Furiosa libido. Ovid on love and madness.

Abstract

This paper presents Ovid’s views on the concept of love madness. Taking Ars amatoria, in particular the distich (1.281–282) in which the poet blames woman’s love fury on her lust as its research material, the paper investigates how the notion in question has been realized in this “textbook for lovers.” There, Ovid uses the mythological figures of women who committed crimes against social rules to illustrate the said concept; the paper, in turn, juxtaposes it with the narratives in Metamorphoses (the stories of Byblis and Myrrha). Additionally, it makes use of the tale of Iphis, a story not included in Ars amatoria which can nevertheless be also treated as illustrative of how madness can overcome enamored women. The paper both contrasts the above mentioned stories with the narratives showing men’s inclinations to insanity caused by passion and examines the notion of love madness in the context and with regard to the style of Ovid’s works.