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(2003) "Undercurrents in Ovid's 'Metamorphoses' : Hercules, Pygmalion, and Myrrha"

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(2003) O'Reilly, Mary Bernadette (2003) "Undercurrents in Ovid's 'Metamorphoses' : Hercules, Pygmalion, and Myrrha". PhD thesis. http://theses.gla.ac.uk/2464/ Copyright and moral rights for this thesis are retained by the author A copy can be downloaded for personal non-commercial research or study, without prior permission or charge This thesis cannot be reproduced or quoted extensively from without first obtaining permission in writing from the Author The content must not be changed in any way or sold commercially in any format or medium without the formal permission of the Author When referring to this work, full bibliographic details including the author, title, awarding institution and date of the thesis must be given Glasgow Theses Service http://theses.gla.ac.uk/ [email protected] "Undercurrents in Ovid's Metamorphoses: Hercules; Pygmalion; and Myrrha" Mary Bernadette O'Reilly Doctor of Philosophy Faculty ofArts April 2003 © M.B.O'Reilly 2003 Abstract This study looks at three episodes in Ovid's Metamorphoses, namely the Hercules episode in Book 9 and the Pygmalion and Myrrha episodes in Book 10. These episodes are connected by the fact that, in each, the superficial interpretation ofthe text interacts with the tale's underlying meaning and thus invites reassessment ofthat tale. This is a recurring feature throughout the Metamorphoses. The first chapter looks at the Hercules episode. It begins with a study ofOvids sources for the tale ofHercules and Deianira and is followed by a discussion ofthe episode itself. The central argument is that despite the amatory facade ofthe tale, the narrator systematically establishes Hercules' lack ofamorous interest in Deianira. The second chapter examines the Pygmalion episode. It looks at recent critical interest in the implicit eroticism ofthe episode and further contributes to this area of discussion. This study has two parts. In the first, Venus' contribution to the erotic undercurrent in the tale is discussed. In the second. the relationship between Pygmalion and the lphis episode in Book 9 is examined. The third chapter discusses the Myrrha episode which immediately follows that of Pygmalion in Ovid's epic. The central argument ofthis chapter is that Ovid deliberately establishes a ritual undercurrent ofsacred marriage in the tale. This Cyprian cult practice was an important feature ofthe Myrrha-Cinyras legend and examination ofthis aspect in the Ovidian adaptation begins with an examination ofthe relevance ofthis ritual motif to that legend generally. This is followed by a discussion ofhow Ovid deliberately establishes the sacred marriage as a backdrop to his own incest tale. This depends on the creation ofan undercurrent ofmarriage and on the religious atmosphere which exists alongside it. Table of Contents 1 - Introduction 2 - Hercules 9 3 - Pygmalion 95 4 - Myrrha 176 5 - Conclusion 222 6 - Bibliography 225 3 1 - Introduction Critical approaches to the Metamorphoses fall into two categories. On the one hand are general studies ofthe type presented by Otis, I which seek to explain and to comment on the whole ofOvid's epic. These provide something ofan overview and explicitly treat the epic as a single, coherent entity. On the other hand are more focussed studies which. more limited in scope, examine specific episodes or specific themes within the epic. By way ofan example, this approach has taken the form ofan examination ofthe figure of Venus in Metamorphoses 5.2 In recent times, criticism has tended more towards the latter approach, for the panoramic view ofOtis and others, though valuable in itself, has proved less attractive, indeed less satisfactory, in the face ofa need to understand more fully the detail ofOvid's text, for such a broad-based approach cannot fully do justice to the layers ofmeaning implicit in the individual episodes ofthe Metamorphoses. This increased interest in the detail ofOvid's text informs my own approach to the Metamorphoses, for in this study I will examine three individual episodes, namely the Hercules episode in Book 9 and the Pygmalion and Myrrha episodes which appear together in Book 10. My approach will be to provide a close study ofthese episodes primarily as self-contained units. At the same time, I will take account oftheir place in the larger context ofthe Metamorphoses and, where it is relevant to my discussion, will take account also oftheir interaction with other episodes in the epic. The three episodes which I have chosen to examine here may appear an unusual combination, for there is no obvious similarity between them. Hercules is an epic hero who becomes engaged in various conflicts in his desire to acquire and to retain Deianira as wife. Pygmalion is a Cyprian king who. failing to find a female worthy ofhis attention. creates his own in statue form: this statue, through Venus' intervention, is ultimately brought to 1 B.Otis, Ovid as an Epic Poet (Cambridge, 1966). 2 P.J.Johnson, "Constructions of Venus in Ovid's Metamorphoses V", Arethusa 29 (1996). 4 life. Myrrha, whose tale immediately follows that ofPygmalion. realises her incestuous love for her father and, with the aid ofher nurse, succeeds in consummating that desire. I would note, and would do so with a reasonable degree ofconfidence, that no other study discusses these particular episodes together. Undoubtedly, the Pygmalion and Myrrha episodes are an obvious combination and clearly offer much scope even for a comparative study. This depends on the fact that these tales appear alongside each other in Book 10 and are both part ofthe same internal narrative (Orpheus' song). In addition, both have their origin in Cyprian cult practice and in the Ovidian version share a Cyprian setting which reflects this. Likewise, both have at their centre the experience ofperverse amor. Treatment ofPygmalion and Myrrha within the same study is not, therefore. surprising: their appearance in a study alongside Hercules is perhaps more striking and as such requires explanation. There are no obvious points ofcomparison between these three tales. Where Pygmalion and Myrrha indulge in unnatural amor, Hercules is interested in Deianira explicitly in the context ofmarriage; where Pygmalion and Myrrha are part ofthe erotic world ofCyprus, Hercules, by virtue ofthe conflicts in which he becomes involved over Deianira, recalls the world ofheroic epic. I would suggest, however, that the similarity ofthese tales lies not in their content per se, but in their structure, for in all these tales the narrator establishes an undercurrent which undermines the explicit meaning ofthe tale and invites a reassessment ofit. (This is a recurring feature throughout the Metamorphoses and as such contributes to the continuity ofOvid's "carmen perpetuum" (Met.1.4V) For reasons such as this Ovid has been styled a poet ofillusions and certainly this instability of meaning is a reflection ofthe unstable physical world ofthe Metamorphoses. Discussion ofthe undercurrent in a tale and ofits interaction with the superficial reading offered by the narrator originates in the study ofnarrative technique. In view ofthe large number offictional narrators and internal narratives within the Metamorphoses. this 3 The question of whether Ovid's epic is continuous or a collection of isolated episodes is a popular point of discussion. The motifs of metamorphosis and of amorfunction to provide thematic unity alongside this 'stylistic' unity. 5 text has proved particularly appropriate for the full application and development of narratological theory. (Where my discussion throughout this thesis involves reference to narrative techniques, I draw primarily on pre-existing constructions, in particular those found in Nagle and Sharrock.") Especially relevant in respect ofmy discussion oftextual undercurrents is Sharrock's construction ofthe implied reader and the 'resisting' reader. which she employs in her discussion ofthe Pygmalion and Myrrha episodes. She defines the implied reader as the one who takes at face value the interpretation indicated by the narrator. She defines the 'resisting' reader as the one who recognises the superficial interpretation but who takes note also ofthose aspects ofthe tale which challenge that reading. She proposes that synthesis ofthe implied and 'resisting' readings results in a 'super-reading'. Modem criticism has proved sensitive to the co-existence and interaction ofthe superficial and the underlying meanings ofa text, as is evident in recent approaches in Pygmalion scholarship. A popular line of inquiry in this respect is discussion ofthe erotic undercurrent in this episode which contrasts with the superficial absence ofan erotic dimension. In part, this 'resisting' reading has been a reaction to, and a development of, the implied reading ofthe tale, such as that identified by Otis, which regards Ovid's Pygmalion as an absolute departure from the obscene eroticism ofthe original Pygmalion legend. In the case ofPygmalion, then, my discussion ofthe creation ofan erotic backdrop in the tale wi11 constitute a development ofadvances already made in this area. I will look at the specific role ofVenus in contributing to the eroticism ofthe scene. Certainly, reference to Venus features in any discussion ofthe eroticism ofthe Pygmal ion tale by virtue ofthe goddess' role in the highly erotic legend ofPygmalion, but generally my treatment will comprise a more comprehensive account ofthe way in which the narrator systematically maintains 4 B.R.Nagle, "Byblis and Myrrha: Two Incest Narratives in the Metamorphoses', CJ78 (1983) 301­ 15; "Erotic Pursuit and Narrative Seduction in Ovid's Metamorphoses', Ramus 17 (1988a) 32-51; "Ovid's 'Reticent' Heroes", Helios 15 (1988b) 23-39. A.R.Sharrock, "The Love of Creation", Ramus 20 (1991a) 169-82; "Gender and Sexuality", in P.Hardie (ed.), The Cambridge Companion to Ovid, (Cambridge, 2002) 95-107. 6 Venus' influence throughout the episode. The second part ofmy discussion ofPygmalion will involve a comparison ofthe tale with that ofIphis in Metamorphoses 9. This will likewise contribute to an understanding ofthe erotic undercurrent ofthe episode available to the 'resisting' reader. The Myrrha tale, despite an initial reluctance on the part ofOvidian scholars.
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