Abstract: Medea’s presence and active intervention in Jason’s trials on the Plain of Ares, as related in Metamorphoses vii 136-138, marks a significant departure from Apollonius’ narrative, partly anticipated in Heroides 12, 97-100. In helping her lover and turning pale at the dangers he faces, Ovid’s Medea acts like Ariadne in Catullus 64; at the same time, her intervention in the field can be regarded as a partial fulfilment of her famous dream in Argonautica iii 616-627, in which she imagines – and wishes – to undergo the trials in Jason’s place. Valerius Flaccus mediates between Apollonius’ and Ovid’s accounts, keeping Medea physically absent yet making her present through metonymy. Ovid also plays on toponymy and topography, suggesting an overlap between the mythical Plain of Ares in Colchis and the Campus Martius in Rome, the site where military exercises were commonly held and where Augustus gave athletic contests that the Lex Iulia theatralis prohibited women from attending.
Medea at the Campus Martius: Ovid met. VII 136-138
Francesco Grotto
2025
Abstract
Abstract: Medea’s presence and active intervention in Jason’s trials on the Plain of Ares, as related in Metamorphoses vii 136-138, marks a significant departure from Apollonius’ narrative, partly anticipated in Heroides 12, 97-100. In helping her lover and turning pale at the dangers he faces, Ovid’s Medea acts like Ariadne in Catullus 64; at the same time, her intervention in the field can be regarded as a partial fulfilment of her famous dream in Argonautica iii 616-627, in which she imagines – and wishes – to undergo the trials in Jason’s place. Valerius Flaccus mediates between Apollonius’ and Ovid’s accounts, keeping Medea physically absent yet making her present through metonymy. Ovid also plays on toponymy and topography, suggesting an overlap between the mythical Plain of Ares in Colchis and the Campus Martius in Rome, the site where military exercises were commonly held and where Augustus gave athletic contests that the Lex Iulia theatralis prohibited women from attending.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
