Metamorphoses: Analysis of Major Characters
"Metamorphoses: Analysis of Major Characters" explores the complex interplay of divine and mortal characters in Ovid's narrative, highlighting their transformations and relationships. Central to the text is Jove, the powerful king of the gods, whose dual nature as a ruler and seducer sets the stage for conflict, particularly with his wife, Juno, who seeks revenge on those victimized by Jove’s passions. Apollo, the sun god, embodies both creative and destructive forces, facing challenges in his romantic pursuits. Diana, the goddess of the hunt, fiercely protects her followers, while Minerva, the goddess of wisdom, punishes those who challenge her authority. Other significant figures include Bacchus, who rewards his followers but exacts vengeance on those who deny him, and Io, a nymph who suffers under Jove's desires but ultimately finds redemption. The characters, including heroic figures like Perseus and tragic ones like Medea, illustrate themes of love, jealousy, and transformation, while also reflecting cultural values and philosophical ideas, such as those introduced by Pythagoras regarding the interconnectedness of life. This rich tapestry of characters and their stories invites readers to explore deeper themes of identity and change within the mythological framework.
Metamorphoses: Analysis of Major Characters
Author: Ovid
First published: Before 8 c.e. (English translation, 1567)
Genre: Poetry
Locale: Realms of the gods, Greece, and the Roman Empire
Plot: Mythic
Time: Indeterminate
Jove, the Thunderer, god of the sky. He appears in two guises: as king of Mount Olympus and as habitual seducer of nymphs and young girls. As ruler, he is so offended by the evil excesses of the men of the Iron Age, especially Lycaon, that he transforms Lycaon into a wolf and cleanses the earth with a great flood. As seducer, he is unable both to restrain his passion for Io, Europa, Callisto, Semele, and others and to protect them from the jealous ire of his wife, Juno.
Apollo, also known as Phoebus (FEE-buhs), the god of the sun. He also exhibits two natures. In his sterner guise, he is both the driver of the great sun chariot, the reins of which he is disastrously persuaded to hand over to his son Phaeton, and the avenger of Latona, his mother, who had been insulted by Niobe. He often also appears as a frustrated lover of both boys and girls, unable to win the affections of Daphne and losing those of Ciparissus and Hyacinthus.
Juno, the goddess of marriage and childbirth, the queen of Mount Olympus, and the jealous wife of Jove. She appears throughout the work, intent on punishing the hapless victims of Jove's lust.
Bacchus (BA-kuhs), the god of wine and founder of the Bacchanalian mysteries. He is quick to reward those who follow him and to loose vengeance on those, such as Pentheus and the daughters of Minyas, who deny his divinity.
Diana, the goddess of the moon and the hunt. She jealously guards the virgins in her troupe, expelling any like Callisto who, willingly or not, lose their virginity. Fiercely protective of her own privacy, she not only transforms Actaeon into a deer when he stumbles upon her bathing but allows his dogs to tear him apart.
Minerva (muh-NUR-vuh), also called Pallas (PA-luhs), the goddess of wisdom and craftsmanship. She appears as the zealous protector of her own honor and the honor of the gods. Those who disobey her commands or challenge her authority are dealt with summarily. She transforms Arachne, who challenged her to a weaving contest, into a spider.
Venus, the goddess of love and beauty. She embodies erotic desire in her own relationships with Mars and Adonis, in her inciting Cupid to awaken passion in others, and in her indulgence of such votaries as Pygmalion.
Io (I-oh), a nymph, who is representative of the young females ravished by the gods. Reluctant to succumb to Jove's advances, she is transformed into a white cow in a vain attempt to avert the wrath of Juno, who first puts her under the harsh guardianship of Argos and then has her tormented by the Furies. She ends up in Egypt, where she regains her human form. Ovid claims she is worshiped there under the name of Isis.
Cadmus, the founder of Thebes. He is one of the legendary kings, like Minos and Aegeus, whose fate is entwined with the whims of the gods. Aided by Apollo and Pallas, and tormented by Juno, he and his wife eventually are transformed into serpents, closing the circle of his career, which began with the slaying of the serpent of Mars.
Perseus (PUR-see-uhs), the heroic son of Jove and Danaë. Like Hercules, he inherits his suprahuman qualities from his divine parent, but he is also aided in his quests by his patron, Pallas. Her cunning helps him to defeat the Gorgon Medusa. Single-minded in his pursuits, he rescues and marries Andromeda and defeats his enemies by judicious display of the Gorgon's head.
Medea (muh-DEE-uh), an enchantress. She is less the jealous wife, tormented into slaying her children, than the epitome of the dangerous sorceress, devotee of Hecate, who uses her magical powers first to aid and then to destroy Jason. Thwarted in her attempt to poison Theseus, she disappears into a cloud as dark as her night magic.
Pythagoras (pih-THA-gur-uhs), a philosopher, an exile from Samos. He took up residence around 530 b.c.e. in Crotona, in southern Italy, where he founded a movement with religious, political, and philosophical aims. Ovid depicts the philosopher through a long discourse in which Pythagoras advocates vegetarianism and teaches the doctrines of the transmigration of souls and the eternal mutation of all natural things.
Julius Caesar, a descendant of Venus through the line of Aeneas'son Iulus. He is elevated to godhead after his assassination. Ovid praises Caesar most for being the father (adoptive) of the great Augustus, “the best of men to right his father's cause,” who is a ruler destined to outshine his father as Theseus did Aegeus and Agamemnon did Atreus.