Ovids Devaluation of Sympathy in Metamorphoses Essay -- Ovid Metamorp

Ovids Devaluation of Sympathy in Metamorphoses Ovid reveals ii similar tales of incest in the Metamorphoses. First, he describes the non-sisterly mania Byblis acquires for her twin brother Caunus. Later, he revisits the incestuous retire theme with the story of Myrrha who develops a non-filial love for her father, Cinyras. The two accounts hold galore(postnominal) similarities and elicit varying reactions. Ovid constantly tugs at our emotions and draws forth alternating feelings of compassion and snub for the matters at hand. Repetition with a difference in these two narratives shows how fickle we can be in allotting and denying sympathy, making it seem little valuable. Both tales begin drawing forth a sense of disgust for the situation in general yet arousing pity for each girls predicament. Ovid clearly labels the love Byblis and Myrrha pursue illegitimate when he summarizes the moral of Byblis tale stating, when girls love they should love lawfully (Mandelbaum 307) and r eveals that to hate a father is / a crime, only when love like Myrrhas is worse than hate (338) before describing Myrrhas tale. By presenting the girls as criminals, Ovid leads us to despise them. He then proceeds to draw disclose sympathy for Byblis and Myrrha as he describes their unsuccessful attempts to overcome these desires. Byblis dreams intimately well-nigh Caunus, but when shes awake, she does not dare / to let her obscene hopes invade her mind (308). Myrrha strives she tries she would subdue / her obscene love, but she cannot (339). Right away, Ovid makes us question if these situations merit our sympathy. Byblis and Myrrha compel readers to sympathize with their plight as they orally confess their incestuous passions. They use selective lang... ...d leaves us feeling sorry for Myrrha. Ovid tells this tale of nix sin twice to show how inconsistent we are in allotting pity. He begins both tales drawing forth our contempt for the matters at hand, then ends both tales w ith images that arouse our pity. Throughout each story, our emotions sway between pity and disgust. sluice though incest disgusts us, we sympathize with Byblis and Myrrha as they seek incestuous loves. Byblis broken midpoint arouses our sympathy, yet Myrrhas fulfilled heart disgusts us. Ovid devalues our sympathy by showing how seismal we are with our emotions. Works Cited Mandelbaum, Allen, trans. The Metamorphoses of Ovid. By Ovid. San Diego Harcourt Brace & company, 1993. Crane, Gregory, ed. Perseus Project. 1995. Tufts University. 6 Oct. 1999 <http//www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/text?hunt=ov.+met.+init>