Ceres Character Analysis

This quote is a portion of what Jupiter says to Ceres when she implores him to rescue Proserpina, who has been kidnapped by Pluto and taken to Hades. Jupiter first asks Ceres to “use words which accord with the facts of the case,” and then explains that Pluto’s kidnap and rape of Proserpina was not a “crime” but rather an “act of love.” In this way, Jupiter suggests that Ceres has conflated the word “crime” with the word “love,” and that this conflation is affecting her opinion as to the proper way to address what has happened. Therefore, in putting into words his disagreement with Ceres’s choice of words, Jupiter outlines the different way in which men and women view the same action: whereas Ceres looks at kidnap and rape as crimes committed by men against women, Jupiter sees these as acts of love that should be flattering to a woman, or at least cause them no “shame.”

In showing how kidnap and rape are either crimes or acts of love depending on the perspective, Jupiter reveals a fundamental disagreement between men and women. Jupiter’s claim is that women interpret a man’s act of love as a crime, but Ceres would likely maintain that men get away with committing crimes against women by calling them acts of love. Jupiter concludes his argument by saying that, since Pluto is Jupiter’s brother and therefore endowed with superior powers, Ceres should feel no shame that Proserpina was kidnapped and raped by him. This conclusion cheapens Jupiter’s argument by suggesting that status somehow justifies rape and kidnapping. All in all, Jupiter’s claim that kidnap and rape are not crimes but acts of love is prejudiced because it favors the male perspective only.