Comparing Metamorphoses In The Thousand And One Nights

“The Proverb advises ‘Be kind to those who hurt you,’” (The Thousand and One nights 575). Metamorphoses by Ovid and The Thousand and One Nights are both texts that follow moral and social didactic practices. The purpose of these didactic practices is to instruct one in how to be a good person from the viewpoint of a specific culture or society. In Metamorphoses we have the focus on the Roman gods behavior written around 8 C.E. We see many gods acting in various inappropriate sexual ways. The Thousand and One Nights tells the story of a woman who tries to change the behavior of a King in the fourteenth century by telling him a unique story each night to put off her execution in the morning. These stories, while different in theme, both serve

Many of the transformations in this text are literal while some are more subtle and metaphorical. The purposes of these transformations to the didactic nature are profound. You may not immediately connect Daphne being transformed into a tree as specifically instructional, however there are connotations behind both her transformation and the actions of Apollo that led to it, that can lead to great analysis of what it meant to be a good person in that society and time period. Daphne is considered innocent in this story. Being turned into a tree was a plea to save her virginity. From this perspective, remaining a virgin is deemed a quality that makes one a good person. Apollo pursuing her despite her protestations shows a character flaw that is seen as not worthy of a god or human in that time period. Even after Daphne became a tree, Apollo still claimed ownership of her declaring, “Although you cannot be my bride,” he says, “you will assuredly be my own tree” (Ovid 1082). Showing mercy and grace is the way Apollo should have handled that situation. In this instance the status of the gods do not play a role in making them inherently good or evil, though they show characteristics of what one would consider evil. Ovid seems to be placing the gods above the hierarchy and consequences for behaving in a morally unacceptable