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Analyze the character of

Bacchus with reference to
Ovid's Metamorphosis, book
3.
Book 3 of Ovid's Metamorphosis features the god Bacchus's origin
story as the "twice-born" son of Jupiter and Semele, a daughter
of Cadmus, founder of Thebes. Bacchus is born from Jupiter's
thigh after Semele's fiery death and nurtured by his aunt Ino,
who gives the young deity to the nymphs of Mt. Nyssa to raise
and instruct in the sacred mysteries of ecstatic sensuality.
Bacchus becomes the center of a cult of Theban women,
disgusting the bellicose Pentheus, Cadmus's grandson.

The main story Ovid tells in book 3 concerns the founding of the
Greek city of Thebes and the curses that befall it at the hands of
three Olympian gods: Juno, Diana, and Bacchus. Just like Juno
blinded Tiresias in a fit of capriciousness and his half-sister Diana
transformed the doomed Actaeon for similar reasons, Bacchus
gets his own revenge on the House of Cadmus.

From before his birth, Ovid associates Bacchus with the realm of
divine passion and pleasure, too powerful for the mortal Semele
to withstand. Bacchus is born from his father yet is raised by his
aunt Ino, one of Semele's sisters who entrusts his divine
education to the nymphs of Nyssa, who institute him into the
sacred mysteries of wine, women, and song.

Wine played a significant role in the Ancient Greek world as a

reliably safe beverage, medicine, intoxicant, sacred offering, and
valuable item for trade. So, as the god of wine, Bacchus was
central to religious rituals, traditional hospitality, and celebration,
making him an especially popular deity whose sacred worship was
shrouded in mystery. Ovid presents the popularity of Bacchus
worship in Thebes as a contrast to the dominant male warrior

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culture, attracting women and young men more interested in

flesh and fun than fighting.

Pentheus perceives the "softness" of Bacchus's cult as a threat to

the city's image and security and is intent on killing the god's
followers and uncovering his sacred rituals. It is Pentheus's
obsession with destroying the bacchanalian cult that leads directly
to his own death at the end of book 3, in which the Theban lord is
torn apart by his own mother and her sisters, the Maenads,
devotees of Bacchus.

What are the consequences

of transformation in book 3
of Ovid's Metamorphoses?

In the third book of Ovid's Metamorphoses, we find

transformations that lead to various consequences, such as the
founding of a city, violent death, and blindness and prophecy.
Let's look at these.

First we read about Cadmus and how he sows the teeth of a

serpent. Those teeth spring up into men who fight each other
until only five are left. These men work with Cadmus to build
Thebes. So their strange transformation results in the foundation
of a city.

Actaeon, however, doesn't have such a good end. He sees the

goddess Diana naked, and she turns him into a stag. His own
dogs rip him apart. Semele, too, dies violently, consumed in
flames because of her challenge to Jove. Pentheus, who mocks
Bacchus, is torn apart by his own mother and aunt as they
participate in the frenzied worship of the god.

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We also read about Tiresias, who angers Juno by siding with her
against Jove in an argument. She strikes him blind, but Jove, in
compensation, gives him the gift of prophecy. The apparently
negative transformation actually leads to a higher form of life for
Tiresias (although he might not always think so when he must
deliver bad news).

Finally, in this book, we meet Narcissus, who is so focused on his

own good looks that he pines away in front of his own image and
becomes a mere flower. His self-absorption has led to his demise.

Why did the parents of

Pyramus and Thisbe try to
prevent their relationship?

In Ovid's Metamorphoses, the two lovers' parents hate each other

and are feuding—even though their houses are side by side, the
properties connected by a wall. The two lovers use a crack in the
wall to communicate as they plot to run off together.

The story is set in Babylon and shows the kind of power parents
had over their children's marriage choices in the ancient world.
It's not surprising that this is the play Shakespeare chooses for
Bottom and the other players to perform for the wedding of
Hippolyta and Theseus in A Midsummer Night's Dream; after all,
Shakespeare's play opens with Theseus backing Hermia's father
in forbidding her marriage to Lysander. Hermia and Lysander
have a happy outcome, unlike Pyramus and Thisbe.

The only answer that can be given is that for some reason the
two families were feuding. Their houses were joined under one
roof, probably with a courtyard in the middle, and their mutual
hatred was so great that they built a wall to avoid having to even
look at one another.

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The story of the star-crossed lovers Pyramus and Thisbe has

influenced other writers, particularly William Shakespeare. In A
Midsummer Night's Dream, Bottom and his group are preparing a
play about the lovers: "The most lamentable comedy and most
cruel death of Pyramus and Thisbe" (Act 1, scene 2). Likewise,
the theme of Romeo and Juliet is basically a retelling of the story.

Attempt a critical
appreciation of the episode
with Pentheus and Bacchus
in book 3 of
Ovid's Metamorphoses.

A critical appreciation of the episode of Pentheus and Bacchus in

the third book of Ovid's Metamorphoses will examine the
elements of the story, discern its purpose, and determine
whether the story actually fulfills its purpose.

The purpose of this tale seems to be cautionary. Pentheus refuses

to listen to Tiresias's prophecy and warning that Pentheus must
honor the god Bacchus and even build him a temple, or he will be
torn apart by his own mother. Yet Pentheus is stubborn and
arrogant. He despises all the gods, and he is appalled by Bacchus
and the wild rites that surround him.

Pentheus goes into a rage, and he threatens to kill one of the

worshipers of Bacchus as an example. Pentheus then goes to spy
on these rites on Mount Cithaeron, and there he is literally torn to
pieces by his own mother and aunt. The prophecy is fulfilled, and
people are so frightened that they make a deeper commitment to
practicing the rites of Bacchus.

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In your critical appreciation, then, you will examine how the plot,
characters, settings, and themes all work together to fulfill the
story's purpose. You can look at the characters involved: the
impious Pentheus, the frantic worshipers, the cautious Tiresias.
You can also examine how the plot moves swiftly through the tale
to bring it to its horrible, yet expected end. You can talk, too,
about the setting in the midst of the wild rites of Bacchus. You
might even think about the theme of metamorphosis and how the
story helps develop that theme through the transformations of
the worshipers and Pentheus himself.

How does the reader's

willing suspension of
disbelief play a part in the
myth of "Echo and
Narcissus?"

The ideology behind the suspension of disbelief was coined by

Samuel Taylor Coleridge in 1817. This idea has been applied to
texts such as Mary Shelley's Frankenstein and Coleridge's own
"The Rime of the Ancient Mariner." This concept is defined
through the idea that if a reader can find a small aspect of truth
in a text, he or she would suspend judgment on the things which
seem utterly implausible.

Given that much of Greek/Latin mythology, or mythology in any

culture, defines reasoning behind why something is as it is (in
regards to origin or creation), one must suspend his or her
judgment whether or not something could actually happen or not.
One must simply choose to accept the myth as acceptable based
upon a singular truth. In the case of Echo and Narcissus, one
must choose to believe in the tale of the two based upon their
understanding of the echo. For many, their knowledge of the echo

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helps to allow them to rationalize the myth as containing a

singular truth and, therefore, be believable (at least for the
moment).

At the same time, readers' prior knowledge regarding how water

acts when it is touched allows them to find an instant of truth in
the story of Narcissus. Here is where the singular truth lies in this
aspect of the text. Again, readers must only find one aspect of
the text to grasp onto in order to suspend their judgment on the
rest of the text. Since water loses it reflective nature when
touched, one could see this as a reality in the myth. Therefore,
the reader will suspend his or her disbelief regarding Narcissus
turning into a flower.

In the Metamorphoses,
how does Pentheus, son of
Echion, laugh "at the old
man's words of warning"?
In the Metamorphoses, Pentheus, son of Echion, laughs at the old
man's words of warning by pushing him away. This is after he's
already taunted Tiresias about his blindness. This is a big
mistake, as Tiresias's prophecy turns out to be true, and
Pentheus is torn to shreds by the Maenads, the fanatical followers
of Bacchus, the god of wine and ritual madness.

Despite his remarkable accuracy as a prophet, it's astonishing

just how many people in ancient Greek mythology treat Tiresias
and his prophecies with such contempt and disrespect. The most
obvious of these is Oedipus in Oedipus Rex by Sophocles.

Pentheus, son of the Spartan Echion, is the latest in a long line of

presumptuous individuals to behave in such an outrageous
manner. Despite the prophet's growing reputation, and the

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respect in which he is held by so many, Pentheus openly laughs

in Tiresias's face and, for good measure, mocks him for his
blindness.

Tiresias responds by saying that Pentheus would be happy to

have his useless eyes, because that way he wouldn't have to see
the rites of Bacchus, the god of wine and ritual madness. As it is,
though, unless he pays respect to Bacchus, unless he honors the
god, Pentheus will be torn into a thousand pieces. But Pentheus
still pays no heed to Tiresias's warning and pushes the blind seer
away.

As one could expect, Tiresias's prophecy comes true, and in the

most horrific way imaginable. Pentheus, the foolish young man
who mocked the prophet, is brutally torn limb from limb by the
Maenads, the fanatical female followers of the Bacchus cult.

What is the setting of the

myth of Narcissus?

The beautiful Narcissus scorns the love of the nymphs who love
him. One of them is angry at him for mocking her, so she lifts her
hands to the heavens and asks that Narcissus get a taste of his
own medicine in the form of unfulfilled love. The goddess
Rhamnusia hears the plea.

The setting where Narcissus falls in love with himself is described

as follows in Ovid's version of the story. Narcissus sees a bright,
silvery fountain full of water. Nobody that he might expect to find
there, such as a shepherd with his flock, is near it, so Narcissus
has it all to himself. There are not any other animals or birds
around this pool of water. The landscape is entirely still and
silent.

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Grass grows around the fountain, as do trees, because there is

plenty of water for them. The trees provide shade from the sun.
Narcissus, tired, hot, and thirsty from running around, is strongly
attracted to the lovely shade and the water. He drinks from the
clear pool.

In this silent, idyllic setting, Narcissus sees a beautiful form in the

water and is spellbound by it. He falls in love with it, not knowing
it is himself. This is a love that can never be fulfilled because the
face he sees reflected in the water is not that of another person.

The loneliness of the setting, with not even a bird in view,

reinforces the theme that self love is a lonely, empty business.

In Ovid's telling of
Proserpina's rape in
the Metamorphoses, what is
an example of humour and
how is it funny?
In Ovid's telling of Proserpina's rape in the Metamorphoses, what
is an example of humor and how is it funny? This answer focuses
on the ways that Ovid's writing style and tone can be humorous.
The questioner wants to know instances where Ovid uses
elements like irony, sarcasm, or parody and for what purpose. In
other words, why does Ovid include humor in his narrative? An
interesting aspect of Ovid's poem is that he often includes
comedy sketches within his larger story. One example is the story
of Arethusa. In Book 5, line 507 to Book 6, line 64, Ovid tells a
fable about two nymphs who were best friends.

In Book 5 of Ovid's Metamorphoses, the poet tells the story of

how Pluto, god of the underworld, abducted Proserpina, the
daughter of the goddess Ceres. Ovid was not the first epic poet to

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take up this topic, as a Greek version of this story can be found in

the Homeric Hymn to Demeter, which was written about 500
years before Ovid.

The humor that one finds in Ovid's account of the rape is often a
subtle, refined sort of humor, not the sort of "ha-ha" humor one
might find in a comedy sketch on television or at a comedy club.
Sexual assault is no laughing matter, but Ovid, unlike his Greek
predecessor, moves the focus away from the pain and suffering of
the goddess and her daughter, and draws the audience's
attention to other matters.

One example of the subtle humor in Ovid's version of the story,

Venus has her son Cupid shoot Pluto with an arrow to cause him
to fall in love. Venus does this because she is upset that her
"empire of love" does not yet extend to the underworld. So, in
essence, Pluto's rape of Proserpine is a result of Venus being
power hungry.

Another example of Ovid's playfulness is his inclusion within the

narrative of stories like that of the boy who laughs at Ceres, who
then turns the boy into a newt. Ovid also, in the course of this
narrative, tells of the transformations of Cyane, Ascalaphus, the
Sirens, and Arethusa. Indeed, Ovid's interest in these tangential
stories nudges the audience's attention away from the sexual
assault and toward less serious matters such as people being
transformed into birds or bodies of water.

What is the significance of

the stories Orpheus tells of
Ganymede, Hyacinth, and
Pygmalion?
The significance of the stories Orpheus tells of Ganymede,
Hyacinth, and Pygmalion relates to the turbulent nature of love.

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Orpheus sings his songs after he personally experiences love's

unpredictable qualities.

In Book 10 of Ovid’s The Metamorphoses, Orpheus sings about

Ganymede, Hyacinth, and Pygmalion. The significance of these
mortals likely relates to the events in Orpheus’s life. Orpheus has
been through an ordeal. After his joyous wedding, things quickly
go downhill. His bride, Eurydice, is so in love that she exuberantly
runs through the flowery field without heeding a poisonous snake.
The snake bites her, and she dies. A dedicated husband, Orpheus
travels it to the underworld to get his bride back. The one
condition of leading her back to the mortal world is that he
cannot turn around and look at her. Unfortunately, Orpheus turns
around, so he losses her for a second time. Grief-stricken,
Orpheus’s mind turns to other love stories that have had their
ups and downs.

The first tale involves Jupiter and Ganymede. Jupiter, the king of
the gods, is enamored with Ganymede and goes to great lengths
to snatch him up. He turns himself into a bird, captures
Ganymede, and sets him up in heaven. Jupiter’s forceful love for
Ganymede seems to bear some significant connections to
Orpheus’s powerful love for Eurydice.

The next tumultuous love song involves Apollo. Like Jupiter,

Apollo has his eyes set on a “darling boy.” This boy is called
Hyacinth. Together, Apollo and Hyacinth participate in thrilling
activities. The fun comes to a momentary end when, while
throwing disks, Apollo hits Hyacinth in the face and kills him.
Apollo manages to hold on to Hyacinth by turning him into a
flower. This story is significant because perhaps it means that
Orpheus will find a way to stay close to Eurydice.

Finally, Orpheus tells the extensive tale of Pygmalion. After his

statue is transformed into a human wife, Pygmalion spawns a
scandalous family tree. His great-granddaughter, Myrrha, falls in
love with her dad. This story suggests that love can be
unpredictable; one can never be certain what will happen in the
future. This notion might be significant to Orpheus’s predicament

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because it suggests something unforeseen might happen that will

permit him to rejoin Eurydice.

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