Reading Ovid's Medea: Complexity, Unity, and Humour
Reading Ovid’s Medea: Complexity, Unity, and Humour Reading Ovid’s Medea: Complexity, Unity, and Humour By STEPHEN CLARK RUSSELL, B.A., M.A. A Thesis Submitted to the School of Graduate Studies In Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy McMaster University © Copyright by Stephen Russell, May, 2011 Doctor of Philosophy (2011) McMaster University (Classics) Hamilton, Ontario TITLE: Reading Ovid’s Medea: Complexity, Unity, and Humour AUTHOR: Stephen Russell, B.A., M.A. SUPERVISOR: Professor Paul Murgatroyd NUMBER OF PAGES: iv, 368 ii Abstract This thesis offers a consideration of Ovid’s portrayal of Medea - in Heroides 6 and 12, Metamorphoses 7, and in Tristia 3.9. Although several scholars have examined the myth as Ovid presents it, no one has yet offered a literary appreciation of Ovid’s various accounts of the myth – one that examines his use of characterization, humour, audience response, and one that treats his Medea as a consistent, albeit complex, character. The first chapter focuses on the sources for Ovid’s Medea, the ways he makes changes and, as far as we can tell, innovations to his predecessors. The second begins with a general introduction to the Heroides, followed by a close reading of Heroides 6, showing how this letter is an oblique reference to Medea’s letter and myth, and I point out the links between the two poems, arguing that Hypsipyle’s letter must be read as a foreshadowing of Medea’s. The third chapter examines Heroides 12 – Medea’s letter - where I concentrate on Ovid’s characterization of Medea and specifically look at elements of black humour and foreshadowing.
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