Ovid,
“Metamorphoses, ” Oxford World Classics, translated by A. D. Melville
Themis
notes for Men’s Literary Group session of December 9, 2018
Page 307 “Hecuba,
Polyxena and Polydorus”
Priam gave his young son, Polydorus, to be reared by
Polymestor. Sends treasure with his son. Polymestor slilts the throat of Polydorus,
throws the son off a cliff and and steals the treasure.
Ghost of Achilles appears to Agamemnon’s fleet and demands
sacrifice of Polyxena, daughter of Priam.
Polyxena begs son of Achilles to hurry up and execute her, still a
virgin. Kept her privates wrapped as she fell. Hecuba, hers and Hector’s mother, wept for her. Hecuba mourns her daughter. Achilles in death still rages against Priam’s
house. Calls Polyxena a death-offering
from her own womb.
Hecuba lures Polymestor with a promise of hidden gold. Then attacks him and gouge out his eyes. Thracians attack Hecuba and kill her. All the gods “declare the tragic end of
Hecuba unfair.”
Page 312 “Memnon”
Aurora lost her son, Memnon, to Achilles during the war. Description of Memnon’s black, smoky
pyre. Birds whirred around the
pyre. “On the fourth flight the flock
split up, then two fierce legions, so divided, fought each other.” The birds became known as the
Memnomides. They fight again to die in
memory of Memnon slain.
“Aurora was intent on her own grief (not Hecuba’s): Now still her loving sorrow she renews and
with her tears the whole wide world bedews.”
Page 314 “The
Pilgrimage of Aeneas”
The Fates did not all Troy’s hopes to fall to ruins. Aeneas escapes
with his father and son. He reaches
Apollo’s city (? – Delphi?) with his retinue.
They counsel with Anius, the king, who had five children. Agamemnon steals the daughters, and their
brother of Andros offers no defense. The
daughters were transformed into snow-white doves.
The next day they sought the oracle of Phoebus. Somehow they end up in Thebes, with scenes of
death and disorder. Andros folks and
Trojans give offerings to ?
The Trojans leave Crete (Teucer’s home, origin of Troy?),
eager to get to Italy. Pass Ithaka and
Samos (geographically impossible). Keep
going, eventually making landfall in Sicily, passing Scylla and Charybdis. Description of Scylla. Scylla had fended off all men, but Galatea
had fallen under control of the Cyclops.
Page 318 “Acis and Galatea”
Galatea tells of her love for 16 year-old Acis, beloved of
his parents, but she was Cyclops’ love.
Polyphemus was so distracted by his love for Galatea that “His wild urge to kill, his fierceness and
his lust for blood ceased and in safety ships might come and go.”
While Galatea is lying with Acis, she overhears the solo
declamation of Cyclops telling of his love for Galatea. Amazing self-praise. “A poor man counts his flocks.” He thinks himself handsome. “Upon my brow I have one single eye, but it
is huge, like some vast shield. What
then? Does not the mighty sun see from
the sky all things on earth? Yet the sun’s
orb is one.” He threatens Acis.
Cyclops arises and sees Acis and Galatea. Galatea escapes into the sea. Cyclops kills Acis by throwing a rock. Acis changes into a river god.
Page 322 “Scylla and
Glaucus”
Glaucus surprises Scylla while she is swimming. He has a fishtail. He protests that he is a sea god. Tells his story of how he was transformed. Scylla freaks out and flees. “He made in fury for the magic halls of
Circe, daughter of the glorious Sun.”
Page 325 “Scylla and
Glaucus (continued)”
Glaucus swims far to Circe.
Complains that Scylla rejected his advances. “My Promises, my prayers – she scorned them
all.” “I crave no cure, not want my
wounds made well; Pain need not pass; but make her share my hell.” Circe says, “Why not me?” “By one act, require us both?” So Circe turns on Scylla. Circe defiles the little bay where Scylla
comes to swim. “Scylla came and waded in
waist-deep, when round he loins she saw found monstrous barking beasts.” Didn’t think they were part of her. “No legs!
Below her midriff dogs, ringed in a raging row.” Glaucus fled.
Scylla robbed Ulysses of his comrades.
Becomes a cliff, “and sailors shun her still and steer away.”
Page 327 “The
Pilgrimage of Aeneas (continued)”
Aeneas comes to Dido in Libya. Dido falls on his sword. (?) Further
sailing. Jove transforms the Cercopes
into animals. (?) Visits the Underworld and his father’s Ghost: “Aeneas did her (Sibyl) “her bidding and saw
the riches of Hell’s frightful realm and his own ancestors and the aged ghost of
great-hearted Anchises:” Aeneas also
learned “what new perils he must face afresh in war.”
Sybil loses her virginity to Phoebus. He gives her what she wants but she fails to
ask for eternal youth and now must age.
Aeneas meets Achaemenides the Greek on board his vessel. Reference to a simultaneous escape from
Cyclops by Aeneas and Ulysses. (?) A recounts the rage of Cyclops to Ulysses’
escape, afraid that he will be eaten by Cyclops. A was rescued by a Trojan ship. A recounts the hairy adventures of Ulysses
and his crew and the Aeolian winds.
Advises Aeneas to keep away from Circe’s shore (garbled here).
Page 332 “The Island
of Circe”
A continues: We
moored our last ship on Circe’s shore. A
paired with Eurilochus to go to Circe’s palace.
They were met by wild animals, that proved friendly. Saw Circe is court. The crew took a drink of Circe’s drink and
were transformed into pigs (interesting reference back to mythical
metamorphoses). But Eurolochus never
drank the potion and was able to summon Ulysses. Ulysses returns and intimidates Circe. She takes him to bed, and U persuades C to release
the crew from being pigs. The crew
lingered in the land for a year.
One of four acolytes tells A the story of Canen, engaged to
King Picus. The Daughter of the Sun,
Circe, falls in love with Picus. He
evades her because he is always riding so fast.
She creates a vision of the running boar. He rides into a deep woods. Circe begins prayers and incantations. She asks of Picus, “Favor my passion, and
accept as yours my father, who sees all, the Sun above, and harden not your
heart to Circe’s love.” He rebuffs her,
saying he still loves Canens. Circe is furious
and vows retribution against Canens. She
truns Picus into a bird. She then turns
the King’s courtiers into wild beasts.
Canens looks for Picus for six days and then wastes away. Rather than face new perils, Macareus (?) decides
to stay (on the island?)
Page 338 “The
Triumph and Apotheosis of Aeneas”
Aeneas leaves Circe’s island, reaches the Tiber and wins
Latinus’s throne and daughter, too, after hard warfare.
Diomede had built a great city in Apulia. Venelus asks for aid in war, but exiled Diomede
refuses. Diomede explains: After Troy fell, the Greeks were dispersed
and underwent hardships and the murder of Cephereus. “We Greeks endured storms, lightning,
darkness, wrath of sky and sea and, crowning tragedy, the cliffs of Cephereus. Not to prolong the whole tale of our
troubles, at that time Greece could have moved Priam himself to tears.” Minerva saved Diomede. Acmon tries to rally the Trojans, displeases
the other Greeks, taunts Venus and becomes changed into a large bird.
Without aid from Diomede, the Rutuli held on the course of
war. Turnus (?) tries to burn the local’s
ships, but Juno intervenes to save “my forest’s life and limb by bringing rain
and hail. Juno sinks the Trojan fleet. The Trojan ships are turned into nymphs of
the sea (?). “The tragedy of Troythey’ve
not forgotten and they hate the Greeks; and joy shone in their faces when they saw
the wreckage of Ulysses’ship, and joy seeing the galleon of Alcinous stiffen
and all its timbers turned to stone.”
Finally Venus “saw victory attend her son, and Turnus fell.” The city of Ardea falls, an unknown bird
rises from the ashes.
Venus’s son, Aeneas, is now ripe for heaven. She begs Jove to make Aeneas a god, and Jove
agrees. Aeneas becomes the god
Indiges. The names of Aeneas’s
successors are listed, up to Romulus.
Finally, “And now King Proca held the sovereignty and ruled the people
of the Palatine. [Always the seat of
Roman civilization and government].
