OTP: Overview

Image: a painting of the Roman poet OvidOvid: The Poet Overview

In this module, we will focus on the poetry of Publius Ovidius Naso - commonly called Ovid. To get us started, we will learn a bit about who Ovid was and read selections in English from his most famous work: Metamorphoses.

The word metamorphosis means change - what changes have you experienced since you started taking Latin? Would any of them make for a good story?

Image Note: The painting depicted here is from The Triumph of Ovid by Nicolas Poussin, from 1624.

 Download: Study Guide

Please download the Ovid: The Poet 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.

Additionally, please download and begin reading the Selections from Metamorphoses Links to an external site.. This will be our main resource in gathering basic information about the structure, form, and function of Ovid's poetry. Be sure to contact your instructor for any additional help with the content.

Essential Questions

  1. What is scansion?
  2. Why is scansion important?
  3. Who was Publius Ovidius Naso?
  4. What works of Ovid have survived?
  5. What are the major themes of Metamorphoses?

Key Terms

  1. scansion - determining the meter (rhythmical pattern) of a poem
  2. syllable - the smallest unit of language - the "building blocks" for words
  3. quantity - the length of a syllable: either long or short
  4. foot/feet - a collection of syllables in a specific pattern (pattern based on quantity). The most common feet are:
    • dactyl - a foot containing the following pattern: long, short, short
    • spondee - a foot containing the following pattern: long, long
    • trochee - a foot containing the following pattern: long, short
    • iamb - a foot containing the following pattern: short, long
  5. hexameter - a line of poetry containing six feet
  6. pentameter - a line of poetry containing five feet
  7. elegiac couplet - a pair of lines of poetry, the first having six feet and the second five. Used for lyric poetry.
  8. dactylic hexameter - a line containing six feet, the last two of which are a dactyl followed by a spondee. Used for epic poetry.
  9. hendecasyllabic - eleven syllables in five feet
  10. metamorphosis - change or transformation

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