Context Essay
The story of Baucis and Philemon is at the end of Book Eight of Ovid’s Metamorphoses. It follows The Return of Theseus and Achelous’ Story, which tells of a river god who floods many towns and demonstrates his immense power. The purpose of putting this story before the story of Baucis and Philemon may have been to show the difference between angry gods and kind gods, and to show a theme of gods flooding towns. The story ends with one of the characters, Achelous, claiming that the gods do not have the power “to give and take away the shapes of things.” An old man, Lelex, refutes this claim and wants to “prove it with a story,” the story of Baucis and Philemon. He then launches into the story of Baucis and Philemon, which he tells in first person.
Baucis and Philemon are a very poor couple in a town full of wicked people. One day, two gods come to their town and test each person by dressing as regular humans and asking for a place to stay. Everyone turns them down except for Baucis and Philemon, so they reward the couple by transforming their house into a palace. They also grant Baucis and Philemon each one wish; both wish to die at the same time as the other. At the end of their lives, Baucis and Philemon turn into conjoined trees instead of dying. When Lelex finishes telling the story, Theseus is touched and asks Lelex to tell another. He then begins the story of Erysichthon.
The story of Erysichthon is last in Book Eight. It tells the story of King Erysichthon, who does not believe in the gods. To show his disbelief, he cuts down one of the goddess Ceres’ favorite trees. In revenge, Ceres curses King Erysichthon with famine. The purpose of putting this story after Baucis and Philemons’ may have been to show the contrast between being on the gods’ good side and being on their bad side.
According to Encyclopedia Britannica, Ovid’s Metamorphoses is the first and only literary source for the story of Baucis and Philemon. Outside of literary sources, the story is carried on through tradition in many cultures. Similarly, the characters Baucis and Philemon do not show up anywhere else in Ovid’s Metamorphoses.
After Ovid, the most notable version of Baucis and Philemon was a poem written by Johnathan Swift in 1708. Swift made some changes to Ovid’s original version, including a change of setting from Greece to Kent, England.
Another story that is very similar to the story of Baucis and Philemon is in the Old Testament. The story of Sodom and Gomorrah tells of a town of wicked, inhospitable people who god plans to kill by destroying the towns.
Baucis and Philemon are a very poor couple in a town full of wicked people. One day, two gods come to their town and test each person by dressing as regular humans and asking for a place to stay. Everyone turns them down except for Baucis and Philemon, so they reward the couple by transforming their house into a palace. They also grant Baucis and Philemon each one wish; both wish to die at the same time as the other. At the end of their lives, Baucis and Philemon turn into conjoined trees instead of dying. When Lelex finishes telling the story, Theseus is touched and asks Lelex to tell another. He then begins the story of Erysichthon.
The story of Erysichthon is last in Book Eight. It tells the story of King Erysichthon, who does not believe in the gods. To show his disbelief, he cuts down one of the goddess Ceres’ favorite trees. In revenge, Ceres curses King Erysichthon with famine. The purpose of putting this story after Baucis and Philemons’ may have been to show the contrast between being on the gods’ good side and being on their bad side.
According to Encyclopedia Britannica, Ovid’s Metamorphoses is the first and only literary source for the story of Baucis and Philemon. Outside of literary sources, the story is carried on through tradition in many cultures. Similarly, the characters Baucis and Philemon do not show up anywhere else in Ovid’s Metamorphoses.
After Ovid, the most notable version of Baucis and Philemon was a poem written by Johnathan Swift in 1708. Swift made some changes to Ovid’s original version, including a change of setting from Greece to Kent, England.
Another story that is very similar to the story of Baucis and Philemon is in the Old Testament. The story of Sodom and Gomorrah tells of a town of wicked, inhospitable people who god plans to kill by destroying the towns.
Artistic Analysis Essay
This engraving of the story of Baucis and Philemon was made by a Flemish artist, Nicolaes Lauwers, in 1650. Lauwers created this engraving (below) during the Renaissance. In this period, many artists reworked the original Greek and Roman Classics. Nicolaes Lauwers also engraved other paintings for many important Flemish artists during this time period. Lauwers’ engraving portrays Baucis and Philemon serving food to the gods, who are dressed as mortals. At this point in the story, Baucis and Philemon do not yet know that their visitors are gods.
There are many similarities between Ovid’s writing and Lauwers’ engraving. First, both pieces of art portray the guests sitting down and the hosts standing up and serving them. This is important because Baucis and Philemon were the only people in their entire town who invited the gods into their home and they were being extremely hospitable without even knowing that their guests were gods. Next, the couples’ pet goose is running around on the floor and screeching because it does not want to be eaten. The goose is also important to the story, because it is Baucis and Philemon’s only pet, and also their ‘watchdog,’ but they still consider killing it so that their guests could have more to eat. Another similarity between the two pieces of art is that in both versions, there is a bowl of wine that the gods keep magically filling up. In the painting, Mercury is holding the bowl. This is important because in the story, Ovid writes that Baucis and Philemon are scared when they see this unusual magic. This is the part in the story where they start to assume that their guests are not ordinary.
There are very few noticeable differences between the two versions of this story. The most recognizable difference is that in Ovid’s version of Baucis and Philemon, the hosts are not aware that their guests are gods; before coming to the village, Mercury had abandoned his wings and his staff, called the caduceus. In Lauwers’ engraving, Mercury is holding his staff and is wearing a hat with wings on it. This is most likely an artistic choice that Lauwers made to signify to the viewers that Mercury is a god.
When a viewer of this engraving first sees the art, their eyes are drawn to the fruit basket in Philemon’s hand because it is one of the most detailed objects in the engraving. Lauwers may have done this to portray that although Baucis and Philemon were very poor and did not have much to offer their guests, they were willing to give all of their fruit away. This shows that the couple is very kind and generous, unlike their neighbors. Another noticeable part of this painting is that Baucis and Philemon are both standing and their guests are sitting. This is another demonstration of the couple’s extreme kindness and generosity towards their guests, which eventually pays off when they are rewarded later in the story.
There are many similarities between Ovid’s writing and Lauwers’ engraving. First, both pieces of art portray the guests sitting down and the hosts standing up and serving them. This is important because Baucis and Philemon were the only people in their entire town who invited the gods into their home and they were being extremely hospitable without even knowing that their guests were gods. Next, the couples’ pet goose is running around on the floor and screeching because it does not want to be eaten. The goose is also important to the story, because it is Baucis and Philemon’s only pet, and also their ‘watchdog,’ but they still consider killing it so that their guests could have more to eat. Another similarity between the two pieces of art is that in both versions, there is a bowl of wine that the gods keep magically filling up. In the painting, Mercury is holding the bowl. This is important because in the story, Ovid writes that Baucis and Philemon are scared when they see this unusual magic. This is the part in the story where they start to assume that their guests are not ordinary.
There are very few noticeable differences between the two versions of this story. The most recognizable difference is that in Ovid’s version of Baucis and Philemon, the hosts are not aware that their guests are gods; before coming to the village, Mercury had abandoned his wings and his staff, called the caduceus. In Lauwers’ engraving, Mercury is holding his staff and is wearing a hat with wings on it. This is most likely an artistic choice that Lauwers made to signify to the viewers that Mercury is a god.
When a viewer of this engraving first sees the art, their eyes are drawn to the fruit basket in Philemon’s hand because it is one of the most detailed objects in the engraving. Lauwers may have done this to portray that although Baucis and Philemon were very poor and did not have much to offer their guests, they were willing to give all of their fruit away. This shows that the couple is very kind and generous, unlike their neighbors. Another noticeable part of this painting is that Baucis and Philemon are both standing and their guests are sitting. This is another demonstration of the couple’s extreme kindness and generosity towards their guests, which eventually pays off when they are rewarded later in the story.