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Book 10: Orpheus’ Song: Introduction
Themes
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
Orpheus sings that Jupiter once fell in love with a young boy named Ganymede. Jove disguised himself as an eagle and carried Ganymede up to the heavens. To Juno’s annoyance, Ganymede still serves Jove at his table.
Orpheus’s song explains that Jupiter has affairs with human boys as well as with girls. His affair with Ganymede is another instance of love getting between him and Juno.
Themes
