In the beginning of Book 4, we have
the three daughters of Minyas exchanging stories of unfulfilled love. The story of Pyramus and Thisbe piqued my
interest the most. Anyone who knows the
story of Romeo and Juliet ought to be familiar with most of the elements in
this story. I don’t know much about
Shakespeare beyond several works that I have gleaned over in my high school
years, but I honestly wouldn’t have guessed the inspiration for one of his more
renowned works was pulled heavily from someone else. I shouldn’t have to detail too many
similarities. Two lovers long to be
together, but their respective families won’t allow it. They steal away to be together, and one
commits suicide under the impression that the other has died. The surviving member kills themselves upon
this actual realization, united them in death.
Ovid’s story gives us a much shorter and precise tale, but in a way, the
ending gives me a happier sort of feeling.
Pyramus and Thisbe apparently never happened to embrace in love. I think their first kiss was when Pyramus lay
dying. Truly the inclusion of the gods
offers more promise and fulfillment at the end that they will finally be united
in death. I also liked the etiology of
the ripening color of mulberries woven in as well. If that wasn’t originally part of their
story, it certainly fits in wonderfully.
I knew going into the tale of
Arachne that it would end up serving as an origin story to spiders. The name Arachne is obviously a play on
arachnid. I doubt that they came up with
her name beforehand, but it would be interesting. Going through the story, I’m not sure which
side to take, but I am leaning toward the gods.
This is one of the few stories where I can slightly agree with the gods’
resolutions. This woman was personally
taught by Minerva to spill wool and tapestries, but denies such divine
training. She basically scoffs at the
gods, claims her abilities as her own, and even goes so far as to say her
talents exceed those of Minerva. Minerva
accepts this unofficial challenge, and granted Arachne handles herself well at
first, she definitely chooses the low road.
Minerva honors her family, and Arachne decides to shed light on many
misdeeds the gods are guilty of. Yes,
everyone agrees that her art is magnificent, but she is such a poor sport, she
was practically asking for some sort of punishment, and I think she deserved
it. As aforementioned, this is one of
the few stories I think the mortal receives their just desserts.
The story of Cephalus and Procris
was mildly depressing. The earlier tales
that the daughters of Minyas spun were slightly familiar to me, which is why
they probably didn’t have as much of an impact.
In the beginning, Cephalus was definitely an idiot, going to great
lengths to catch his wife with infidelity, and she had been so faithful all
this time. The part that moved me was
her loss. Granted, the circumstances
were slightly ridiculous (him practically whispering sweet nothings to the
breeze and the boy relaying false ideas of an affair to Procris), it was still
a sad ending. I’m glad she died in
peace, but it was tragic that it all happened for practically no reason. I wonder if readers of the ancient world may
have thought that all of it was ultimately his fault, and placed little to no
blame on the boy that gave Procris false information. What I think is great about the ending is
that he’s able to finish his story, put his men to tears, and then take charge
of the troops.
Questions:
Even
though many transformations do their part in explaining the natural world, does
the overall theme still unify these stories well enough if these
transformations forfeit center stage in the story?
Do
you think Arachne deserved her fate? Why or why not?
What
is the most moving tale of loss that you have read about so far in Ovid’s
stories? Why?
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