Foreshadowing and Duality in Ovid’s take on Spurned Love: The Vengeance For Vanity

1668 Words4 Pages

Ovid was a much respected Roman poet, who lived in the Augustan period, from 43 B.C to 17 or 18 A.D. He greatly influenced literature in the Antiquity period, the Middle Age, and even Modern periods of literature. He was enthralled by the themes of love and eroticism and therefore, he used it frequently in his poetry. Therefore, in much of the Metamorphoses, he explores themes of love lost, love betrayed and love rejected as popular themes. Unsurprisingly, the story of Echo and Narcissus presents a tale of love that is spurned. The poem is part of a collection of poem published in his epic, titled Metamorphoses. Many have already written on morality as a theme, I will however look at his use of literary devices like, his use of language, imagery and plot devices to create the various tones in order to propel the theme of spurned love. In this essay, I will explore the various outcomes of spurned love, and in aid of sustaining my point, I will bring in contemporary modern interpretations of this myth; as well as other ancient Greco – Roman versions.

In many of the tales of the Metamorphoses and other poems from Ovid, most notably the Heroides there is a recurring theme of rejected love. Thus in the poem of Narcissus and Echo, Ovid recycles this theme once again. The story speaks of Echo an Oread a (mountain nymph), who falls in love with the fair Narcissus, but through his pride he rejects her. Sadly, this tragic love story ends tragically for both characters. Ovid emphasises the motif of revenge for spurned love, by having Echo parallel the experiences of Narcissus. The combination of these two mythological characters is used by Ovid to explain the protagonist’s self obsession and vanity; therefore the two contrast each other. ...

... middle of paper ...

...DWSQ&hl=en&sa=X&ei=ldEUU4KcKqTg7Qbm-4GIDg&ved=0CF8Q6AEwCQ>

KEEFE, ROBERT. "ARTIST AND MODEL IN "THE PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY"." Studies in the novel. 5.1 (1973): 63 - 70. Web. 10 Mar. 2014. .

Ovid, "Metamorphoses: Book I." ENGLISH II: LITERATURE & MYTH 2014. UWC.

Ovid. The Metamorphoses. Trans. A.S. Kline. Vermont: A. S. Kline. 2000. p. 199 – 201. Web. 10 March 2014.

http://www.poetryintranslation.com/klineasovid.htm

Stirrup, Barbara. "Ovid's Narrative Technique: A Study in Duality." Latomus. 1.65 (1976): 97 - 107. Print. .

Open Document