# Niobe in Distress for Her Children Slain by Apollo, from Ovid’s Metamorphoses, Book VI and from a View of the Painting of Mr. Richard Wilson explained — Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral > Chapter companion for Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral by Phillis Wheatley. ## What happens The chapter recounts the myth of Niobe, the proud Phrygian queen who boasts of her many children and scorns the goddess Latona. In punishment, Apollo and Diana slay all of Niobe's sons and daughters. Niobe's hubris leads to utter devastation, and she is ultimately turned to stone, weeping eternally. ## Themes in this chapter ### Classical and Biblical Allusion The poem is a direct retelling of Ovid's myth, invoking figures like Apollo, Latona, and Niobe, and referencing the painting by Richard Wilson. ### Virtue and Moral Guidance Niobe's pride and blasphemy against the gods serve as a cautionary tale about the dangers of hubris and the importance of humility. ### Grief and Consolation The poem vividly portrays Niobe's overwhelming grief at the loss of her children, culminating in her transformation into a weeping stone. ## Character check-ins ### Niobe The proud Phrygian queen who boasts of her lineage and children, scorns Latona, and suffers the loss of all her offspring. ### Apollo The god who, at Latona's request, slays Niobe's sons with arrows. ### Latona The goddess scorned by Niobe; she calls upon Apollo to punish Niobe's hubris. ### Amphion Niobe's husband, who later commits suicide out of grief. ### Ismenus The first-born son of Niobe, slain by Apollo while riding. ### Alphenor A son of Niobe who attempts to help his fallen brothers but is killed by Apollo. ### Jove Mentioned as the father of Amphion and as Dodonean Jove, from whom Niobe's lineage descends. ### Cadmus Founder of Thebes; his palace is referenced as the setting. ## Key lines > Apollo’s wrath to man the dreadful spring / Of ills innum’rous, tuneful goddess, sing! Sing, Muse, of Apollo's anger, which brings countless disasters to humanity. _Opening invocation to the Muse, echoing classical epic tradition._ > What if their charms exceed Aurora’s teint. / No words could tell them, and no pencil paint, / Thy love too vehement hastens to destroy / Each blooming maid, and each celestial boy. Niobe's excessive love for her beautiful children leads to their destruction. _Foreshadowing the tragedy caused by Niobe's pride and attachment._ > What madness drives the Theban ladies fair / To give their incense to surrounding air? / Say why this new sprung deity preferr’d? / Why vainly fancy your petitions heard? Niobe mocks the Theban women for worshiping Latona, questioning why they honor a new goddess. _Niobe's blasphemous speech that provokes Latona's wrath._ > Wrap her own sons for her blaspheming breath, / Apollo! wrap them in the shades of death. Latona commands Apollo to kill Niobe's sons as punishment for her blasphemy. _Latona's demand for vengeance._ > A marble statue now the queen appears, / But from the marble steal the silent tears. Niobe is turned to stone, yet the statue weeps eternally. _Final transformation of Niobe, symbolizing perpetual grief._ ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/poems_on_various_subjects_religious_and_moral_se/chapters/niobe-in-distress-for-her-children-slain-by-apollo-from-ovid-s-metamorphoses-book-vi-and-from-a-view-of-the-painting-of-mr-richard-wilson - Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/poems_on_various_subjects_religious_and_moral_se - All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/poems_on_various_subjects_religious_and_moral_se/chapters