Procne Character Analysis in Metamorphoses

Procne is Tereus’s wife and Philomela’s sister. When Procne hears that her husband has raped her sister, she furiously seeks revenge against him. After debating as to how to seek her revenge, she decides to kill her and Tereus’s son Itys and serve him to Tereus at a banquet; she can no longer look at her son with motherly tenderness, but only sees him as a reminder and image of her husband’s brutality. At the end of the story, Procne is turned into a nightingale with “the red badge of murder” on its chest.

Procne Quotes in Metamorphoses

The Metamorphoses quotes below are all either spoken by Procne or refer to Procne . For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:

But once she saw that maternal claims were making her purpose
waver, she turned away from her child to the face of her sister,
then looking at each in turn, she reflected: ‘Should Itys be able
to say that he loves me, when poor Philomela has lost her tongue?
He can call out to his mother, but she cannot call out to her sister.’

Related Characters: Procne (speaker), Itys , Philomela , Tereus

Related Symbols: Speech, Words, and Writing

Page Number and Citation: 629

Explanation and Analysis:

This quote occurs just after Philomela has told Procne that Tereus raped her, and the two sisters proceed to think of how to get revenge against him. In contemplating her revenge against Tereus for the wrong he did her sister, Procne finds that she is torn in several directions by the news of her husband’s crime. This quote points out that, when Procne first heard the news, she felt she had a clear purpose: to seek revenge. However, she shortly after feels that “maternal claims” are making her rethink this purpose. The quote then describes how Procne looks from her Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea. Quia soluta itaque. Deleniti nisi earum. Ad tenetur laboriosam. Eum accusamus harum. Accusantium iusto voluptas. Totam quae corporis. Impedit non ut. Incidunt rerum est. Aperiam doloremque eum. Animi soluta perspiciatis. Ut minima autem. Modi omnis iure. Sint qui qui. Qui similiqu

Procne Character Timeline in Metamorphoses

The timeline below shows where the character Procne appears in Metamorphoses. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

...peace and because Tereus is wealthy, Pandion, the king of Athens, arranges for his daughter Procne to marry Tereus. Their wedding and consummation is attended by the Furies instead of Juno,... (full context)

Five years after their marriage, Procne begs Tereus to let her sister Philomela visit her in Thrace. Tereus agrees and sets... (full context)

Tereus repeats Procne’s request for Philomela’s visit, adding his lustful passion to his voice. While appearing as a... (full context)

...calling him a monster for ruining her, cheating on his wife, and forcing her and Procne to be rivals. She wishes Tereus had murdered her before raping her so her ghost... (full context)

...out her tongue instead. He then rapes her several more times before going home to Procne. He tells her that Philomela died on the journey from Athens. Procne mourns and sets... (full context)

...that tells her horrible story in writing. She then gives this tapestry to one of Procne’s maids with instructions to give it to Procne. When Procne reads Philomela’s story on the... (full context)

Philomela shudders with shame, unable to look Procne in the eyes. Procne tells Philomela not to weep, and says that she plans to... (full context)

Procne and Philomela drag Itys to another room. Itys pleads, but Procne kills him with a... (full context)

Tereus comes home and dines on his son’s flesh. When he calls for Itys, Procne tells him that Itys is inside his belly. Philomela then revels herself, tossing Itys’ head... (full context)

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... (full context)

Procne Character Analysis

Procne Quotes in Metamorphoses

Book 6: Tereus, Procne and Philomela Quotes

Procne Character Timeline in Metamorphoses