Ovid's Use Of Sexuality In Venus And Adonis

Ashley Gaither; Starks "'That's Amores!' Latin Love and Lovesickness in Venus and Adonis"

In a good overall summation of the article, the PowerPoint explores the ways in which Shakespeare both adhere to Ovid's use of sexuality and the ways in which Shakespeare metamorphosizes it. Ovid is known to have questioned the established Roman masculine ideal, and this Shakespeare takes even farther in Venus and Adonis when he transforms the traditional gender roles of the hunter and hunted. Shakespeare also transforms Petrarchan conventions through the adaptation of Ovid's focus on "mournful love", the power of love, and the pain of vulnerability for members of both sexes in Venus and Adonis and in much of his poetry.

Megan Shaw: Stanivukovic "Teaching

Ovidian Sexualities in English Renaissance Literature"
A very thorough PowerPoint presenting a well-organized and supported explanation of Stanivukovic's article. Stanivukovic employs a modern piece, "A Flowering" by Michael Longley, to introduce homo eroticism and sexuality in the intertwining works of Ovid, Golding, and Shakespeare. While each author questions sexuality and gender roles, the depth and overtness of this exploration varies by author. Audience awareness for each Renaissance author shaped the presence and morality of these themes, as Golding's audience was predominantly Christian and Shakespeare's was the educated, predominantly male nobility. While each pay aesthetic and literary homage to Ovid, they also diverge from him in cautioning against Ovid's pagan religion and reckless homosexuality. Stanivukovic notes that the cultural issues surrounding sexuality and gender roles are thus not new, and in literary terms, many works historically draw directly from Ovid.

Leah Deel: Sansonetti "Out-Oviding Ovid in Shakespeare's Venus and Adonis"
Great points are made throughout this PowerPoint on the manner in which Shakespeare is able to not only draw from Ovid, but also refine Ovid's craft and, in so doing, out master Ovid's skill. Ovid was unable to spend a lifetime studying his own literature before crafting it as did Shakespeare. The insight Shakespeare gained from his study of Ovid allowed him to rethink such matters as Ovid's point of view, style, and narrative technique. Shakespeare thus not only "emulates" Ovid, but also "overtakes him".