Daphnis and Chloe

The changing of the seasons is an important motif in Daphnis and Chloe and a device that also marks the passage of time. Around a year and a half passes during the novel, with the narrative beginning at the start of spring and finishing at the end of summer the following year. The repeated reference to time is a constant reminder of the protagonists’ growth and development, as they change from children into adults.

Each season also has its own symbolic significance. The main action of the novel commences when “it was the beginning of spring, and all the flowers—in woods and meadows and on the mountains—were bursting into bloom” (8). Symbolically, spring is a season of new life, youth, and joy. The blooming spring flowers also reflect Daphnis and Chloe’s youthful state of beauty and vigor.

The novel moves into summer as the protagonists’ love and desire develops: “Their flames were fanned by the season of the year. It was now the end of spring and the beginning of summer, and all creation was burgeoning; the trees were hung with fruits; the corn was standing high in the plains, pleasant was the sound made by the cicadas, sweet the fragrance of the ripe fruit” (17).