The Golden Ass · Chapter
XXIII explained
The thieves debate the punishment for the captive maiden and the ass, devising a gruesome death.
What happens
The thieves debate the punishment for the captive maiden and the ass, devising a gruesome death. Lucius, in his ass form, carries the maiden away in an escape attempt, but they are recaptured by the thieves and returned to the den, where the old woman is found hanged.
Themes in this chapter
Fortune and Suffering
The maiden laments her cruel fortune and prays for deliverance, while Lucius suffers under the thieves' abuse and the threat of a horrific death.
Deception and Appearance
Lucius, in the shape of an ass, is perceived as a mere beast, yet the maiden wonders if a divine power or human form is hidden within him.
Characters to notice
Key passages
“I would sweetly kiss her tender feet. Then she fetching a sigh from the bottom of her heart, lifted up her eyes to the heavens, saying: Oh sovereign Gods, deliver me if it be your pleasure, from these present dangers: and thou cruel fortune cease thy wrath, let the sorrow suffice thee which I have already sustained.”
I would gently kiss her soft feet. Then she sighed deeply, looked up to the sky, and prayed: 'Oh mighty gods, please rescue me from these dangers if it is your will. And you, cruel fortune, stop your anger; let the suffering I have already endured be enough.'
The maiden's plea to the gods and fortune reflects the theme of fortune and suffering.
“If Jupiter transformed himself into a bull, why may it not be that under the shape of this ass, is hidden the figure of a man, or some power divine?”
If Jupiter could change himself into a bull, why couldn't there be a man or a divine being hidden inside this ass?
The maiden speculates that Lucius might be a transformed human or god, highlighting the theme of deception and appearance.