The Art of Love

The Art of Love, or the Ars Amatoria, is a didactic poem—one that instructs the reader in seduction. The speaker of the poem is the poet himself, Ovid. He mentions his own name several times—e.g., “Ovid” (Book 2, Line 744)—and identifies himself as male. In the first two books, Ovid writes to members of his own gender, while the third book offers advice to women.

In Book 1, Ovid introduces himself to his audience, men who are inexperienced in love. The man who “knows not the lover’s art” (Book 1, Line 1) should read Ovid’s guide because Ovid has been blessed by Venus, the Roman goddess of love: “For young Love’s guide has Venus chosen me” (Book 1, Line 7). This establishes his credibility as coming from a divine source, which is meant to persuade the reader to listen to him. Additionally, Ovid identifies himself as “Love’s charioteer” (Book 1, Line 8). Chariots symbolize victory, so this image of Ovid driving the chariot of love shows his control over his subject matter. Similarly, boat imagery develops the idea of Ovid as a guide: Love is “art that speeds the boat” (Book 1, Line 3).