Ovid:

Who is Ovid-

/

-poet living under the reign of Augustus

-perfected the elegiac couplet

-Wrote Metamorphoses

-Wrote Arms amatoria-highly controversial by augustan standards,translates to the art of love

-Exiled by augustus in 8 AD

Highly educated

rhetoric-ability to speak persuasively

Ars Amatoria:

Best understood as a “how too” guide for romans in terms of dating as well as a satrirical social commentry on roman life

3 books-1st is about advice for men in terms of women,2nd is on how to keep a lover once one is found,3rd on advice to women regarding men-covers fashion,hairstyle etc-importannt to note he did note bound this poem by books

Ovid often portrays his advice in a comic way,treating dating and love like no more than a game or a millitary campaign:

-calls it the “warfare of love”

-deeply witty and ironic

“Ovid often has his tounge in his cheek”-grant

“submersive to the moral attitudes of the augustan regime”

Love can be a learnable skill/is an art form-ovid takes pleasure in teaching

Augustus moral reforms-

Augustus believes in monogamy,chastity and piety-think aeneid

Augustus published a series of legal reforms-with aims of restoring moral character of roman citizens-Encouraged legitimate children bearing and discourages adultery

Augustus gave political and fininial benefits to familys with three or more children

men who werent married by 38 were taxed more

adultury is a crime against the state-banished his own duaghter for adultury

much harder to divorce

Syme says augustan rules were to -”restore civic virtue”

‘to bring the family under the protection of the state.”-syme also

Moz maiorium-ways of ancestors

Ars amatorium book 3:Part 1

Ovid argues its only fair to give women “weapons” to fight in the war of love-calls men “greeks” and women “amazons”-presents himself as an arms dealer working for both sides of the war

Ovid shuts down the male protestor that may be annoyed with his advice-as it is not fair to “batlle with naked girls”

Calls women she-wolves and venemous snakes-playful tone

“Let the merits of each girl be seen”-supportive (feminist),but also reductionist of women to just their bodies

Ovid then shows of his knowledge by naming literary figures lines 11-22, “menelaus had helen and agamemnon had clytemnestra”,good women and bad women exist,he also contrasts senecas histroical/mythological references by being light hearted with it

Ovid dissmisses stoicsism-stoicism goes againsts ovids lusty impulses 23-32

Ovid uses mythological figures to demonstrate men can be bad behavved just like women 33-40-jason,theseus and aeneas-saying aeneas is entirely at fault for didos death,opposite of what virgil argues,as well as subversing augustan propaganda due to it being anti-piety

Ovid recalls talking to Venus and being order to teach women 43-52 in a very egotistical manner

Ovid STRESSES the orders he is going to give are in accordance with modesty-”subversive of the moral attitudes of augustan regime”-ormand

Ovid talks about the fleeting nature of beauty and how it would be a shame to squander it when it fades-OPPOSITE to seneca as seneca is focused on the mental

Ovid talks about vaginas and how they should not be treated like perishable goods-BUT is careful to aviod vulgarity,this goes against augustan rule of chastity,therefore cheating is not deep-women should not be afraid to act on desire

Part 3 of book 3

Ovid talks about hairstyles-References hectors wife,laodamia,loves the idea of purposley messly hairstyles,hair can be a weapon in the war of love

hair represnsts basline physical beauty-says choose the one that suits you best

He then talks about clothing choices-he displacys his knowlegde through desricbing colours avilable to a women,the coulour chosen by a women is of key importance,uses brieseas to demonstrate this

ovid uses hyperbolic similies

Part 4-Ovid dislikes armpits for some reason

Ovid lists cosmetic/makeup routnites that must be done to be successful in love-however must be done privatley

Part 5-

Ovid insults playfully his audience,saying attractive women already dont need his advice calling them “not-so-good”

Defects are common but must be hidden

laughter gets attention-must be soft and measured to avoid face looking bad

Part 6-How to act-mainly though laughter and crying and speech and walking

Ovid states how one laughs is highly important in judging how attractive a woman is- as it may reveal physical defects “crooked teeth”

Gives humours examples of laughing-”Guffawing”-but also how to actually laugh

How to speek-Some women adopt verbal affectations,others speak badly and some not at all

Ovid very unhelpfully sates that a walk should be between a elgant walk and an enegertic one-middle ground

Part 7-Importance of music and dance

Being good at music can help make one more attractive-refers to Odysseus and the sirens

Ovid bluntly states his didactic prowess (and his pupils’ inferiority to it), stating that no woman who has fully absorbed the lessons of the Ars Amatoria will fail to act on his advice

Ovid states that his works will put him amougnst the greatest poets ever

Part 8-learn dancing/games

Learning these will offer natural oppurtinites to advance relations due to the nature of them

playing of games is conducive to (and analogous with) love affair

Ovid does say that emotions like anger,selfishness and greed that can arise when playing games

Part 9-Be seen around

Ovid states that women have it somewhat harder then men as they cannot participate in games-especially athletics

Go to busy and visible places-easy to be seen

Fame is also a desirable thing to have

Part 10-Ovid warns against “False lovers”

Ovid warns against cultured, well-groomed, persuasive-likely to be faithless-likely has tongue in cheek

Ovid provides mythological examples of faithless men-Theseus

Part 11-Letters

Ovid warns women to not be to dismissive or accomodation in letter writing-should cultivate fear and hope at same time

Part 12-Avoid the vices,Favour the poets

Ovid has intention to move on to more advanced instruction with another nautical similies

Also seems to disapproving of Virgil

Ovid states that men ‘hate sad girls’ as well as proud and silent ones

Subversive of Augstan moral reforms-drawing an analogy between a good military commander and a women able to acquire successful relationships

Part 13-Try older/younger lovers

Love as a game again

Older lovers have benefits-older warriors’ will tolerate much worse treatment from their lovers than the ‘raw recruits’ or younger lovers (566-567); older lovers will also be much less prone to dramatic or violent outbursts; the ‘older warrior’ will not smash or burn down doors in their desire to spend time with their lovers

Advice is self serving seeing as Ovid himself is oldish

Part 14-Use tactics of jealousy and fear

Ovid continues to use love as a war

tells his pupils that they should be cruel to their lovers at regular intervals

Ovid argues that pleasure is always more enjoyable if it is associated with a degree of danger and excitement

Part 15-Play cloak and dagger

Ovid is careful to avoid the laws of the Julian Laws

How to avoid being gaurded-would naturally dampen ability to pull

guards can incapacitated with drink or drugs (646-649), or a maid can be sent to distract them with ‘games

Part 16-Make him believe hes loved

Ovid states the advice he is giving is like giving women swords to kill him

Ovid also advises women to tolerate all sorts of poor behavior from their partners in order to make them feel loved

Part 17-Watch how you eat and drink

Dinner etiquette-arrive late (man would be more drunk),eat daintily-Paris would of detested Helen if she ate like a pig,

Do not drink to excess-it is not favourable but also is dangerous

Part 18-And so to bed

Ovid states that he had wanted to avoid giving women any ‘shameful’ intimate advice, but was instructed to by Venus herself

Ovid stresses that sex is a prime opportunity for a woman to maximize the appeal of her physical assets

Ovid stresses how important it is for both partners to enjoy sex, and insists that even if enjoyment is not felt, it must be feigned

Ovid urges all of his students (male and female) to dedicate their love ‘victories’ to him in the future, as his poem and expertise justify his status as the ‘master’ of love.