Ovid's art of love rings true in the 20th century

A detailed Summary of Ovid's art of love rings true in the 20th century

Ovid's "Art of Love" Rings True in the Twentieth Century

It is a physical truth that the male and female sexes were made to fit together as counterparts. Animal corresponding parts come together to perform intercourse in order to regenerate a species. In nature there are hundreds of mating rituals and courting practices used when a male or female seeks a mate. Each pursuer looks for certain aspects of a potential mate. People analyze personal traits when looking for a mate, but the mating ritual is no longer simply based on instinct. Society's materialism and commercialism have complicated the search for love and companionship, which are spurred by a social need for love and marriage. Ovid's didactic work on "The Art of Love" is a comical and universal instruction guide on how to attract the opposite sex. In his instruction he stereotypes men and women in opposite ways and he makes generalizations that show how men and women are counterparts to each other. Ovid uses stereotypes to further the mocking tone of his criticism of the society that Augustus banished him from. The stereotypes seem to be ridiculous, but Ovid uses them because they are in actuality true. Ovid's advice to men and women is essentially to be mani

Ovid goes on to advise men to be macho, witty, and manipulative, and it is what many women stereotypically expect from them. He tells the men to "Endorse her endorsements, echo her every word" (II.197). This advice basically says that all women are stupid and they will be happy as long as their men agree with them. He says, "They're [women] all cheats, so cheat them: most are dumb and unscrupulous" (I.644). He encourages men to "play the lover" (I.610). Ovid continues to exentuate female faults and weaknesses to help strengthen the male ego. He makes it seem easy for men to catch a companion. Ovid's stereotypes of women in the second book continue to be offensively harsh and belittling. His sarcastic tone points out that it was how many men perceived women in his era.

Ovid's advice to both men and women contrast and also complement each other. Some of his advice is productive for both sexes, but most of his advice creates conflict. When he tells both sexes to lie and be manipulative he is deliberately creating a mini war between them. It is a war because he advises males and females not to trust anyone when love is involved. He continuously writes to men that women are manipulative, and he also writes to women that men are cheats. Ovid also includes in his instruction that a man should not praise a girl to his friend because "He'll [a friend] be in there himself" (I.743). He then writes that a woman should never "show herself trustful", because "other women will reap her pleasures" (III.662). He says to women that "men are often deceivers, women hardly ever" (III.31). Ovid tells his men and women that they need to find a lover before they grow old, because no one will want them after they have become too old and too wise to play the game.

Ovid's stereotypes on the ideal methods of attracting men and women still apply to American society today. Women and men still enjoy playing the game of pursuit using manipulation. Women wear make-up to hide their facial imperfections, and they wear wonder bras and high heals. These are all ways that women today manipulate their appearances to please men. Women still "moan as though they were coming" (III.797) while faking orgasms to please their male companions. Men today still give off a macho and controlling attitude to impress women. Ovid's pointers are now predominantly embossed in people's minds as timeless guidelines to creating

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Approximate Word count = 1632
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)

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