''Amoryus and Cleopes'' is a poem written in 1449 by

John Metham John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second ...

; it was an early English adaptation of the

Pyramus and Thisbe Pyramus and Thisbe are a pair of ill-fated lovers whose story forms part of Ovid's ''Metamorphoses''. The story has since been retold by many authors. Pyramus and Thisbe are two lovers in the city of Babylon who occupy connected houses. Their r ...

narrative from Book 4 of

Ovid Pūblius Ovidius Nāsō (; 20 March 43 BC – 17/18 AD), known in English as Ovid ( ), was a Roman poet who lived during the reign of Augustus. He was a contemporary of the older Virgil and Horace, with whom he is often ranked as one of the th ...

‘s

Metamorphoses The ''Metamorphoses'' ( la, Metamorphōsēs, from grc, μεταμορφώσεις: "Transformations") is a Latin narrative poem from 8 CE by the Roman poet Ovid. It is considered his ''magnum opus''. The poem chronicles the history of the ...

Author

John Metham was very probably one of the sons of Sir Thomas Metham, who had held the position of

High Sheriff of Yorkshire The Sheriff is the oldest secular office under the Crown. Formerly the Sheriff was the principal law enforcement officer in the county but over the centuries most of the responsibilities associated with the post have been transferred elsewhere o ...

in 1442 and 1459. Metham’s patrons, mentioned toward the end of the text, were Sir

Miles Stapleton Sir Miles Stapleton, KG (c. 1408 – 1 October 1466) was Lord of the Manor of Ingham, Norfolk and ''de jure'' Baron Ingham of Ingham, Norfolk, and Lord of the Manor of Bedale, Yorkshire. Family Sir Miles Stapleton was the son of Sir Br ...

(d. 1466), an important nobleman in

Norfolk Norfolk () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in East Anglia in England. It borders Lincolnshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the west and south-west, and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the No ...

during the middle part of the fifteenth century, and his wife, Katherine de la Pole, daughter of Sir Thomas de la Pole, uncle of William,

Duke of Suffolk Duke of Suffolk is a title that has been created three times in the peerage of England. The dukedom was first created for William de la Pole, 1st Duke of Suffolk, William de la Pole, who had already been elevated to the ranks of earl and marquess ...

, oldest son of Michael de la Pole, the

Earl of Suffolk Earl of Suffolk is a title which has been created four times in the Peerage of England. The first creation, in tandem with the creation of the title of Earl of Norfolk, came before 1069 in favour of Ralph the Staller; but the title was forfe ...

Synopsis

The story of Amoryus and Cleopes begins after the Roman emperor

Nero Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus ( ; born Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus; 15 December AD 37 – 9 June AD 68), was the fifth Roman emperor and final emperor of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, reigning from AD 54 unti ...

has conquered the realms of

Persia Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

and

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. Two Roman magistrates, Palamedon (Amoryus’s father) and Dydas (Cleopes’s father) are awarded control of the two realms. Before the background of prophecies and signs that foreshadow the downfall of the Roman gods in the realms, Amoryus and Cleopes meet and fall in love. In true chivalric romance fashion, Amoryus proves his worthiness by defeating a discourteous knight and a dangerous dragon (the latter with Cleopes’s help). Because their parents are opposed to their relationship, the two lovers have to meet secretly outside the city walls. Cleopes arrives first at the appointed place, but a lion forces her to hide and drop her scarf. The lion wipes its bloody maw on the scarf, then walks away. Amoryus, who finds the scarf, believes Cleopes has been killed by the lion, and commits suicide. Cleopes then finds Amoryus dead and commits suicide in turn. In a surprising Christian ending, the two lovers are restored to life by holy hermit. The hermit and the resurrected lovers return to the city, convince all citizens to convert to

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global pop ...

, and Amoryus and Cleopes are married according to Christian rite.

Literary relations

For most of its plot, the poem is heavily indebted to Book 4 of the

of the Roman author

(43 B.C.-A.D.18). However, Metham not only substitutes the names of Ovid's lovers (

), but Christianizes the entire story by adding a somewhat surprising salvific ending. For its style, language, and role of the narrator, Metham depends heavily on the fourteenth-century poet Geoffrey Chaucer, especially his poem

Troilus and Criseyde ''Troilus and Criseyde'' () is an epic poem by Geoffrey Chaucer which re-tells in Middle English the tragic story of the lovers Troilus and Criseyde set against a backdrop of war during the siege of Troy. It was written in '' rime royale'' a ...

Manuscript and editions

''Amoryus and Cleopes'' survives in a single manuscript, Princeton University Library, MS Garrett 141, fols. 17b-56b., which was first edited by Hardin Craig in 1916. In 1999, Stephen F. Page produced a student-friendly edition for the TEAMS series published by

Western Michigan University Western Michigan University (Western Michigan, Western or WMU) is a public research university in Kalamazoo, Michigan. It was initially established as Western State Normal School in 1903 by Governor Aaron T. Bliss for the training of teachers ...

’s Medieval Institute.John Metham, ''Amoryus and Cleopes,'' ed. Stephen F. Page (Kalamazoo, MI: Medieval Institute Publications, 1999).

Sources

External links