Blasphemy In Ovid's Metamorphoses

Ovid’s centralized theme is focused on the idea that “gods can be human” and the interchangeable relationship or metamorphoses of these implications. In his sixth book of the Metamorphoses, the subtitle “Of Praise and Punishment” is suitable for the series of interactions that follows. The proem encompassed the surrounding theme of the book, “‘To praise is insufficient,’ she reflected; ‘we will be praised – and we will not permit those who belittle our divinity to go unpunished!’” (189). Ovid wants to remind his readers that these lessons should be learned: The gods may seem satisfied from piety, but the wraths upon blasphemy is by far superior and should never be doubted. The first story surrounds a skillful weaving artisan that believes that her skills are far superior in comparison to the warrior goddess, Minerva’s. Her prideful self exclaimed, “Let her compete with me, and if she wins I’ll pay whatever penalty she sets!” (190). Minerva indeed did punish her for her gloat. Arachne was turned into a spider, to be forever weaving and despised by the citizens who chanted her glory. Minerva demonstrated her sphere of influence is

Niobe judged Latona’s followers, and questioned whether Apollo and Diane are superior to her royal breed. In response anger befell her family, “And now, for certain, men and women fear the revelation of Latona’s wrath, and tend her alters with a greater ardor showing their awe before the power of the goddess-mother of the sacred twins” (202). Apollo and Diana savagely murdered the seven sons and seven daughters by their rain of wrathful arrows. Ovid reinforces the lesson to learned from Arachne, to never anger the immortal and fall to their wrathful reign. It’s also evident in the story of Niobe, that the goddess and her glorious twins yield human emotions. Anger outweighed their rationale, and caused the slaughter of the Lycian