MET: Overview

Image: a book cover from an early 20th century printing of Ovid's poemsOvid: Metamorphoses Overview

In this module, we will exclusively focus on reading and translating one particular story from Ovid's masterwork: Metamorphoses. We will read, in Latin, the entirety of the story of Pyramus and Thisbe, a story so powerful it has been retold multiple times (famously by William Shakespeare, in his play Romeo and Juliet, and in the modern musicals West Side Story and Grease). In this tale, two young people fall in love, only to be thwarted by the long-standing feud between their families. As young people do, they become more enflamed by their passions and decide to run away to be together. Things go terribly wrong - tragedy ensues. But remember: this poem is in the larger collection called Metamorphoses: what change(s) might we discover in the story of Pyramus and Thisbe?

 Download: Study Guide

Please download the Ovid: Metamorphoses Study Guide Links to an external site.. The study guide follows the module in order and should be viewed at first as a note-taking document, then later, as a review file.

Essential Questions

  1. What are some common devices used in poetry?
  2. What is the plot of Pyramus and Thisbe?
  3. What change(s) occur in Pyramus and Thisbe?

Key Terms

  1. poetic device - common features used in poetry that add emphasis or create a strong impression in the poem
    1. ellipsis - instead of repeating a word, one instance is omitted
    2. antithesis - the use of paired opposites to create contrast
    3. transferred epithet - a description that has been transferred from the word to which it strictly belongs to another word connected with it in thought
    4. synchysis - interlocking word order (ABAB)
    5. chiasmus - criss-cross word order (ABBA)
    6. bracketing - specific use of noun-adjective pairs, where one pair is placed within another pair
    7. simile - an explicit comparison between two dissimilar things, using like or as
    8. epic simile - an extended simile, which acts as a digression from the main narrative
    9. syncope - a verbal contraction
    10. foreshadowing - providing a hint of upcoming action within the narrative

ALL RESOURCES IN THIS MODULE ARE OPEN EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES (OER) OR CREATED BY GAVS UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED. SOME IMAGES USED UNDER SUBSCRIPTION.