Metamorphoses · Chapter
Story of Pelops explained
Pelops, son of Tantalus, is murdered and served to the gods by his father to test their divinity.
What happens
Pelops, son of Tantalus, is murdered and served to the gods by his father to test their divinity. Jupiter discovers the crime, restores Pelops to life, and replaces a missing shoulder piece with ivory, which Ceres had inadvertently consumed.
Themes in this chapter
Divine Power and Human Folly
Jupiter's intervention to restore Pelops demonstrates divine power over life and death, while Tantalus's folly in testing the gods leads to his son's murder.
Mortality and Immortality
Pelops's death and miraculous resurrection by the gods blur the boundary between mortal and immortal realms.
Characters to notice
Key passages
“Pelops, the son of Tantalus, is murdered by his father, and served up in an entertainment to the gods, to make trial of their divinity”
Tantalus kills his own son Pelops and serves him as a meal to the gods to test whether they are truly divine.
Highlights the extreme cruelty and impiety of Tantalus.
“Jupiter discovers the perfidious cruelty, and restores Pelops to life”
Jupiter sees through the wicked act and brings Pelops back to life.
Shows Jupiter's omniscience and power over death.
“Part of the shoulder, which Ceres incautiously devoured, is supplied by a substitute made of ivory”
Ceres unknowingly eats a piece of Pelops's shoulder, so the gods replace it with an ivory substitute.
Explains the origin of the ivory shoulder as a miraculous replacement.