Metamorphoses · Chapter
Book XI explained
The chapter recounts the death of Orpheus at the hands of Thracian Bacchanals, his head and lyre floating to Lesbos where a serpent is turned to stone.
What happens
The chapter recounts the death of Orpheus at the hands of Thracian Bacchanals, his head and lyre floating to Lesbos where a serpent is turned to stone. It then shifts to the story of Ceyx and Alcyone: Ceyx drowns in a storm, Alcyone learns of his death through a dream, finds his body, and both are transformed into birds. The chapter ends with the tale of Aesacus, who is transformed into a cormorant after his lover's death.
Themes in this chapter
Transformation and Metamorphosis
Multiple transformations occur: Orpheus's head is protected by Apollo turning a serpent to stone; Alcyone and Ceyx become birds; Aesacus becomes a cormorant.
Love and Desire
Orpheus's love for Eurydice persists after death; Ceyx and Alcyone's devotion leads to their shared transformation; Aesacus's love for Hesperia drives him to despair.
Violence and Revenge
The Thracian women's frenzied attack on Orpheus exemplifies violent revenge against his perceived misogyny.
Fate and Prophecy
Alcyone's prophetic dream foreshadows Ceyx's death; her fears are realized despite attempts to prevent the voyage.
Characters to notice
- Orpheus
Torn to pieces by Thracian women; his head and lyre float to Lesbos; his ghost reunites with Eurydice in the underworld.
- Ceyx
King of Trachin; drowns in a storm at sea; his body is found by Alcyone.
- Alcyone
Wife of Ceyx; receives a prophetic dream of his death; finds his corpse and is transformed into a bird.
- Apollo
Protects Orpheus's head from a serpent, turning the snake to stone.
- Aesacus
Prince of Troy; pursues Hesperia; after her death, he attempts suicide and is transformed into a cormorant.
Key passages
“The Thracian women, offended at the coldness of Orpheus, tear him to pieces, and throw his head into the Hebras, whose streams convey it to the coast of the Aegean sea, where a serpent, while sucking his blood, is changed into a stone.”
The Thracian women, angered by Orpheus's rejection, dismember him and cast his head into the Hebrus River. It floats to the Aegean, where a snake drinking his blood is turned to stone.
Summarizes Orpheus's death and the serpent's transformation.
“His ghost flies downward to the Stygian shore, And knows the places it had seen before: Among the shadows of the pious train He finds Eurydice, and loves again;”
Orpheus's spirit descends to the underworld, where he reunites with Eurydice among the blessed dead.
Describes Orpheus's reunion with Eurydice in Hades.
“The queen recover'd, rears her humid eyes, And first her husband on the poop espies, Shaking his hand at distance on the main; She took the sign, and shook her hand again:”
Alcyone, regaining consciousness, sees Ceyx waving from the ship's stern and waves back as he departs.
Depicts the farewell between Ceyx and Alcyone.
“Now driven ashore, and at her feet it lies, She knows too much in knowing whom she sees, Her husband's corpse; at this she loudly shrieks, 'Tis he! 'tis he!' she cries, and tears her cheeks, Her hair, and vest; and stooping to the sands, About his neck she cast her trembling hands.”
The body washes ashore at Alcyone's feet; she recognizes Ceyx, shrieks in grief, tears her clothes and hair, and embraces his corpse.
Alcyone discovers Ceyx's body and mourns.
“The gods their shapes to winter birds translate, But both obnoxious to their former fate. Their conjugal affection still is tied, And still the mournful race is multiplied.”
The gods transform Ceyx and Alcyone into kingfishers, but they retain their marital bond and continue to produce offspring, mourning their fate.
Explains the metamorphosis of Ceyx and Alcyone into birds.
