french lit metamorphosis: quiz 2

week 6: ovid in art

what is a summary of apollo and dafne by ovid?

• Apollo angers Cupid by mocking his powers, prompting Cupid to take revenge using his arrows

• Cupid shoots Apollo with a golden arrow that causes intense love, and shoots Daphne with a lead arrow that causes her to reject love entirely

• Apollo becomes consumed with desire for Daphne and relentlessly pursues her, while she is terrified and determined to escape him and remain independent

• As Apollo nearly catches her after a long chase, Daphne calls out for divine help to save her from him

• She is transformed into a laurel tree just in time, and Apollo, still in love, embraces the tree and declares it sacred to him

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• an allegory of the need for humans to rise above their impulsive instincts and pursue higher goals such as art, philosophy, and spirituality

• The story suggests that everyone and everything (including a powerful god) is subjected to the power of Love

• a story about consent, for the male gaze

week 6: ovid in art

what is a summary of diana and actaeon by ovid?

• Cadmus searches for his sister Europa, but an oracle tells him to stop and instead follow a cow to found a new city

• Cadmus follows the cow to Boeotia and attempts to make a sacrifice, but must first kill a dragon guarding a sacred spring; after slaying it, he sows the dragon’s teeth into the ground, and armed warriors rise up and help establish Thebes

• Later, Cadmus’ grandson Actaeon is out hunting when he accidentally comes across Diana bathing in a secluded grove

• Angry at being seen, Diana transforms Actaeon into a stag, leaving him unable to speak or reveal his identity

• Actaeon is chased and killed by his own hunting dogs, who do not recognize him, bringing a tragic end to his story

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• fable warning that your weapons and / or power could kill you, must be cautious

• an allegory of the dangers of approaching the divine, the limits of human knowledge, and the terrifying, arbitrary nature of pow

week 6: ovid in art

what is a summary of narcissus and echo by ovid?

• Echo is cursed by Juno so she can only repeat the last words others say, losing her ability to speak freely

• Echo falls in love with Narcissus, a beautiful but arrogant boy who rejects all who love him

• When Echo tries to approach Narcissus, she can only repeat his words, and he cruelly rejects her, causing her to waste away until only her voice remains

• As punishment for his cruelty, the gods cause Narcissus to fall in love with his own reflection in a pool of water

• Unable to leave his reflection, Narcissus slowly wastes away and dies, and in his place grows the narcissus flower

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• an allegory of the dangers of vanity, excessive self-love, and the destructive nature of unrequited desire

• sexuality is an essential part of nature

  • metamorphosis represents the power of love, so the potential of asexuality simply isn’t an option!

  • both are ill-fated, metamorphosed!

• passive vs active sexual practice defined your sexuality, not opposing genders, no gay identity in roman history

• feminine features only ones desired

week 6: ovid in art

what is a summary of pyramus and thisbe by ovid?

• Pyramus and Thisbe are young lovers forbidden to be together by their families

• They communicate secretly through a crack in the wall between their houses and plan to meet outside the city under a mulberry tree

• Thisbe arrives first but flees when she sees a lioness, accidentally dropping her veil, which the lioness tears and stains with blood

• When Pyramus arrives and finds the bloody veil, he assumes Thisbe has been killed and, in despair, takes his own life

• Thisbe returns, finds Pyramus dying, and kills herself as well; their blood stains the mulberry fruit dark red, marking the tragic end of their love

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• an allegory of the consequences of forbidden love and the destructive nature of familial conflict

• a tragic cautionary tale for young lover

week 6: ovid in art

what is a summary of perseus and medusa by ovid?

• Perseus is sent on a quest to kill Medusa, a monster whose gaze turns people to stone

• With help from the gods, Perseus receives special tools, including a reflective shield, which allows him to approach Medusa without looking at her directly

• Perseus finds Medusa asleep and uses the reflection to guide himself, successfully cutting off her head

• Even after her death, Medusa’s head retains its power, and Perseus uses it to turn enemies to stone

• Perseus later explains that Medusa was once a beautiful woman, but was transformed into a monster by Minerva as punishment

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• an allegory of the unfairness of the world, where the vulnerable are punished for the crimes committed against them by the powerful, and the terrifying consequences of divine, or, by extension, imperial, injustic

week 6: ovid in art

what is a summary of bacchus and ariadne by ovid?

• Ariadne helps Theseus escape the labyrinth where he faces the Minotaur, but he abandons her on the island of Naxos, leaving her heartbroken

• Alone and despairing, Ariadne wanders the island, mourning her fate, when she is discovered by Bacchus, who is struck by her beauty and grief

• Bacchus comforts Ariadne, promising love and protection, and they fall in love, with Bacchus eventually marrying her

• As a reward for her loyalty and their union, Bacchus grants Ariadne immortality, elevating her from mortal sorrow to divine status

• To commemorate their love, Bacchus places Ariadne’s crown among the stars, symbolizing eternal devotion and the transformative power of love

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• an allegory of salvation, the transition from mortality to divinity, and the promise of a joyful afterlife

week 6: ovid in art

what is a summary of baucis and philemon by ovid?

• Jupiter and Mercury visit a town in disguise, seeking hospitality, but are rejected by everyone except an elderly couple, Baucis and Philemon

• Baucis and Philemon warmly welcome the gods, offering food, wine, and their humble home, showing extraordinary kindness and generosity

• The gods reveal their identities and punish the inhospitable townspeople by flooding the town, but spare Baucis and Philemon

• The couple’s house is transformed into a magnificent temple, and they are granted a wish: to die at the same time so neither has to live without the other

• When they die, they are transformed into intertwined trees, an oak and a linden, symbolizing their eternal love and devotion

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• A celebration of Roman moral, social, and religious values, particularly focusing on pietas (piety/duty), hospitium (hospitality), and the rewards of a virtuous, simple life, all of which remained in the Christian tradition

week 6: ovid in art

what is a summary of pygmalion and galatea by ovid?

• Pygmalion, disgusted by the immorality of women around him, creates a beautiful ivory statue of his ideal woman and falls in love with it

• He treats the statue as if it were real, dressing it, bringing gifts, and speaking to it with affection

• Moved by his devotion, Venus brings the statue to life in response to his prayers

• Pygmalion names her Galatea, and they marry, living happily together

• The story highlights idealized love, artistic creation, and divine intervention

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• an allegory of art’s power to create a reality better than life itself

week 6: ovid in art

what does allen explain in his article as to why ovid was so central to art?

• Ovid’s central role in art: Ovid’s Metamorphoses became the most important literary source for mythological subjects in Renaissance and later Western visual art — more than any other classical author.

• Metamorphoses as a “handbook”: The Metamorphoses functioned like a mythological handbook, widely read, translated, paraphrased, and illustrated, and deeply integrated into the visual arts.

  • Metamorphoses offers a huge range of exciting stories of transformation that artists could draw on.

• Ubiquity and challenge of influence: Ovid’s influence is so pervasive that “Ovidian” often becomes synonymous with mythological in art history, even when specific stories aren’t directly from his text.

• Relationship between text and image: The chapter discusses how mythological painting and sculpture draw from Ovid but also incorporate other classical sources, making the “Ovidian subject” broad and sometimes ambiguous.

• Impact on artists: Artists from Botticelli, Titian, Rubens, Bernini, and many others turned Ovid’s transformed myths into enduring visual narrative

week 6: ovid in art

how can metamorphosis be contextualized in ovid’s metamorphoses?

• for the ancient greeks, metamorphosis was a manifestation if a philosophy of universal fluidity

  • universe to be understood as a constant flux and transformation

• the process is also a tool for imposing a familiar, stable order on things as exemplified in the story of Lycaon

  • darkest parts are always there

  • transformation of shape = ordering

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• can occur at the story’s climax or at the denouement (resolution)

• may enact punishment, a way to escape a fatal situation, or a reward

• produces and sustains the enduring memory of complex human experiences

week 6: ovid in art

how are ovid’s myths etiological?

etiological: An etiological myth is a story that offers a narrative explanation for the origin of cultural symbols: Apollo’s laurel, the origin of echo and the daffodil (narcissus), the reason why the mulberry trees’ fruit are black, the origin of the Corona Borealis constellation (Ariadne’s crown), the origin of an oak and a linden three intertwined in front of a temple (Philemon and Baucis) etc.

• Metamorphosis reveals the tension between what one is and what one looks like

basically, his myths offer explanations for things and concepts that aren’t easily understood (complex human experiences), providing a deeper meaning/explanation of life

week 6: ovid in art

according to allen, what was the appeal of ovid’s stories (for artists)?

• new awareness of viewing subject and objective world lead to a desire to represent certain experiences that were absent from religious stories

  • interest for hidden meaning

• individuals mostly only see images at church

  • rarely saw images, almost like magical objects to them

• POV of subjectivity in painting in the renaissance

  • mona lisa — smiling or not?

  • break away from god’s perspective

• painters had interest in lawyers and controversy and ovid gave tham that material!

week 6: ovid in art

according to allen, how did artists use ovid’s materials?

• relative and absolute decorum: according to the rule of decorum “the human body could very seldom be shown actually undergoing metamorphic change.

  • “Language is a more abstract medium, and we can read with pleasure about things that would shock or disgust us if presented before our eyes.

• some of these paintings may go against our own “decorums” or moral standards

  • nudity? gore and blood?

  • this nudity wasn’t as accessible as it is today

• THE POWER OF LOVE AND DESIRE!! was extremely essential and an important theme for these artists, thus inspired by ovid’s tales

week 6: ovid in art

what is the power of love and desire in ovid’s metamorphosis?

• cupid represents much more than romantic and sexual desire; he is understood as fundamental, often transformative force of nature that connects individuals toward beauty, truth, and the divine

• stories of metamorphosis serve as cautionary tales regarding the inherent dangers of beauty as a powerful quality capable of compromising reason and stability, the Catholic tradition perceived it through a dual lens: as an expression of divine perfection, yet conversely, as a temptation used by the Devil to corrupt the souls of the imprudent

  • dual lens: an expression of divine perfection, yet conversely, as a temptation used by the devil

week 7: ovid in drama

what is a summary of iphis and ianthe by ovid?

• Iphis is born female, but her father demands a son, so her mother raises her as a boy in secret

• As Iphis grows up, she becomes engaged to Ianthe, and the two genuinely fall in love, though Iphis is distressed because she knows they cannot marry as she is

• Iphis struggles with her identity and the impossibility of their relationship, while Ianthe remains unaware of the truth

• Before the wedding, Iphis’ mother prays to Isis for help

• The goddess transforms Iphis into a man, allowing the marriage to go forward, and Iphis and Ianthe are happily united

week 7: ovid in drama

what is a summary of iphis and ianthe by benserade?

• Iphis is born female but raised as a boy to satisfy her father’s demand for a son, creating a hidden identity that shapes the entire plot

• As Iphis grows older, she becomes engaged to Ianthe, and the two genuinely fall in love, but Iphis is deeply distressed because she knows their marriage seems impossible

• Unlike Ovid’s version, the play emphasizes dialogue and psychological conflict, highlighting Iphis’ inner turmoil, fear of discovery, and the tension between love and social expectations

• Iphis’ mother, aware of the secret, becomes increasingly anxious and ultimately turns to the gods, seeking a solution before the wedding can expose the truth

• Through divine intervention, Iphis is transformed into a man, resolving the crisis and allowing the marriage to proceed, restoring social order and concluding the play with emotional and dramatic resolution

week 7: ovid in drama

what is a summary of lesbianism in benserade’s iphis and ianthe by dupas?

• Dupas argues that Iphis et Ianthe foregrounds a female–female love relationship, even though it is ultimately resolved through transformation

• Dupas explains that the play dwells more than Ovid on Iphis’ desire for Ianthe, highlighting emotional and romantic intimacy between two women rather than minimizing it

• She argues that the tension of the play comes from the conflict between same-sex desire and social expectations, especially the pressure to conform to heterosexual marriage

• Although Iphis is transformed into a man, Dupas suggests this ending can be read as a way to contain or “normalize” lesbian desire within acceptable social structures

• Overall, Dupas shows that Benserade’s version both reveals and suppresses lesbian desire, making the play a complex exploration of gender, identity, and sexuality

week 7: ovid in drama

what is a summary of changing the ways of the world by lanser?

• Lanser argues that stories like Iphis and Ianthe challenge traditional ideas about gender, sexuality, and social norms

• Lanser shows that narratives of transformation in Metamorphoses can be read as disrupting fixed categories of sex and identity, rather than simply restoring order

• She emphasizes that female same-sex desire is visible and meaningful in the story, even if it is later resolved through transformation into heterosexual union

• Lanser argues that these texts reflect tensions between individual desire and societal expectations, especially in patriarchal systems

• Overall, she suggests that such stories “change the ways of the world” by exposing and questioning norms about gender, sexuality, and power

week 7: ovid in drama

what did the early days of theater look like in europe?

• Medieval Europe: religious and allegorical plays

• Renaissance: traveling theatre companies (farce, tragedies); in Paris, starting in 1548, traveling companies could rent the theatre of the Hotel de Bourgogne; by the 1600 this theatre was occupied by a permanent company of actors

• 1630s Paris: the Cardinal of Richelieu institutionalized the practice of theatre; theatre becomes fashionable in the gallant circles of the capital

• Isaac de Benserade, who frequented the most influential salon of the time led by the marquise of Rambouillet, sharpens his poetic skills by writing a few play

• actors were turned away from church, catholic constantly opposes theater as they believe it challenges the religion

week 7: ovid in drama

how were same sex relationships characterized in the 17th century?

• the “waste of semen” was the church’s main concern

  • cannot have itercourse without the intent to procreate

• the controversy came from women attempting penetration

• woman - woman wasn’t considered a sexual practice!

  • so, it was ignored / unimportant

week 7: ovid in drama

what is the definition of gallantry?

• “an art of loving and, more generally, to a way of behaving among Parisian social elites that was marked by ostensible respect for women and greater acceptance of the sensual dimensions of love. […] Located at the crossroad of literature, fine arts and amorous behaviors among the seventeenth-century French nobility, it constitutes an aesthetics not only for art, but also for life – an ‘aesthetics of existence’ that enabled the social elites of the time to reinvent themselves by displacing the limits between the licit and the illicit as regards gender, love and sex”

  • basically polite attentive behavior done by a man for a woman

  • chivalry, showing respect and honor

  • male lovers die in the case of love, sufferance and pleasure existing simultaneously

week 7: ovid in drama

how does gallantry apply to iphis and ianthe?

• Iphis et Ianthe invites audiences to question what counts as “sex” and erotic pleasure in a changing cultural context

• The concept of gallantry transforms earlier forms of friendship (amity) into a new system of romantic and sexual behavior, later defined as “sexuality”

• The play presents lesbian desire as a form of erotic agency, showing individuals expressing desire within evolving social norms

• It redefines physical affection (kissing, caressing) as part of a broader progression toward sexual fulfillment

• At the same time, the play ultimately reframes same-sex desire as a precursor to heterosexual love, reinforcing heterosexual norms

• By ending in marriage and transformation, the play supports heterosexual patriarchy and the importance of reproduction

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• ianthe uses the “tu” when addressing iphis

  • but iphis maintains “vous”, keeping the courtly code

week 7: ovid in drama

how does lanser define modernity in the changing ways of the world?

“a way to differentiate past and future, north and south, progress and regress, radical and conservative’, an effort to be ‘free…from the weight of the past’ that requires ‘every generation’ to raise ‘questions anew’”

week 7: ovid in drama

what is dramatic irony?

a literary device by which the audience’s or reader’s understanding of events or individuals in a work surpasses that of its characters. Dramatic irony is a form of irony that is expressed through a work’s structure: an audience’s awareness of the situation in which a work’s characters exist differs substantially from that of the characters’, and the words and actions of the characters therefore take on a different—often contradictory—meaning for the audience than they have for the work’s characters.

• exists in the conversation with iphis’s parents

  • iphis “lacks what?” a penis!

week 7: ovid in drama

what is metatheatre?

• in “metamorphosis”, the prefix meta- signifies “change”; in ”metatheatre”, the prefix meta- means‘beyond, above, at a higher level’: “Prefixed to the name of a subject or discipline to denote another which… raises questions about the nature of the original discipline and its methods, procedures, and assumptions.”

• “Metatheatricality” refers to theatrical techniques that draw attention to the nature of performance, breaking the "fourth wall" to remind the audience they are watching a play.

week 7: ovid in drama

what is deus (or Dea) ex machina?

• Literally: ‘god from the machina’ (the device by which gods were suspended above the stage in the Greek theatre)

• A power, event, person, or thing that comes in the nick of time to solve a difficulty; providential interposition, esp. in a novel or play

  • in this case… the goddess isis

week 7: ovid in drama

is the fake beard used on stage meant to convince the audience that a metamorphosis has occurred?

no! it’s meant to be funny and ridiculous, not to be convinced.

comments on the idea that gender is based on physical traits

“more of this… less of that” fluidity

week 8: ovid in opera

what is a summary of atys by quinault?

• Atys is loved by the powerful goddess Cybele, but he is in love with the mortal Sangaride

• Sangaride is promised to another man, but she and Atys confess their love and plan to be together, creating tension between divine power and human desire

• Cybele, unaware at first of their relationship, chooses Atys as her priest and places him under her protection, deepening the conflict

• When Cybele discovers their love, she becomes jealous and vengeful, using her divine power to punish Atys

• Driven mad by Cybele, Atys kills Sangaride in a frenzy, and when he regains his senses, he is overcome with grief

• In the end, Cybele transforms Atys into a pine tree, preserving him forever, and the story ends in tragedy, emphasizing love, jealousy, and divine cruelty

week 8: ovid in opera

what is a summary of the story of cybele and atys by parisi?

• Parisi examines the myth of Cybele and Atys across different versions, including classical and early modern adaptations

• Parisi explains that the story centers on love, jealousy, and divine power, with Cybele’s desire for Atys leading to tragic consequences

• She highlights how Atys’ fate—madness, violence, and transformation—is tied to themes of control, punishment, and devotion to the goddess

• The article emphasizes the importance of ritual and religion, especially Cybele’s cult, where the myth reflects practices of sacrifice, transformation, and identity

• Overall, Parisi shows how the myth has been adapted over time, with different versions shaping its meaning while preserving its core themes of love, power, and tragedy

week 8: ovid in opera

how was the 2022 contemporary production of atys approached?

• Cappella Mediterranea: period instruments, interpretation based on 17th-century French practices

• Costumes and Sets: Contemporary, suggest mythic times, water nymphs wearing bathing suits

• Choreography: contemporary dance and movements, doubles practically every scene (unlike 17th c. practices); singers also perform dance movements (sometimes reminiscent of 17th-century baroque gestures)

week 8: ovid in opera

according to parisi, what are the 5 key events of atys?

1. Atys promised to be faithful to Cybele: Quinault does not follow Ovid, Atys only promises his respect and gratitude

2. Atys sleeps with Sangaride: Quinault represents the progression of their forbidden mutual love from beginning (I, 6: initial declarations) to end (V, 1: Cybele says that she “witness their passionate love”)

3. The Furies drive Atys insane: In Quinault’s libretto, Cybele asks the Furies to drive him insane. In his insanity he mistakes Sangaride for a monster and kills her before taking his own life.

4. Atys’ emasculation: in Quinault, Atys stabs himself in the heart and remains defiant until the end

5. Cybele metamorphoses Atys into a pine tree. Quinault follows Ovid and his version ends with the Corybantes lamenting his fate

week 8: ovid in opera

what is a tragedie en musique?

• Invented in the courts of Northern Italy (Mantua, Florence) in late 16th century by humanist artists as an attempt to recreate the performance practices of Ancient Greek Theater: Dafne (1598), Orfeo (1607), Andromeda (1637).

• Most salient feature: songs (arias) expressing human sufferings : laments (ital.: lamento/i)

• While performance art blending singing and dancing (ballet de cour) was already firmly established at the French court, the introduction of Italian opera in mid- 1600s Paris met with heavy criticism.

  • Critics derided these continuously sung performances for lacking dramatic coherence, featuring monotonous recitative, indulging in excessive vocal acrobatics, and employing castrated male singers

• audience was enthralled by this experience

week 8: ovid in opera

what are air and recitative in tragedie en musique?

The words used to describe most of the singing in French tragédie en musique are récit and récitatif (Engl.: recitative). Récitatif acts as a bridge between spoken dialogue and song closely followings the natural inflections and rhythms of the French language.

While Italian operas of the same period (late 17th century) separated singing into distinct recitative and aria sections, Lullian tragédie en musique blended the narrative récitatif seamlessly with shorter, more melodic, and emotional songs known as airs.

week 8: ovid in opera

what is a baroque music performance practice?

During a baroque music performance, performers are expected to embellish the melodic line by adding notes, repeating certain notes, or even by adding vocal tremolos (ornamentation)

week 8: ovid in opera

what is ground bass?

Basso ostinato (or ground bass) is a musical technique featuring a constantly repeated bass line or harmonic pattern, acting as the foundation for melodic variations above it.

The descending bass line suggests melancholy and despair while the constant repetition expresses the obsessive nature of Sangaride’s love for Atys

week 8: ovid in opera

what were/are the beliefs of healing powers of Lamento (deep sorrow/grief)?

• Ancient civilizations in Greece, China, India, and Egypt widely believed that music held cosmic, moral, and physical powers capable of shaping human behavior, curing illnesses, and maintaining social harmony.

• During the Renaissance and Baroque periods, music was understood to have the power to affect mental states and emotions. Musical laments, which aestheticized the expression of sadness and sorrow, were believed to have the power to purge or sublimate melancholy.

• Modern neuroscience has proven that music listening stimulates the brain’s production of neurotransmitters such as serotonin that improve mood, reduce anxiety and stress