1. Ovid
One Cool Dude

2. Life Stats Publius Ovidius Naso = nickname nightmare!
March 23, 43 BC – 17 AD
Rome, Italy
Law? NO!!!! Poetry? YES!!!!
Widely influenced literature and art
Excellent source for classical mythology

3. Scandal! Ran with an “unruly crowd” instead of Rome’s elite
Poetry not really considered serious
Accused of irreverence to the state
Sent into exile
Poems present a balanced view of both the creative and the destructive forces of human passion

4. “The Metamorphoses” Written in 15 books
Encyclopedically catalogues transformations in Greek and Roman mythology
Stories follow each other in the telling of human beings transformed to new bodies — trees, rocks, animals, flowers, constellations, etc.

5. “The Metamorphoses” Dactylic hexameter epic poem Dactyl “hex”
long, short, short
Greek for “finger”
“hex”
six sets of dactyls per line
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