This extract from Ovid's 'Theban History' recounts the confrontation of Pentheus, king of Thebes, with his divine cousin, Bacchus, the god of wine. Notwithstanding the warnings of the seer Tiresias and the cautionary tale of a character Acoetes (perhaps Bacchus in disguise), who tells of how the god once transformed a group of blasphemous sailors into dolphins, Pentheus refuses to acknowledge the divinity of Bacchus or allow his worship at Thebes. Enraged, yet curious to witness the orgiastic rites of the nascent cult, Pentheus conceals himself in a grove on Mt. Cithaeron near the locus of the ceremonies. But in the course of the rites he is spotted by the female participants who rush upon him in a delusional frenzy, his mother and sisters in the vanguard, and tear him limb from limb. The episode abounds in themes of abiding interest, not least the clash between the authoritarian personality of Pentheus, who embodies 'law and order', masculine prowess, and the martial ethos of his city, and Bacchus, a somewhat effeminate god of orgiastic excess, who revels in the delusional and the deceptive, the transgression of boundaries, and the blurring of gender distinctions. This course book offers a wide-ranging introduction, the original Latin text, study aids with vocabulary, and an extensive commentary. Designed to stretch and stimulate readers, Gildenhard and Zissos's incisive commentary will be of particular interest to students of Latin at AS and undergraduate level. It extends beyond detailed linguistic analysis to encourage critical engagement with Ovid's poetry and discussion of the most recent scholarly thought.
The most impressive contribution this volume provides is the first-rate commentary. Gildenhard and Zissos' expertise in Ovidian studies is evident on every page, as they masterfully lead learners through the complexities of the Metamorphoses...Moreover, the detailed commentary is punctuated with numerous helpful charts, diagrams, and pictures that further aid learners in their study. Likewise, the introductory essays are ideal for students on both the secondary and postsecondary levels.
Dr Bartolo Natoli
"Ovid, Metamorphoses, 3.511-733. Latin Text with Introduction, Commentary, Glossary of Terms, Vocabulary Aid and Study Questions". The Classical Outlook (0009-8361), vol. 92, no. 4, 2017.
Abbreviations
Symbols and Terms
Reference Works
Grammatical Terms
Ancient Literature
Introduction
1. Ovid and His Times
2. Ovid’s Literary Progression: Elegy to Epic
3. The Metamorphoses: A Literary Monstrum
3a. Genre Matters
3b. A Collection of Metamorphic Tales
3c. A Universal History
3d. Anthropological Epic
3e. A Reader’s Digest of Greek and Latin Literature
4. Ovid’s Theban Narrative
5. The Set Text: Pentheus and Bacchus
5a. Sources and Intertexts
5b. The Personnel of the Set Text
6. The Bacchanalia and Roman Culture
Text
Commentary
511–26: Tiresias’ Warning to Pentheus
527–71: Pentheus’ Rejection of Bacchus
531–63: Pentheus’ Speech
572–691: The Captive Acoetes and his Tale
692–733: Pentheus’ Gruesome Demise
Appendices
1. Versification
2. Glossary of Rhetorical and Syntactic Figures
Bibliography