Theme Of Rape In Ovid's Metamorphoses

A common narrative element in most Greek and Roman mythology is rape, whether it be at the will of the gods or mortal man. From these unions, deities and heroes are born, and/or social institutions are reinforced. Most stories of rape follow a similar structure: the god, or man, sees a beautiful woman and fills with love or burning passion, he devises a plan/disguise to rape her, and the significant other learns of the affair and is vengeful. In this essay, I will analyze how two rape stories from Ovid’s Metamorphoses compare with each other while following the structure of rape in mythology that I have presented. In addition, this essay will discuss the deeper implications of each myth and the use of rape as a narrative element, such as the …show more content…
This difference in language extends to the entirety of the rape scenes. For instance, when describing the rape of Callisto, the myth reads, “She really struggled against him…but girls are frail, and anyway, who could conquer the might of Jove?” (Ovid, Met. II. 436-437). Conversely, the language used in the rape of Philomela is dark and gruesome; it describes her reaction as “She shook and trembled as a frightened lamb which a gray wolf has mangled and cast aside, poor creature, to a safety it cannot quite believe. She is like a dove with her own blood all over her feathers, fearing the talons that have pierced and left her” (Ovid, Met. VI. 531-536). The reason behind the difference in language is due to the divine status of Jove in contrast to the mortal status of Tereus. As the God of Kings and Men, Jove has power over humans like a master’s power over a slave. He suffers no consequences for his actions because of his status and Callisto is not able to refuse a god. On the other hand, Tereus is a man who holds no ownership of Philomela and raping her is an act of violence. I mentioned before how the myths can explain the common occurrence of sexual violence in Greek and Roman culture. The difference of language used by Ovid can explain how in some cases rape was culturally acceptable and in others it was not. It is possible that the influence of power, …show more content…
In the myth, Jove of Arcady, Juno knows about the affair, despite Jove’s attempt to keep it a secret, and waits till Callisto gives birth to get revenge (Ovid, Met. II. 467-470). The birth of Arcas is important because it is proof and a reminder of Jove’s infidelity. Juno exclaims, “’Of course, it had to be this way, no other, you little adulterous bitch, to go get pregnant, to advertise the scandal by giving birth, to have a living witness of Jove’s disgraceful conduct. You will never get away with his unpunished.’” (Ovid, Met. II. 471-476). She punishes Callisto by turning her into a bear instead of punishing Jove; this act later gives meaning to the constellations Ursa Major and Ursa Minor (Ovid, Met. II. 480-538). It can be interpreted that it is not Juno’s place to punish her husband for sleeping around because of his status, however, she is fully capable of punishing the women he sleeps with. In addition, this can extend to Greek and Roman culture and in a marriage the woman had no say in her husband’s infidelity and could not punish him. However, in the rape of Philomela, Procne does take revenge on her husband instead of her sister. Philomela uses art to communicate to her sister the tragedy she has endured by weaving her story (Ovid, Met. VI. 570-580). Art was used in Greek and Roman cultures to tell stories, and I think

Show More

Related Documents: Theme Of Rape In Ovid's Metamorphoses

The Elizabethan Era's Effect on Shakespeare's Works Essay