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Ovid’s Metamorphoses is an anti-epic that was written in an attempt to poke fun at the seriousness of Virgil’s Aeneid. Although the Aeneid and Metamorphoses differ vastly from one another, both of these two revolutionary Roman works provide contemporary readers with insight into Rome’s treatment of women during the age of Augustus. However, Ovid’s Metamorphoses portrays women in a much more positive light than Virgil does in the Aeneid, and this informs readers that Ovid, not Virgil, was at least somewhat concerned with the oppression of women in ancient Roman society.

In Virgil’s Aeneid, there are only a handful of female characters worth noting. The single most important female character featured in the Aeneid is none other than Dido, the queen of Carthage. Although she holds a position that is normally held by men, Dido is ultimately treated as a disposable object. Aeneas is quick to set her aside and sacrifice his relationship with her in order to pursue his destiny. In addition to being disposable, Virgil also depicts Dido as a severely weak-minded individual, whose sanity and happiness relies heavily on long-term commitment from a powerful male figure. Dido throws a temper tantrum after she does not receive precisely what she desires from Aeneas. However, Dido’s reaction goes far beyond a simple tantrum, as her explosive confrontation with Aeneas only marks the beginning of her irrational decision making. Dido proceeds to commit suicide, which does not bode well for her reputation as a competent and logical leader. Aside from Dido, the Aeneid features three other somewhat notable female characters. These three characters are Creusa, Virgil’s first wife; Lavinia, the daughter of Latinus; and Camilla, a Volcian warrior. It i...

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... cause of the Trojan War. In reality, Helen is forced into a relationship without her true consent. Although the treatment of Lavinia in the Aeneid is strinkingly similar to that of Helen in the Illiad, this is conducted purposefully by Virgil. This means that Lavinia’s role in the Aeneid is more of a reflection of ancient Greek society than it is of ancient Roman society. In addition, when compared to Homer, Virgil also manages to include a little more variety in his portrayal of women. The Aeneid features Dido, who is a leader of men, while the Illiad’s only notable female character, excluding the goddesses, is Helen, who is a completely powerless individual. By comparing the treatment of women in Roman works to the treatment of women in Greek works, one can potentially conclude that Greek women were treated with even less respect than their Roman counterparts.