Baucis and Philemon COMPLETE ANNOTATIONS

All the annotations for Baucis and Philemon, for my Latin Literature GCSE

(1-11) Iuppiter huc specie…

“here” - makes scene more vivid, as though we are in the marsh too

(1-11) venit Atlantiades positis caducifer alis

use of doctrina (showing off knowledge to make text more serious), wings and wand juxtaposed to strengthen the identification of Mercury, enclosing word order shows the wings were around him

(1-11) mille domos adiere… mille domos clausere

anaphora/epanalepsis emphasises number of houses visited (hyperbolic?), homeoteleuton of ‘ere’ links words together emphasising the treatment they received, dactylic line with rapid rhythm shows how tiring their journey was

(1-11) …tamen una recepit,

delayed caesura emphasises the closed doors

(1-11) parva quidem stipulis et canna tecta palustri

plosive alliteration emphasises the adjectives to create a more vivid description, each emphasising a different aspect of the story; enclosing word order used (roof ‘enclosed’ by marshy reeds)

(1-11) illa sunt annis iuncti iuvenablibus, illa consenuere casa

anaphora of demonstrative pronoun, shows importance of cottage to them and the story; soft ‘iu’ sound alliteration, reflects tender childhood nostalgia; word order emphasises their close relationship and shows importance of the cottage to the story

(1-11) fatendo… fatendo

homeoteleuton shows the two elements of their way of dealing with poverty are linked, use of gerunds stresses their actions

(1-11) levem nec iniqua mente ferendo nec refert

metaphor ‘levem’ - lit. means light, poverty light on their shoulders; litotes shows measured opinion, not ‘happy’ to be poor; epanalepsis of ‘nec’ shows negativity around poverty, what we expect to be important is not.

(1-11) dominos illic famulosne requires

homeoteleuton emphasises their togetherness in each case; dative pronoun, pointing at the place as though we are there (vivid)

(1-11) domus duo sunt, idem parentque iubentque

dental alliteration links words, they ARE the house; more homeoteleuton showing togetherness

(12-25) ubi caelicolae parvos tetigere penates

grand compound adjective juxtaposed with small house; word for ‘household gods’ used for house to create contrast with caelicolae, also reminds us B&P are very pious, emphasised by plosive alliteration

(12-25) summissoque humiles intrarunt vertice postes

balanced arrangement (ABAB) of nouns and verbs; spondaic line shows grandeur and size of the gods

(12-25) posito iussit relevare sedili

enclosing word order, they are ‘enclosed’ by the couch as they sit on it

(12-25) textum rude sedula Baucis

chiasmus (ABBA) - draws attention to Baucis and the cloth and their characteristics, stressing the effort of ‘busy’ Baucis even though she hasn’t much to work with

(12-25) foco tepidum cinerem dimovit

m/n alliteration, sad sounds, emphasises sympathy for Baucis working hard with her old age

(12-25) suscitat hesternos foliisque et cortice sicco

siblance creates hissing/rattling sound of fire (or Baucis’ breath?); also variartio in words used for fire (sicco, ignes, flammas, arida)

(12-25) suscitat… nutrit… detulit… truncat

verbs enjambed as 1st word, emphasises Baucis’ activity and creates suspense and sense of motion from one line to the next, linking the lines together

(12-25) ad flammas anima producit anili

assonance of ‘a’ sound emphasises Baucis’ feeble breath

(12-25) multifidasque faces ramaliaque arida tecto

detail of firewood, gathered from different sources showing they are making the most of what they have, self sufficiency was a virtue in Roman society emphasising how virtuous they are

(12-25) “minuit parvoque”

juxtaposition of words meaning decreased and small emphasises the small scale that Baucis is working on, further shows resourcefulness and work ethic

(12-25) quodque suus coniunx riguo collegerat horto truncat holus foliis; furca levat…

‘suus’ unneccessary, emphasises their closeness; Philemon shown to play his part as well, domestic harmony, enclosing word order ‘encloses’ his part within Baucis, showing teamwork but also how Baucis takes the lead

(12-25) sordida terga suis nigro

emphatic position of these words at the start of each half of the line stresses the smoky darkness of the cottage - pigs back and beams both dark; sibilance emphasises that the pig meat is dirty

(12-25) diu resecat de tergore partem

shows poverty, food made to last a long time, living sustainably; polyptoton of ‘terga/tergore’ creates a vivid mental image

(12-25) exiguam sectamque domat ferventibus undis.

emphatic position & enjambment (prior line) show how thin the slices were - shows poverty; poetic word ‘domat’ meaning tamer used, creates a more grand image; hyperbole of ‘waves’ of water with use of undis

(26-35) medias fallunt sermonibus horas

enclosing word order and internal rhyme/homeoteleuton emphasise the time passing, reflected in the use of hyperbole

(26-35) fallunt… prohibent… accipit

negative words used for kind actions makes scene more vivid and interesting - Ovid is implying an intention that isn’t there, choice of verbs imply a sense of deception, which could refer to trying to hide poverty out of embarrassment?

(26-35) illic fagineus

enjambment emphasises fact that the tub is made of beech (not metal), rustic wooden tub reflects poverty

(26-35) is tepidis impleture aquis artusque fovendos accipit

chiasmus (ABBA) juxtaposes water and limbs to mimic the limbs being inserted into the water; also note that the water bucket is personified, it does not ‘receive’ anything actually

(26-35) salignis… saligno

polyptoton shows rustic nature of the house, furniture of timber, and as willow is bendy we can imagine the couch would sag under the weight of the gods

(26-35) vestibus… sed et haec vilisque vetusque vestis erat

first vestibus is in an emphatic position, as 3 lines of description follow; polyptoton with ‘vestis’ and alliteration of ‘v’ links cheap/ancient to the coverlet, stressing the unpleasantness; harsh alliteration/repetition/polyptoton of ‘que’ also emphasises this

(26-35) lecto non indignanda saligno.

litotes, snide comment by Ovid, positive phrase used in a negative context, ‘unworthy’ of gods, shows his intent - seemingly more positive comment following prior negative but yet is still negative (ironic)

(26-35) accubuere dei

emphatic short sentence in reversed word order, emphasises the role of the gods

(36-50) cratera repleri sponte sua per seque vident succrescere vina

chiasmus draws attention to the draining and refilling of the bowl, pleonasm (sponte…seque) and sibilance stresses magic and emphasises the fizz of the wine refilling - v alliteration links action of seeing and wine together

(36-50) attoniti novitate pavent manibusque supinis

dactylic line creates a rapid rhythm (along with use of enjambment) - shows their panic at the ‘magic’ refilling; t alliteration creates a harsh sound emphasising their astonishment and the unusual event; immediate response to pray reflects their pious nature

(36-50) concipiunt Baucisque preces timidusque Philemon

word order indicates Baucis is more confident, emphasises Philemon’s fear; repeated conjunctions create a fast pace, enclosing word order shows the juxtaposition of prayers and fears, showing their piety

(36-50) dapibus nullisque paratibus orant

homeoteleuton emphasises the two things they are sorry for, humility reflected as they have made preparations, apologising for their poverty, ‘orant’ frames the line emphasising their apologetic nature

(36-50) unicus anser erat, minimae custodia villae,

emphatic position of unicus stresses their poverty, along with the use of superlatives, enclosing word order reflects the guardian being inside the house, idea of goose as guardian is a reference to Manlius and the Geese (doctrina)

(36-50) dis hospitibus domini

juxtaposition, daunting to have gods to stay - domini is ironic, no slaves to be masters of

(36-50) celer penna tardos aetate fatigat

chiasmus contrasts adjectives for goose and for B&P, showing how it is easy for the goose to escape; enjambment shows fatigue, pleonasm shows length of chase

(36-50) eluditque diu tandemque est visus ad ipsos

polysyndeton emphasises the length of chase, juxtaposition also shows this; emphatic pronoun in an emphatic position emphasises the hyperbole of goose escaping to heaven, almost comical effect

(36-50) deos. superi vetuere necari

caesura emphasises ‘deos’, variartio with superi, which means ‘the ones above’ fitting with the goose joke

(36-50) meritasque luet vicinia poenas __ impia

‘mertitas’ and ‘luet’ promoted for emphasis, showing the deserved punishment, enclosing word order shows how water will surrond them; enjambment emphasises impia stressing the irreligious nature of the town

(36-50) modo vestra relinquite tecta ac nostros comitate gradus

2x orders - very clear with same structure and word order, enclosing w/o emphasises the following of the gods steps; use of ‘modo’ (just) shows gods don’t understand how big a deal this request is.

(50-63) nituntur longo vestigia ponere clivo

emphatic first word stresses their effort, spondic rhythm of line reflects their slow footsteps, enclosing word order of longo…clivo stresses danger

(50-63) tantum aberant summo, quantum semel ire sagitta__ missa potest

m/n alliterations shows fatigue and overwhelming emotions, sibilance reflects the whistle of the arrow, and the use of enjambment emphasises the distance the arrow travels

(50-63) mersa palude cetera prospiciunt, tantum sua tecta manere

suspense built through use of enclosing word order (mersa..cetera) and harsh t alliteration which emphasises this idea

(50-63) dumque ea mirantur, dum deflent fata suorum

anaphora of ‘dum’ shows how this is all happening at the same time - overwhelming Baucis and Philemon, multiple verbs reflect their mixed emotions. Use of possessive adjective ‘their’ to stand in for noun shows how close they were to the neighbours, emphasised by emphatic end of line position

(50-63) illa vetus dominis etiam casa parva duobus__ vertitur in templum

perjorative - ‘that old little house’ - contrasts with the temple it becomes, enclosing word order emphasises the temple forms ‘inside’ the house; enjambment builds suspense

(50-63) stramina flavescunt aurataque tecta videntur

assonance of ‘a’ shows their shock, hard ‘t’ alliteration shows hardness of gold roof; homeoteleuton of ‘-ina/-ta’ allows us to see their reaction to the change

(50-63) placido Saturnius edidit ore

enclosing word order (words enclose Jupiter), also use of doctrina - son of Saturn, more impressive

(50-63) iuste senex et femina coniuge iusto digna

double chiasmus shows the balance present within their relationship; repeated assonant ‘iu’ sound means ‘joined together’ shows their closeness; polyptoton emphasises honesty of Philemon and the value Baucis places on it

(50-63) cum Baucide pauca locutus iudicium superis aperit commune Philemon

enclosing w/o emphasises shared nature of decision - balanced phrase shows the balance in their relationship, assonant ‘i’ sound makes the sentence flow together, building suspense around their decision

(64-76) esse sacerdotes delubraque vestra tueri

chiasmus juxtaposes priests and shrine - they will be there all the time, B & P are a ‘pair’ reflected in the use of paired phrases to show closeness - also use of poetic plural

(64-76) poscimus, et quoniam concordes egimus annos,

enjambment from prior lines emphasises their request - confident in their decision, satisified with life, not greedy and corrupt; enclosing w/o reminds us of their harmony as the peaceful years enclose B&P

(64-76) auferat hora duos eadem

verb promoted - metaphor/emphemism for death used, enclosing w/o emphasises their request and shows their closeness

(64-76) coniuguis umquam busta meae

enclosing w/o - meae postponed, emphatic (also not strictly needed, so stresses togetherness); ‘umquam’ is emphatic, stresses his desire to not survive her

(64-76) tumulandus ab illa

gerundive places obligation on Baucis, which is not desired; emphatic pronoun shows empathy, anticipating her pain

(64-76) votes fides sequitur; templi tutela fuere,

chiastic alliteration (f/t alliteration within chiasmus) was believed to help with prayers, reflects their new role and their pious nature; impersonal phrase at start shows gods have gone, mysterious sense

(64-76) donec vita data est

dental alliteration and assonant ‘a’ sound creates more memorable phrase - 3 successive short phrases creates a fast tempo, covers the rest of their lives (ascending tricolon?)

(64-76) annis aevoque soluti

pleonasm/repetition - emphasises her age, passing of time, idea of being ‘released’ from duties, implication they have lived a good life and are ready to move on

(64-76) ante gradus sacros cum starent forte locique

synecdoche - steps represent temple, vivid image of their position, also promoted to show importance of gods/temple, builds suspense by delaying details of death; unaware or unprepared for death, shows dramatic irony; enjambment creates suspense

(64-76) frondere Philemona Baucis Baucida conspexit senior frondere Philemon

2x chiasmus - shows how they are linked as a pair, being separated by death, and also shows how they both grow leaves equally/at the same time; verb does ‘double duty’ showing they are in sync, allowing us to imagine their feelings; use of balanced phrases and enclosing w/o

(64-76) iamque super geminos crescente cacumine vultus

we anticipate yet more happening to Baucis and Philemon, chiasmus later in sentence reflects their faces being separated by the growing trees, c alliteration reflects sound of crackling leaves (hostile?)

(64-76) mutua, dum licuit, reddebant dicta

promoted first word stresses their shared life and even shared death, m/d alliteration, soft sounds - pathos about final words; words separated (mutua dicta) which should agree, reflects their own separation

(64-76) ‘vale’ que

direct speech - brief goodbye, pathos; use of enjambment allows words to stretch over 2 lines, emphasises importance of message

(64-76) ‘o coniunx’ dixere simul, simul abdita texit

harsh ‘x’ sound reflects how fate has come rapidly, without warning; juxtaposition of ‘simul’ emphasises that the events are happening while they are speaking; pleonasm of ‘abdita texit’ emphasises the total coverage

(64-76) ora frutex.

juxtaposition - fruit tree and faces are now linked together, delayed to build suspense (also variartio with vultus in line 77)