Metamorphoses

Sex, gender, and power interact in complex and frequently violent ways in the Metamorphoses. Rape and sexual assault are assertions of power, so the fact that the gods frequently assault women serves as an extension of their existing power over mortals and non-gods. In one of many examples, Apollo pursues the nymph Daphne. To rescue her from assault, Daphne’s father turns her into a tree. But, Ovid writes, “and still Apollo loved her; on the trunk / he placed his hand and felt beneath the bark / her heart still beating, held in his embrace / her branches, pressed his kisses on the wood. / Yet from his kisses still the wood recoiled” (17). Although her father might have tried to save Daphne, by turning her into a tree, this transformation prevents Daphne from ever fully escaping Apollo, who continues to violate her in perpetuity.

Sexual violence isn’t exclusive to gods, however, as Ovid shows in the story of Tereus, Procne, and Philomela. Tereus asserts power over Philomela in many ways when he kidnaps her—by isolating her in the woods, by raping her, and by cutting out her tongue (which is supposed to prevent her from communicating). Although Tereus is not a god and does not hold that position of power, he is still a man, and even a king, giving him immense power over especially the women around him.