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Tales Of Ovid Themes

540 Words3 Pages

Mythology is consistently composed of stories that serve to explain the inexplicable in an attempt to make sense of the world in which we live. The Tales of Ovid in particular illustrates several crucial, reoccurring, themes within Greek literature: the most important being rape. Repeatedly, the tampering of the immortal gods often leads to the destruction of downfall of humanity, but specifically the gods play a crucial role in the unwilling defilement of women within the story. In this manner, deception achieves the desired trust, then the woman is raped resulting in the loss of her innocence, until finally she is severely ridiculed and punished in an unfair manner, often by other women, leaving her voiceless. Ted Hughes shows the first …show more content…

Joves’ unwelcomed assault left the young maiden traumatized, filling her head with overcome feelings of misplaced guilt and shame, although the attack was in no way her fault. Callisto became despondent even among her fellow huntresses: despite physically being there, her mind was absent. When it came time that she could no longer conceal her pregnancy, Callisto was ridiculed by the hunt and Juno. Diana showed no pity for the girl, refusing to hear her out, or even allowing her to bathe near them as she proclaimed for her to “not defile this water or us” (45). The punishment for her actions resulted in the metamorphosis of Callisto into a bear. This transformation in particular is important, because although her outwardly appearance is altered, “her grief was human” (46).
This final metamorphosis perfectly symbolizes the intensity of her emotions from the traumatic event. Callisto is left silenced and shamed by the women she most trusted, unable to beg for mercy or even explain herself, she “could not speak” (46). The abuse bestowed upon the Callisto, both mentally and physically, helps to emphasize that even though it was a male who violated her without consent, with rape the burden of shame falls upon the shoulders of women regardless of

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