Ancient Greece and RomeTutorial 3Dr. Armstrong, 03/31/2014Ovid's Metamorphoses, Book 10The beginnings of the world are recorded mythologically by the poet Ovid, who lived from 43 BC to 17 or 18 AD. During this period he wrote a collection of poetry which covers the history of early Rome up to Julius Caesar. Her poetry had political goals, but it was also known for its codification of romantic relationships. Although it met the standards of traditional epic poetry, the style of its couplets varied in rhythm and length, which is why it was more ambiguously labeled as "Roman mythological poetry". In his largest and most famous work, The Metamorphoses covers hundreds of Roman myths. It includes a series of 15 books, each with a different theme or virtue. The theme of Book 10 seemed to center around the loves of the gods. Every love story has an initial period of happiness, followed by a tragic event leading to the separation of the lovers. There's lots of sex and passion, but also a focus on loss and grief. Nature also plays a big role in the lives of Ovid's characters. By blending nature and its animals with the human protagonists of his myths, Ovid wrote an epic of creation that appealed to medieval authors like Boccaccio, as well as writers such as Shakespeare and Dante. Book 10 of Metamorphoses contains seven different love stories. . First, Ovid recorded the love of Orpheus and Eurydice, two humans who fell in love on Earth and were about to marry. On their wedding day, Eurydice accidentally stepped on a poisonous snake and died while still in her wedding dress. Orpheus, torn by grief, passively refused to accept his death. He ran to the Styx and crossed the river, where he demanded the ...... middle of paper ...... individuals and die, is that faith is often something invisible. If people cannot verify the truth of a certain idea, it is difficult to convey that belief to others. If something is visible and the observer can verify its truth, then the idea is easily transmitted to others and appears credible. Ovid used this technique to give credence to his myths. Individuals might know his stories are true if they came across a purple and red flower believed to come from the blood of Adonis. If a hunter saw a lion, Atalanta might be watching him, waiting to pounce. This literary model was effective and allowed his poetry to have a lasting impact on more naturalistic writers such as Shakespeare and Dante. His poetry was more than an epic telling great stories of heroism. It was observable and proven to be true by the nature surrounding its audience..