Outline of Ovid's Metamorphoses

An Outline of Ovid's Metamorphoses

Brooks Otis (in Ovid as an Epic Poet) sees four major divisions to the Metamorphoses:

Prologue: Creation and primordial events

Book I

· The Creation

· The Ages of Mankind

· The Flood [Lycaon]

· Deucalion and Pyrrha

I. "Divine Comedy" or Gods in Love: Books 1-2
(gods acting like humans)

Book I continued

· Apollo and Daphne

· Io [Syrinx]

· Phaethon

Book II

· Phaethon (cont.)

· Callisto

· The Raven and the Crow [Apollo and Coronis]

· Ocyrhoe

· Mercury and Battus

· The Envy of Aglauros

· Jupiter and Europa

II. "Avenging Gods": Books 3-6, line 400
(humans suffering at the hands of gods)

Book III

· Cadmus

· Diana and Actaeon

· Semele and the Birth of Bacchus

· Tiresias

· Narcissus and Echo

· Pentheus and Bacchus [Acoetes]

Book IV

· The Daughters of Minyas

· Pyramus and Thisbe

· The Sun in Love

· Salmacis and Hermaphroditus

· The Daughters of Minyas Transformed

· Athamas and Ino

· The Transformation of Cadmus

· Perseus and Andromeda

Book V

· Perseus' Fight in the Palace of Cepheus

· Minerva Meets the Muses on Helicon [Contest with Pierides]

· The Rape of Proserpine [Cyane]

· Arethusa

· Triptolemus

Book VI

· Arachne

· Niobe

· The Lycian Peasants

· Marsysas

· Pelops

III. "Pathos of Love": the rest of Book 6-11
(humans suffering at the hands of humans)

Book VI continued

· Tereus, Procne, and Philomela

· Boreas and Orithyia

Book VII

· Medea and Jason

· Medea and Aeson

· Medea and Pelias: Her Flight

· Theseus

· Minos, Aeacus, the Plague at Aegina, and the Myrmidons

· Cephalus and Procris

Book VIII

· Scylla and Minos

· The Minotaur

· Daedalus and Icarus

· Perdix

· Meleager and the Calydonian Boar [Atalanta]

· Althaea and Meleager

· Achelous and the Nymphs

· Philemon and Baucis

· Erysichthon and his Daughter

Book IX

· Achelous and Hercules

· Hercules, Nessus, and Deianira

· The Death and Apotheosis of Hercules

· The Birth of Hercules

· Dryope

· Iolaus and the Sons of Callirhoe

· Byblis

· Iphis and Ianthe

Book X

· Orpheus and Eurydice

· Cyparissus

· Ganymede

· Hyacinth

· Pygmalion

· Myrrha

· Venus and Adonis

· Atalanta

Book XI

· The Death of Orpheus

· Midas

· First Foundation and Destruction of Troy

· Peleus and Thetis

· Daedalion

· The Cattle of Peleus

· Ceyx and Alcyone

· Aesacus

IV. "History of Rome & the Deified Caesar": Books 12-15 (humans becoming gods)

Book XII

· The Expedition against Troy

· Achilles and Cycnus

· Caenis

· The Battle of the Lapiths and Centaurs

· Nestor and Hercules

· The Death of Achilles

Book XIII

· Ajax and Ulysses and the Arms of Achilles

· The Fall of Troy

· Hecuba, Polyxena, and Polydorus

· Memnon

· The Pilgrimage of Aeneas

· Acis and Galatea

· Scylla and Glaucus

Book XIV

· Scylla and Glaucus (cont.)

· The Pilgrimage of Aeneas (cont.)

· The Island of Circe

· Picus and Canens

· The Triumph and Apotheosis of Aeneas

· Pomona and Vertumnus

· Legends of Early Rome; The Apotheosis of Romulus

Book XV

· Numa and the Foundation of Crotona

· The Doctrines of Pythagoras

· The Death of Numa

· Hippolytus

· Cipus

· Aesculapius

· The Apotheosis of Julius Caesar

· Epilogue