  Is his writing style and method of organization different from what we've seen, especially in Homer and Vergil?
• What is the significant of the title of this work:  Metamorphoses?  How is this word related to the stories we're reading from Ovid?
• Is this an epic poem?  In what genre would you classify it?
• How many different kinds of love can you find depicted in the Metamorphoses?  Does Ovid treat love differently from the other classical authors we've read?
• These stories are very different in many ways.  Can you identify any similarities, or any themes or motifs that emerge in several of them?
• Is the relationship between gods and mortals in Ovid similar to or different from what we have seen in other classical authors?

Apollo and Daphne

• Why does Daphne flee when Apollo pursues her?  What happens to her in the end?  How does Apollo respond?
• Compare Daphne to other female characters we have encountered in classical literature.

Jupiter and Europa

• What does this story contribute to our understanding of how classical writers depict the interaction of gods and mortals?
• What happens to Europa in this story?  What are your feelings about Jupiter's behavior?

Diana and Actaeon

• What happens to Actaeon in this story?  Is Actaeon to blame for what happens to him?
• In what ways is Actaeon's situation similar to that of Kenai in Disney's film Brother Bear?  In what ways is it not?  Click here for a Brother Bear trailer.
• Is Ovid inviting us to pass judgment on Diana's actions in the final lines of this story?  What are your own thoughts about what she has done?  Is she justified?

Narcissus and Echo

• How is love depicted in this story?
• Most of us have encountered this story before.  Did you notice anything new as you re-read it this time?

Pyramus and Thisbe

• Does this story remind you of any other works of literature you have read (outside of this class, in particular)?  
• What are your thoughts on the depiction of Pyramus's death--especially the way in which blood gushes from his body as if from a pipe?

Salmacis and Hermaphroditus 

• What kind of love is depicted in this story?
• How is the change in this story different from the ones we've read so far?

Proserpine 

• What do you think about the treatment of Proserpine in this story?
• What does this story contribute to your understanding of the pagan underworld?

Tereus, Procne, and Philomela 

• Comment on the depiction of love and violence in this story.

Orpheus and Eurydice

• How is Orpheus able to take Eurydice from the underworld?
• How does Orpheus lose his wife again?

Ganymede through Atalanta

• What kinds of love themes are introduced in these stories?
• Why does Adonis spurn the love of Venus?