# Story of Cephalus and Procris explained — Metamorphoses

> Chapter companion for Metamorphoses by Ovid.

## What happens

Cephalus recounts to Aeacus and his sons the tragic tale of his wife Procris. After being abducted by Aurora, he becomes suspicious of Procris's fidelity and tests her by disguising himself and offering gifts, which she eventually accepts. When his true identity is revealed, she flees in anger and becomes a huntress in Diana's train. Cephalus wins her back, but later, while hunting, he mistakenly kills her with a magical dart given to her by Aurora, mistaking her for a wild beast after she spies on him due to jealousy over his calls to 'Aura.'

## Themes in this chapter

### Love and Desire

Cephalus's deep love for Procris is central, but his desire to test her fidelity leads to tragedy.

### Fate and Prophecy

The tragic outcome is foreshadowed by Cephalus's suspicions and the fatal gift of the dart.

## Character check-ins

### Cephalus

The grieving husband who tells the story of his wife's death, caused by his own hand.

### Procris

The faithful wife who is tragically killed by her husband's dart after a series of misunderstandings.

### Aurora

The goddess who abducts Cephalus and later aids him in testing Procris's fidelity.

### Aeacus

The host who listens to Cephalus's tale and appears with his sons at the end.

### Phocus

The prince who inquires about Cephalus's dart, prompting the tragic story.

## Key lines

> By all the sacred bonds of plighted love, By all your reverence to the powers above, By all that made me charming once appear, By all the truth for which you held me dear, And last, by love, the cause through which I bleed, Let Aura never to my bed succeed.

Procris, dying, begs Cephalus by their love and vows that he never marry another woman named Aura.

_This reveals Procris's final misunderstanding, believing 'Aura' is a rival._

> I then perceived the error of our fate, And told it her, but found and told too late!

Cephalus realizes the tragic mistake too late to save Procris.

_Highlights the theme of fatal misunderstanding._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/metamorphoses_se/chapters/story-of-cephalus-and-procris
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/metamorphoses_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/metamorphoses_se/chapters