Metamorphoses · Chapter
Assumption of Romulus explained
Mars petitions Jove to grant Romulus a place among the gods, fulfilling a promise to deify the founder of Rome.
What happens
Mars petitions Jove to grant Romulus a place among the gods, fulfilling a promise to deify the founder of Rome. Mars ascends to the skies, retrieves Romulus from his throne on the Palatine, and transports him to heaven, where he is purified and becomes the god Quirinus.
Free preview opens on this chapter — companions, themes, and character notes appear beside the text.
Narrative arc
Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Falling action.
- Setup
- Escalation
- Breaking point
- Aftermath
- Closing
This is the story's dramatic climax because it presents the emotional and psychological peak of Telethusa’s de…
Full beat labels and climax notes unlock in the reader.
Follow the arc while readingThemes in this chapter
- Transformation and Metamorphosis
Romulus is transformed from a mortal king into the god Quirinus, his gross parts refined as he ascends to the heavens.
- Divine Power and Human Folly
Mars and Jove exercise their divine authority to elevate a mortal, demonstrating the gods' control over fate and apotheosis.
Characters to notice
Key passages
“The god Mars translates Romulus to the skies, where hew inrolled in the number of the gods under the name of Qurinus.”
Mars carries Romulus up to heaven, where he is enrolled among the gods and renamed Quirinus.
Opening lines describing the central event of the chapter.
“The parts more pure, in rising are refined, The gross and perishable lag behind.”
As Romulus ascends, his pure elements are refined while his mortal, corruptible parts fall away.
Describes the purification process of Romulus's apotheosis.
