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Book 6: Tereus, Procne and Philomela
Themes
and Colors
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Metamorphoses, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Metamorphosis
Humanity vs. Nature
Love and Destruction
Gods and Humans
Time, Fate, and Poetry
Summary
Analysis
Pandion dies with grief after hearing what happened to Procne and Philomela. The throne of Athens is taken over by a new king who has many beautiful sons and daughters. Boreas, the god of the north wind, falls in love with one of the king’s daughters, Orithyia. Boreas’s hatred for Tereus’s violence and cruelty makes him woo Orithyia gently.
The story of Tereus’s brutality has such an effect on humanity that it causes men—including male gods—to reconsider how they approach women. It occurs to some, like Boreas, that force against a woman is devastating and leads to horrible corruption.
Active
Themes
Boreas’s gentleness is unsuccessful. The god then asks himself why he, who can assault the earth with powerful weather, isn’t using his rightful strength to win the girl he wants. He blasts winds over the earth and makes it go dark. Boreas then swoops down on the frightened Orithyia and kidnaps her in his talons. He flies with her to the north where she gives birth to twins. When the twin boys reach puberty, they sprout golden wings.
Active
Themes
