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Metamorphoses · Chapter

Mariners Transformed to Dolphins explained

Acoetes, the pilot of a ship, recounts to Pentheus how his crew attempted to kidnap the young god Bacchus.

What happens

Acoetes, the pilot of a ship, recounts to Pentheus how his crew attempted to kidnap the young god Bacchus. As punishment, Bacchus transforms the entire crew into dolphins, while Acoetes is spared and becomes a devoted follower.

Themes in this chapter

  • Divine Power and Human Folly

    Bacchus's transformation of the mariners into dolphins demonstrates the gods' power to punish human greed and deceit.

  • Transformation and Metamorphosis

    The mariners are physically transformed into dolphins as a direct consequence of their actions.

Characters to notice

  • Bacchus

    The god who reveals his divinity by transforming the mariners into dolphins and sparing Acoetes.

  • Pentheus

    The rash king who interrogates Acoetes and dismisses his tale as a lie, ordering his torture.

  • Acrisius

    Not present in this chapter; no matching character found.

Key passages

  • “The vessel, fix’d and rooted in the flood, Unmoved by all the beating billows, stood.”

    The ship became immobile, as if rooted in the sea, unaffected by the waves.

    Describes the miraculous immobilization of the ship by Bacchus.

  • “Full nineteen sailors did the ship convey, A shoal of nineteen dolphins round her play.”

    The nineteen sailors were transformed into nineteen dolphins that now swim around the ship.

    Highlights the complete transformation of the crew into dolphins.

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