Metamorphoses · Chapter
Transformations of Erisichthon's Daughter explained
Metra, daughter of Erisichthon, uses her power of transformation to support her starving father by repeatedly changing form to evade sale, but ultimately Erisichthon devours his own flesh in desperation.
What happens
Metra, daughter of Erisichthon, uses her power of transformation to support her starving father by repeatedly changing form to evade sale, but ultimately Erisichthon devours his own flesh in desperation.
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 Rising 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
Metra repeatedly changes form (fisher, fowl, steer, mare, deer) to evade sale and support her father.
- Mortality and Immortality
Erisichthon's desperate self-consumption illustrates the mortal struggle for survival and the decay of the body.
Characters to notice
- Metra
Erisichthon's daughter who transforms into various forms (fisher, fowl, steer, mare, deer) to evade being sold and support her father.
- Erisichthon
The starving father who sells his daughter repeatedly and finally devours his own flesh.
Key passages
“Now riches hoarded by paternal care Were sunk, the glutton swallowing up the heir.”
The wealth saved by his fatherly efforts was consumed, as the glutton devoured his own inheritance.
Describes Erisichthon's insatiable hunger consuming his family's resources.
“Her sire her shifting power to change perceived, And various chapmen by her sale deceived.”
Her father noticed her ability to change form and used it to deceive multiple buyers when selling her.
Highlights Metra's transformative power and Erisichthon's exploitation of it.
“His muscles with a furious bite he tore, Gorged his own tatter'd flesh, and gulf'd his gore.”
He tore his own muscles with a furious bite, devoured his torn flesh, and swallowed his own blood.
Graphic depiction of Erisichthon's final act of self-cannibalism.
