Ovid Metamorphoses 6–10 Study Questions
1. Find two stories in books 6–10 that strike you as both funny and poignant. (Be ready! If I see
any lack of preparation there will be a quiz!)
2. Marsyas is a satyr who challenged Apollo to a singing contest and was punished (rather
horribly) by being turned inside out. Why do you think Ovid’s version is so abrupt? What effect
does his gruesome description have on you?
3. Medea’s long soliloquy with which Ovid opens her story is unlike anything we’ve read before
in this class. Why give a long speech by Medea? How does it affect you to read it in her voice?
Do you sympathize with her when you read it? Or do you sympathize with Jason?
4. What do you make of Byblis’ soliloquy about incest? Are the gods truly beholden to different
laws than humans? Even more shocking is her second soliloquy after her initial attempt to woo
Caunus fails. Is she sane? When does the madness of love become true insanity?
5. Iphis’ story is yet another plot that re-appears in Shakespeare. Why do you think Ovid’s poetry
is so suitable for drama? Note Iphis’ reaction to her predicament: how has Ovid refashioned the
story from its Greek origins to suit its Roman audience? How is Iphis’ fate mirrored in modern
society? And what does the story say about the Greek and Roman understanding of genetics vs.
environment?