Ovid’s Metamorphoses

Daphne and Apollo

DAY ONE Introduction to Ovid and Apollo

Passage #1

Publius Ovidius NasoWrote during the Augustan Age

Some scholars consider his works to be subversive (secretly critical) towards Augustus

Ovid writes transformation myths in his Metamorphoses

Apollo

• Son of Zeus and Leto

• God of music and poetry (plays the lyre)

• God of healing and purification

• God of prophecy

Apollo and Daphne Myth Preview

After defeating Python (a great snake), prideful Apollo encounters Cupid holding his own bow and arrows

Apollo tells Cupid such weapons are meant for him (Apollo), a great victor in battle

Cupid retorts that he has greater glory and his own skills (with the bow) are powerful enough to defeat even Apollo

dixit et eliso percussis aere pennis

impiger umbrosa Parnasi constitit arce

eque sagittifera prompsit duo tela pharetra

diversorum operum: fugat hoc, facit illud amorem;

quod facit, auratum est et cuspide fulget acuta, 470

quod fugat, obtusum est et habet sub harundine plumbum.

hoc deus in nympha Peneide fixit, at illo

laesit Apollineas traiecta per ossa medullas;

protinus alter amat, fugit altera nomen amantis

Original Passage #1 (466-474)

di-xit et e-li-so per-cus-sis a-e-re pen-nis

im-pi-ger um-bro-sa Par-na-si con-sti-tit ar-ce

e-que sa-git-ti-fe-ra promp-sit du-o te-la pha-re-tra

di-ver-sor-u(m) op-e-rum: fu-gat hoc, fa-cit ill-ud am-o-rem;

quod fa-cit, au-ra-tu(m) est et cus-pi-de ful-get a-cu-ta

-Heavy syllables are blue and light are pink

-Brown is anceps (free syllable at the end of a line which can be either long

or short)

Scansion Review

dixit et ēlīsō percūssīs äere pennīs

impiger umbrosa Parnasi constitit arce

eque sagittiferā prompsit duo tēla pharetrā

diversorum operum: fugat hoc, facit illud amorem;

quod facit, auratum est et cuspide fulget acuta, 470

quod fugat, obtusum est et habet sub harundine plumbum.

hoc deus in nympha Peneide fixit, at illo

laesit Apollineās traiecta per ossa medullās;

protinus alter amat, fugit altera nomen amantis

Figures of Speech

Adapted Passage #1 (466-474)

Amor dīxit et, fractō aere percussīs pennīs,

impiger umbrōsā arce Parnāsī cōnstitit

duoque tēla dīversōrum operum ē sagittiferā pharetrā prōmpsit:

hoc tēlum fugat, illud tēlum amōrem facit;

illud quod amōrem facit, aurātum et acūtum est, [470]

hoc quod fugat, obtūsum et plumbātum est

Amor hoc tēlum in nymphā Penēide fixit, et

illud telum Phoebum laesit;

sūbitō Phoebus amat, Daphne nōmen amantis fugit

Modern Equivalents to Cupid’s Arrows

What do you think about Apollo, a god of healing

and prophecy, being struck by Cupid’s arrow?What do you think will

happen next?

Discussion Question #1

DAY TWOAugustus’ Apollo and Ovid’s Apollo

Passage #2

Apollo in the Augustan Age

Augustus associated Apollo iconography with his own promotion and image

He connected the Palatine Temple of Apollo (dedicated in 28 BCE) to his own Palatine home

He placed laurel (the tree of Apollo) on his door and wore it in his own hair

Apollo in the Augustan Age Cont.Adopted title “Actian Apollo” for the god after victory against Antony

Presented Apollo as avenger and warlike

How do you think Augustus would have wanted Apollo

portrayed?

Discussion Question #2

Original Passage #2(1.504-511)

'nympha, precor, Penei, mane! non insequor hostis;

nympha, mane! sic agna lupum, sic cerva leonem, 505

sic aquilam penna fugiunt trepidante columbae,

hostes quaeque suos: amor est mihi causa sequendi!

me miserum! ne prona cadas indignave laedi

crura notent sentes et sim tibi causa doloris!

aspera, qua properas, loca sunt: moderatius, oro, 510

curre fugamque inhibe, moderatius insequar ipse.

Figures of Speech?'nympha, precor, Pēnēi, manē! non insequor hostis;

nympha, mane! sīc agna lupum, sīc cerva leonem,

505

sīc aquilam penna fugiunt trepidante columbae,

hostes quaeque suos: amor est mihi causa sequendi!

me miserum! ne prona cadas indignave laedi

crura notent sentes et sim tibi causa doloris!

aspera, qua properas, loca sunt: moderatius, oro, 510

curre fugamque inhibe, moderatius insequar ipse.

Original Passage #2 Cont.(1.512-518)

cui placeas, inquire tamen: non incola montis,

non ego sum pastor, non hic armenta gregesque

horridus observo. nescis, temeraria, nescis,

quem fugias, ideoque fugis: mihi Delphica tellus 515

et Claros et Tenedos Patareaque regia servit;

Iuppiter est genitor; per me, quod eritque fuitque

estque, patet; per me concordant carmina nervis.

Figures of Speech?cui placeas, inquire tamen: nōn incola montis,

nōn ego sum pastor, nōn hīc armenta gregēsque

horridus observō. nescis, temeraria, nescis,

quem fugias, ideoque fugis: mihi Delphica tellus

515

et Claros et Tenedos Patareaque regia servit;

Iuppiter est genitor; per mē, quod eritque fuitque

estque, patet; per mē concordant carmina nervīs.

Adapted Passage #2 (ll. 504-509)'nympha, precor, Pēnēi, manē! nōn īnsequor hostis; nympha,

manē!

sīcut agna lupum fugit, sīcut cerva leōnem fugit, [505]

sīcut columbae pennā trepidante aquilam fugiunt,

sīcut quaeque suōs hostēs fugit:

amor est causa sequendī mihi! mē miserum!

nē prōna cadās, aut sentēs crūra indigna laedī

notent, et sim tibi causa dolōris!

Adapted Passage # 2 Cont. (ll.510-518)

aspera sunt loca, in quibus properās: curre moderātius, [510]

precor, inhibē fugam, ego ipse insequar moderātius.

inquīre tamen, cui placeās: non incola montis sum,

nōn ego sum pastor, nōn horridus observō hīc armenta gregēsque.

nescīs quem temeraria fugiās, ideōque fugis:

habeō Delphicam tellūrem; [515]

Iuppiter est meus genitor; ostendō quod eritque fuitque

estque; per mē concordant carmina nervīs.

How the Myth Ends• Daphne calls upon her

father to save her and he transforms her into a laurel tree

• Apollo reaches the tree and embraces it

• Because he cannot take Daphne as his wife, he takes her as his tree

• The laurel becomes a symbol of Apollo and victory (a symbol Augustus himself used)

What sort of pursuit is Apollo making in Ovid’s story?

One for hunt, love, victory? All of the above?

Discussion Question #3

How does this fit in with Augustus’ presentation of

Apollo?

DAY THREE Shakespearean Comparison

Shakespearean Comparison IntroductionIn this passage (scene ii, act II) from Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Demtrius seeks the couple Hermia (whom he loves) and Lysander in the woods and Helena, in love with Demetrius, follows after him.

Later in the story, the creature Puck uses a flower (one supposedly struck by Cupid’s arrow) to cause the lovers to involuntarily fall erroneously in love with others from the group.

Midsummer Night’s Dream Comparison

Helena, about her love for Demetrius, says:

“O that my prayers could such affection

move!” (1.1.197).

Demetrius to Helena says: “I’ll run from thee, and hide me in the brakes” (2.2.227)

Helena, in pursuit, responds: “The story shall be changed

Apollo flies, and Daphne holds the chase;

The dove pursues the griffin; the mild hind

Makes speed to catch the tiger” (2.1.230-4)

BibliographyLaFleur, Richard A. Love and Transformation: An Ovid Reader. Glenview: Scott

Foresman/Addison Wesley, 1999.

Shakespeare, William. “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” The Wadsworth Shakespeare: The Complete Works. Ed. G. B. Evans and J.J. M.

Tobin. Boston: Wadsworth Cengage Learning, 1997.

Zanker, P. The Power of Images in the Age of Augustus. Trans. Alan Shapiro. Ann Arbor: The University of Michigan, 1988.

"Ovid." Oxford Dictionary of the Classical World. Ed. Roberts, John. : Oxford University Press, 2007. Date Accessed 22 Mar. 2014 <

http://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/acref/9780192801463.001.0001/acref-9780192801463-e-1578>.

Platner & Ashby “Aedes Apollinis Palatini." LacusCurtius Temple of Apollo Palatine. 1929. Web. 22 Mar. 2014. <

http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Gazetteer/Places/Europe/Italy/Lazio/Roma/Rome/_Texts/PLATOP%2A/Aedes_Apollinis_Palatini.html>.

"Apollo." Oxford Dictionary of the Classical World. Ed. Roberts, John. : Oxford University Press, 2007. Oxford Reference. 2007. Date Accessed 1 May. 2014 <

http://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/acref/9780192801463.001.0001/acref-9780192801463-e-170>.