The ''Heroides'' (''The Heroines''), or ''Epistulae Heroidum'' (''Letters of Heroines''), is a collection of fifteen
epistolary poems composed by
Ovid
Publius Ovidius Naso (; 20 March 43 BC – AD 17/18), known in English as Ovid ( ), was a Augustan literature (ancient Rome), Roman poet who lived during the reign of Augustus. He was a younger contemporary of Virgil and Horace, with whom he i ...
in
Latin
Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...
elegiac couplet
The elegiac couplet or elegiac distich is a poetic form used by Greek lyric poets for a variety of themes usually of smaller scale than the epic. Roman poets, particularly Catullus, Propertius, Tibullus, and Ovid, adopted the same form in L ...
s and presented as though written by a selection of aggrieved
hero
A hero (feminine: heroine) is a real person or fictional character who, in the face of danger, combats adversity through feats of ingenuity, courage, or Physical strength, strength. The original hero type of classical epics did such thin ...
ines of
Greek and
Roman mythology
Roman mythology is the body of myths of ancient Rome as represented in the literature and visual arts of the Romans, and is a form of Roman folklore. "Roman mythology" may also refer to the modern study of these representations, and to th ...
in address to their heroic lovers who have in some way mistreated, neglected, or abandoned them. A further set of six poems, widely known as the ''
Double Heroides'' and numbered 16 to 21 in modern scholarly editions, follows these individual letters and presents three separate exchanges of paired epistles: one each from a heroic lover to his absent beloved and from the heroine in return.
The ''Heroides'' were long held in low esteem by literary scholars but, like other works by Ovid, were re-evaluated more positively in the late 20th century. Arguably some of Ovid's most influential works (
see below), one point that has greatly contributed to their mystique—and to the reverberations they have produced within the writings of later generations—is directly attributable to Ovid himself. In the third book of his ''
Ars Amatoria
The (''The Art of Love'') is an instructional elegy series in three books by the ancient Roman poet Ovid. It was written in 2 AD.
Content
Book one of was written to show a man how to find a woman. In book two, Ovid shows how to keep her. These ...
'', Ovid argues that in writing these fictional epistolary poems in the
personae of famous heroines, rather than from a
first-person perspective, he created an entirely new
literary genre
A literary genre is a category of literature. Genres may be determined by List of narrative techniques, literary technique, Tone (literature), tone, Media (communication), content, or length (especially for fiction). They generally move from mor ...
. Recommending parts of his poetic output as suitable reading material to his
assumed audience of Roman women, Ovid wrote of his ''Heroides'': (''Ars Amatoria''
3.345–6: "Or let an Epistle be sung out by you in practiced voice: he
sc.'' Ovid">Scilicet.html" ;"title="'Scilicet">sc.'' Ovidoriginated this sort of composition, which was unknown to others"). The full extent of Ovid's originality in this matter has been a point of scholarly contention: E. J. Kenney, for instance, notes that " is ambiguous: either 'invented' or 'renewed', cunningly obscuring without explicitly disclaiming O
ids debt to Sextus Propertius, Propertius
''Arethusa'' (4.3)for the original idea." In spite of various interpretations of Propertius 4.3, consensus nevertheless concedes to Ovid much of the credit in the thorough exploration of what was then a highly innovative poetic form.
Dating and authenticity
The exact dating of the ''Heroides'', as with the
overall chronology of the Ovidian corpus, remains a matter of debate. As Peter E. Knox notes, "
ere is no consensus about the relative chronology of this
'sc.'' earlyphase of O
ids career," a position which has not advanced significantly since that comment was made. Exact dating is hindered not only by a lack of evidence, but by the fact that much of what is known at all comes from Ovid's own poetry. One passage in the second book of Ovid's ''
Amores'' (''Am.'') has been adduced especially often in this context:
Knox notes that "
is passage ... provides the only external evidence for the date of composition of the ''Heroides'' listed here. The only collection of ''Heroides'' attested by O
idtherefore antedates at least the second edition of the ''Amores'' (c. 2 BC), and probably the first (c. 16 BC) ..." On this view, the most probable date of ''composition'' for at least the majority of the collection of single ''Heroides'' ranges between c. 25 and 16 BC, if indeed their eventual ''publication'' predated that of the assumed first edition of the ''Amores'' in that latter year. Regardless of absolute dating, the evidence nonetheless suggests that the single ''Heroides'' represent some of Ovid's earliest poetic efforts.
Questions of authenticity, however, have often inhibited the literary appreciation of these poems. Joseph Farrell identifies three distinct issues of importance to the collection in this regard: (1) individual interpolations within single poems, (2) the authorship of entire poems by a possible Ovidian impersonator, and (3) the relation of the ''Double Heroides'' to the singles, coupled with the authenticity of that secondary collection. Discussion of these issues has been a focus, even if tangentially, of many treatments of the ''Heroides''.
As an example following these lines, for some time scholars debated over whether this passage from the ''Amores''—corroborating, as it does, only the existence of ''Her.'' 1–2, 4–7, 10–11, and very possibly of 12, 13, and 15—could be cited fairly as evidence for the ''in''authenticity of at least the letters of Briseis (3), Hermione (8), Deianira (9), and Hypermnestra (14), if not also those of Medea (12), Laodamia (13), and Sappho (15). Stephen Hinds argues, however, that this list constitutes only a ''poetic'' catalogue, in which there was no need for Ovid to have enumerated every individual epistle. This assertion has been widely persuasive, and the tendency amongst scholarly readings of the later 1990s and following has been towards careful and insightful literary explication of individual letters, either proceeding under the assumption of, or with an eye towards proving, Ovidian authorship. Other studies, eschewing direct engagement with this issue in favour of highlighting the more ingenious elements—and thereby demonstrating the high value—of individual poems in the collection, have essentially subsumed the authenticity debate, implicating it through a tacit equation of high literary quality with Ovidian authorship. This trend is visible especially in the most recent monographs on the ''Heroides''. On the other hand, some scholars have taken a completely different route, ascribing the whole collection to one or two Ovidian imitators (the catalogue in ''Am.'' 2.18, as well as ''Ars am.'' 3.345–6 and ''Epistulae ex Ponto'' 4.16.13–14, would then be interpolations introduced to establish the imitations as authentic Ovid).
The collection
The paired letters of the ''Double Heroides'' are not outlined here: see the article
Double Heroides for the double epistles (16–21).
*
Epistula I.
Penelope writes to her famed husband,
Odysseus
In Greek mythology, Greek and Roman mythology, Odysseus ( ; , ), also known by the Latin variant Ulysses ( , ; ), is a legendary Greeks, Greek king of Homeric Ithaca, Ithaca and the hero of Homer's Epic poetry, epic poem, the ''Odyssey''. Od ...
, a hero of the
Trojan War
The Trojan War was a legendary conflict in Greek mythology that took place around the twelfth or thirteenth century BC. The war was waged by the Achaeans (Homer), Achaeans (Ancient Greece, Greeks) against the city of Troy after Paris (mytho ...
, towards the end of his long absence (the subject of
Homer's ''
Odyssey
The ''Odyssey'' (; ) is one of two major epics of ancient Greek literature attributed to Homer. It is one of the oldest surviving works of literature and remains popular with modern audiences. Like the ''Iliad'', the ''Odyssey'' is divi ...
'').
*
Epistula II.
Phyllis, the daughter of
Lycurgus, writes to her lover
Demophoon, the son of
Theseus
Theseus (, ; ) was a divine hero in Greek mythology, famous for slaying the Minotaur. The myths surrounding Theseus, his journeys, exploits, and friends, have provided material for storytelling throughout the ages.
Theseus is sometimes desc ...
, king of
Athens
Athens ( ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. A significant coastal urban area in the Mediterranean, Athens is also the capital of the Attica (region), Attica region and is the southe ...
, after he fails in his promised return from his homeland.
*
Epistula III.
Briseis, the daughter of
Briseus, writes to
Achilles
In Greek mythology, Achilles ( ) or Achilleus () was a hero of the Trojan War who was known as being the greatest of all the Greek warriors. The central character in Homer's ''Iliad'', he was the son of the Nereids, Nereid Thetis and Peleus, ...
, the central hero of the Trojan War and focal character of Homer's ''
Iliad
The ''Iliad'' (; , ; ) is one of two major Ancient Greek epic poems attributed to Homer. It is one of the oldest extant works of literature still widely read by modern audiences. As with the ''Odyssey'', the poem is divided into 24 books and ...
'', urging him to accept her as part of a package-deal from
Agamemnon
In Greek mythology, Agamemnon (; ''Agamémnōn'') was a king of Mycenae who commanded the Achaeans (Homer), Achaeans during the Trojan War. He was the son (or grandson) of King Atreus and Queen Aerope, the brother of Menelaus, the husband of C ...
, leader of the Greek forces at
Troy
Troy (/; ; ) or Ilion (; ) was an ancient city located in present-day Hisarlik, Turkey. It is best known as the setting for the Greek mythology, Greek myth of the Trojan War. The archaeological site is open to the public as a tourist destina ...
, and to return to battle against the Trojans.
*
Epistula IV.
Phaedra, wife of
Theseus
Theseus (, ; ) was a divine hero in Greek mythology, famous for slaying the Minotaur. The myths surrounding Theseus, his journeys, exploits, and friends, have provided material for storytelling throughout the ages.
Theseus is sometimes desc ...
, writes to her stepson,
Hippolytus, confessing her semi-incestuous and illicit love for him.
*
Epistula V. The nymph
Oenone, by Hellenistic tradition
Paris
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
' first wife, writes to Paris, son of
Priam
In Greek mythology, Priam (; , ) was the legendary and last king of Troy during the Trojan War. He was the son of Laomedon. His many children included notable characters such as Hector, Paris, and Cassandra.
Etymology
Most scholars take the e ...
King of Troy, after he abandoned her to go on his famed journey to Sparta, and then returned with the abducted
Helen of Sparta as a wife.
*
Epistula VI.
Hypsipyle, queen of Lemnos, to
Jason
Jason ( ; ) was an ancient Greek mythological hero and leader of the Argonauts, whose quest for the Golden Fleece is featured in Greek literature. He was the son of Aeson, the rightful king of Iolcos. He was married to the sorceress Med ...
, after he abandoned her for
Medea
In Greek mythology, Medea (; ; ) is the daughter of Aeëtes, King Aeëtes of Colchis. Medea is known in most stories as a sorceress, an accomplished "wiktionary:φαρμακεία, pharmakeía" (medicinal magic), and is often depicted as a high- ...
.
*
Epistula VII.
Dido to
Aeneas
In Greco-Roman mythology, Aeneas ( , ; from ) was a Troy, Trojan hero, the son of the Trojan prince Anchises and the Greek goddess Aphrodite (equivalent to the Roman Venus (mythology), Venus). His father was a first cousin of King Priam of Troy ...
, on his departure to Italy.
*
Epistula VIII.
Hermione, daughter of
Menelaus
In Greek mythology, Menelaus (; ) was a Greek king of Mycenaean (pre- Dorian) Sparta. According to the ''Iliad'', the Trojan war began as a result of Menelaus's wife, Helen, fleeing to Troy with the Trojan prince Paris. Menelaus was a central ...
, to
Orestes
In Greek mythology, Orestes or Orestis (; ) was the son of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra, and the brother of Electra and Iphigenia. He was also known by the patronymic Agamemnonides (), meaning "son of Agamemnon." He is the subject of several ...
, son of
Agamemnon
In Greek mythology, Agamemnon (; ''Agamémnōn'') was a king of Mycenae who commanded the Achaeans (Homer), Achaeans during the Trojan War. He was the son (or grandson) of King Atreus and Queen Aerope, the brother of Menelaus, the husband of C ...
and
Clytemnestra, urging him to save her from marriage to
Achilles
In Greek mythology, Achilles ( ) or Achilleus () was a hero of the Trojan War who was known as being the greatest of all the Greek warriors. The central character in Homer's ''Iliad'', he was the son of the Nereids, Nereid Thetis and Peleus, ...
' son,
Pyrrhus.
*
Epistula IX.
Deianira, daughter of
Oeneus, king of
Aetolia
Aetolia () is a mountainous region of Greece on the north coast of the Gulf of Corinth, forming the eastern part of the modern regional unit of Aetolia-Acarnania.
Geography
The Achelous River separates Aetolia from Acarnania to the west; on ...
, to her husband
Hercules
Hercules (, ) is the Roman equivalent of the Greek divine hero Heracles, son of Jupiter and the mortal Alcmena. In classical mythology, Hercules is famous for his strength and for his numerous far-ranging adventures.
The Romans adapted the Gr ...
, after he laid down his weapons to be with
Iole, the daughter of
Eurytus, king of Oechalia.
*
Epistula X.
Ariadne to
Theseus
Theseus (, ; ) was a divine hero in Greek mythology, famous for slaying the Minotaur. The myths surrounding Theseus, his journeys, exploits, and friends, have provided material for storytelling throughout the ages.
Theseus is sometimes desc ...
after he abandoned her on the island of Naxos on his way back to Athens. He does not marry
Phaedra until later (see Epistle IV).
*
Epistula XI.
Canace, daughter of
Aeolus
In Greek mythology, Aiolos, transcribed as Aeolus (; ; ) refers to three characters. These three are often difficult to tell apart, and even the ancient mythographers appear to have been perplexed about which Aeolus was which. Diodorus Siculus m ...
, to her brother and lover,
Macareus, before killing herself following the death of their baby at the hands of their father.
*
Epistula XII.
Medea
In Greek mythology, Medea (; ; ) is the daughter of Aeëtes, King Aeëtes of Colchis. Medea is known in most stories as a sorceress, an accomplished "wiktionary:φαρμακεία, pharmakeía" (medicinal magic), and is often depicted as a high- ...
to
Jason
Jason ( ; ) was an ancient Greek mythological hero and leader of the Argonauts, whose quest for the Golden Fleece is featured in Greek literature. He was the son of Aeson, the rightful king of Iolcos. He was married to the sorceress Med ...
, after he abandoned her to marry
Creusa (also known as
Glauce
In Greek mythology, Glauce (; Ancient Greek: Γλαύκη ''Glaukê'' means 'blue-gray' or 'gleaming'), Latin Glauca, refers to different people:
*Glauce, an Arcadian nymph, one of the nurses of Zeus. She and the other nurses were represente ...
).
*
Epistula XIII.
Laodamia, the daughter of
Acastus, to her husband
Protesilaus
In Greek mythology, Protesilaus (; ) was a Greek hero, hero in the ''Iliad'' who was venerated at Temenos, cult sites in Thessaly and Thrace. Protesilaus was the son of Iphiclus (mythology), Iphiclus, a "lord of many sheep"; as grandson of the e ...
, urging him not to take too many risks in the Greeks' attack on
Troy
Troy (/; ; ) or Ilion (; ) was an ancient city located in present-day Hisarlik, Turkey. It is best known as the setting for the Greek mythology, Greek myth of the Trojan War. The archaeological site is open to the public as a tourist destina ...
.
*
Epistula XIV.
Hypermnestra to her husband,
Lynceus In Greek mythology, Lynceus (; Ancient Greek: Λυγκεύς "lynx-eyed") may refer to the following personages.
* Lynceus, one of the 50 Sons of Aegyptus.
* Lynceus, king in Thrace and husband of Lathusa, friend of Procne. Tereus gave Philomel ...
, calling for him to save her from death at the hands of her father,
Danaus
In Greek mythology, Danaus (, ; ''Danaós'') was the king of Libya. His myth is a foundation legend of Argos, one of the foremost Mycenaean cities of the Peloponnesus. In Homer's ''Iliad'', " Danaans" ("tribe of Danaus") and " Argives" comm ...
.
*
Epistula XV.
Sappho
Sappho (; ''Sapphṓ'' ; Aeolic Greek ''Psápphō''; ) was an Ancient Greek poet from Eresos or Mytilene on the island of Lesbos. Sappho is known for her lyric poetry, written to be sung while accompanied by music. In ancient times, Sapph ...
to her ex-lover
Phaon, after he left her.
Translations and influence
The ''Heroides'' were popularized by the Loire valley poet
Baudri of Bourgueil in the late eleventh century, and
Héloïse used them as models in her famous letters to
Peter Abelard
Peter Abelard (12 February 1079 – 21 April 1142) was a medieval French scholastic philosopher, leading logician, theologian, teacher, musician, composer, and poet. This source has a detailed description of his philosophical work.
In philos ...
. A translation, ''Les Vingt et Une Epistres d'Ovide'', was made of this work at the end of the 15th century by the French poet
Octavien de Saint-Gelais, who later became
Bishop of Angoulême. While Saint-Gelais' translation does not do full justice to the original, it introduced many non-Latin readers to Ovid's fictional letters and inspired many of them to compose their own Heroidean-style epistles. Perhaps the most successful of these were the ''Quatre Epistres d'Ovide'' (c. 1500) by , a friend and colleague of Saint-Gelais. Later translations and creative responses to the ''Heroides'' include
Jean Lemaire de Belges's ''Premiere Epître de l'Amant vert'' (1505),
Fausto Andrelini's verse epistles (1509–1511; written in the name of
Anne de Bretagne), ''Contrepistres d'Ovide'' (1546), and
Juan Rodríguez de la Cámara's ''Bursario'', a partial translation of the ''Heroides''.
Classics scholar
W. M. Spackman argues the ''Heroides'' influenced the development of the European novel: of Helen's reply to Paris, Spackman writes, "its mere 268 lines contain in embryo everything that has, since, developed into the novel of dissected motivations that is one of our glories, from ''La Princesse de Clèves'', ''Manon Lescaut'' and ''Les Liaisons Dangereuses'' to Stendhal and Proust".
[''On the Decay of Humanism'' (Rutgers University Press, 1967), p. 96.]
The
Loeb Classical Library
The Loeb Classical Library (LCL; named after James Loeb; , ) is a monographic series of books originally published by Heinemann and since 1934 by Harvard University Press. It has bilingual editions of ancient Greek and Latin literature, ...
presents the ''Heroides'' with ''
Amores'' in Ovid I.
Penguin Books
Penguin Books Limited is a Germany, German-owned English publishing, publishing house. It was co-founded in 1935 by Allen Lane with his brothers Richard and John, as a line of the publishers the Bodley Head, only becoming a separate company the ...
first published Harold Isbell's translation in 1990. Isbell's translation uses unrhymed
couplets that generally alternate between eleven and nine
syllable
A syllable is a basic unit of organization within a sequence of speech sounds, such as within a word, typically defined by linguists as a ''nucleus'' (most often a vowel) with optional sounds before or after that nucleus (''margins'', which are ...
s. A translation in
rhymed couplets by
Daryl Hine appeared in 1991.
It was the inspiration for 15 monologues starring 15 separate actors, by 15 playwrights at the
Jermyn Street Theatre in 2020.
Notes
All notes refer to works listed in the ''
Bibliography
Bibliography (from and ), as a discipline, is traditionally the academic study of books as physical, cultural objects; in this sense, it is also known as bibliology (from ). English author and bibliographer John Carter describes ''bibliograph ...
'', below.
Selected bibliography
For references specifically relating to that subject, please see the relevant
bibliography of the ''Double Heroides''.
Editions
* Dörrie, H. (ed.) (1971) ''P. Ovidi Nasonis Epistulae Heroidum'' (Berlin and New York)
* Showerman, G. (ed. with an English translation) and Goold, G. P. (2nd edition revised) (1986) ''Ovid, Heroides and Amores'' (Cambridge, MA and London)
Commentaries
* Kenney, E. J. (ed.) (1996) ''Ovid'' Heroides ''XVI–XXI'' (Cambridge).
* Knox, P. E. (ed.) (1995) ''Ovid'': Heroides. ''Select Epistles'' (Cambridge).
* Roebuck, L. T. (ed.) (1998) Heroides I w/ Notes & Comm. (Classical Association of New England)
Literary overviews and textual criticism
* Anderson, W. S. (1973) "The ''Heroides''", in J. W. Binns (ed.) ''Ovid'' (London and Boston): 49–83.
* Arena, A. (1995) "Ovidio e l'ideologia augustea: I motivi delle ''Heroides'' ed il loro significato", ''Latomus'' 54.4: 822–41.
* Beck, M. (1996) ''Die Epistulae Heroidum XVIII und XIX des Corpus Ovidianum'' (Paderborn).
* Courtney, E. (1965) "Ovidian and Non-Ovidian ''Heroides''", ''Bulletin of the Institute of Classical Studies of the University of London'' (''BICS'') 12: 63–6.
* ___. (1998) "Echtheitskritik: Ovidian and Non-Ovidian ''Heroides'' Again", CJ 93: 157–66.
*
* Fulkerson, L. (2005) ''The Ovidian Heroine as Author: Reading, Writing, and Community in the'' Heroides (Cambridge).
* Heinze, T. (1991–93) "The Authenticity of Ovid ''Heroides'' 12 Reconsidered", ''Bulletin of the Institute of Classical Studies of the University of London'' (''BICS'') 38: 94–8.
* Jacobson, H. (1974) ''Ovid's'' Heroides (Princeton).
* Kennedy, D. F. (2002) "Epistolarity: The ''Heroides''", in P. R. Hardie (ed.) ''The Cambridge Companion to Ovid'' (Cambridge): 217–32.
* Knox, P. E. (1986) "Ovid's ''Medea'' and the Authenticity of ''Heroides'' 12", ''Harvard Studies in Classical Philology'' (''HSCP'') 90: 207–23.
* ___. (2002) "The ''Heroides'': Elegiac Voices", in B. W. Boyd (ed.) ''Brill's Companion to Ovid'' (Leiden): 117–39.
* Lachmann, K. (1876) ''Kleinere Schriften zur classischen Philologie'', Bd. 2 (Berlin).
* Lindheim, S. (2003) ''Mail and Female: Epistolary Narrative and Desire in Ovid's'' Heroides (Madison, WI).
* Lingenberg, W. (2003) ''Das erste Buch der Heroidenbriefe. Echtheitskritische Untersuchungen'' (Paderborn).
* Palmer, A. (ed.)
ompleted by L.C. Purser (ed.)(1898) ''P. Ovidi Nasonis Heroides'', with the Greek translation of Planudes (Oxford).
* Rahn, H. (1963) "Ovids elegische Epistel", ''Antike und Abendland'' (''A&A'') 7: 105–120.
* Reeve, M. D. (1973) "Notes on Ovid's ''Heroides''", ''Classical Quarterly'' (''CQ'') 23: 324–338.
* Rosenmeyer, P. A. (1997) "Ovid's ''Heroides'' and ''Tristia'': Voices from Exile", ''Ramus'' 26.1: 29–56.
eprinted in Knox (ed.) (2006): 217–37.* Smith, R. A. (1994) "Fantasy, Myth, and Love Letters: Text and Tale in Ovid's ''Heroides''", ''Arethusa'' 27: 247–73.
* Spentzou, E. (2003) ''Readers and Writers in Ovid's'' Heroides: ''Transgressions of Genre and Gender'' (Oxford).
* Steinmetz, P. (1987) "Die literarische Form der ''Epistulae Heroidum'' Ovids", ''Gymnasium'' 94: 128–45.
* Stroh, W. (1991) "Heroides Ovidianae cur epistolas scribant", in G. Papponetti (ed.) ''Ovidio poeta della memoria'' (Rome): 201–44.
* Tarrant, R. J. (1981) "The Authenticity of the Letter of Sappho to Phaon", ''Harvard Studies in Classical Philology'' (''HSCP'') 85: 133–53.
*
* Verducci, F. (1985) ''Ovid's Toyshop of the Heart'' (Princeton).
Analyses of individual epistles
* Barchiesi, A. (1995) Review of Hintermeier (1993), ''Journal of Roman Studies'' (''JRS'') 85: 325–7.
* ___. (2001) ''Speaking Volumes: Narrative and Intertext in Ovid and Other Latin Poets'', eds. and trans. M. Fox and S. Marchesi (London):
** "Continuities", 9–28.
ranslated and reprinted from ''Materiali e discussioni per l'analisi dei testi classici'' (''MD'') 16 (1986).** "Narrativity and Convention in the ''Heroides''", 29–48.
ranslated and reprinted from ''Materiali e discussioni per l'analisi dei testi classici'' (''MD'') 19 (1987).** "Future Reflexive: Two Modes of Allusion and the ''Heroides''", 105–28.
eprinted from ''Harvard Studies in Classical Philology'' (''HSCP'') 95 (1993).* Casali, S. (1992) "Enone, Apollo pastore, e l'amore immedicabile: giochi ovidiani su di un topos elegiaco", ''Materiali e discussioni per l'analisi dei testi classici'' (''MD'') 28: 85–100.
* Fulkerson, L. (2002
a) "Writing Yourself to Death: Strategies of (Mis)reading in ''Heroides'' 2", ''Materiali e discussioni per l'analisi dei testi classici'' (''MD'') 48: 145–65.
* ___. (2002
b) "(Un)Sympathetic Magic: A Study of ''Heroides'' 13", ''American Journal of Philology'' (''AJPh'') 123: 61–87.
* ___. (2003) "Chain(ed) Mail: Hypermestra and the Dual Readership of ''Heroides'' 14", ''Transactions of the American Philological Association'' (''TAPA'') 133: 123–146.
* Hinds, S. (1993) "Medea in Ovid: Scenes from the Life of an Intertextual Heroine", ''Materiali e discussioni per l'analisi dei testi classici'' (''MD'') 30: 9–47.
* ___. (1999) "First Among Women: Ovid, and the Traditions of ‘Exemplary' Catalogue", in ''amor'' : ''roma'',
S. M. Braund and R. Mayer (eds.), ''Proceedings of the Cambridge Philological Society'' (''PCPS'') Supp. 22: 123–42.
* Hintermeier, C. M. (1993) ''Die Briefpaare in Ovids Heroides'', Palingensia 41 (Stuttgart).
* Jolivet, J.-C. (2001) ''Allusion et fiction epistolaire dans'' Les Heroïdes: ''Recherches sur l'intertextualité ovidienne'', Collection de l' École Française de Rome 289 (Rome).
* Kennedy, D. F. (1984) "The Epistolary Mode and the First of Ovid's ''Heroides''", ''Classical Quarterly'' (''CQ'') n.s. 34: 413–22.
eprinted in Knox (ed.) (2006): 69–85.* Lindheim, S. (2000) "''Omnia Vincit Amor'': Or, Why Oenone Should Have Known It Would Never Work Out (''Eclogue'' 10 and ''Heroides'' 5)", ''Materiali e discussioni per l'analisi dei testi classici'' (''MD'') 44: 83–101.
* Rosati, G. (1991) "Protesilao, Paride, e l'amante elegiaco: un modello omerico in Ovidio", ''Maia'' 43.2: 103–14.
* ___. (1992) "L'elegia al femminile: le ''Heroides'' di Ovidio (e altre heroides)", ''Materiali e discussioni per l'analisi dei testi classici'' (''MD'') 29: 71–94.
* Vessey, D. W. T. (1976) "Humor and Humanity in Ovid's ''Heroides''", ''Arethusa'' 9: 91–110.
* Viarre, S. (1987) "Des poèmes d'Homère aux ''Heroïdes'' d'Ovide: Le récit épique et son interpretation élégiaque", ''Bulletin de l'association Guillaume Budé'' Ser. 4: 3.
Scholarship of tangential significance
* Armstrong, R. (2005) ''Ovid and His Love Poetry'' (London)
sp. chs. 2 and 4* Hardie, P. R. (2002) ''Ovid's Poetics of Illusion'' (Cambridge).
* Holzberg, N. (1997) "Playing with his Life: Ovid's 'Autobiographical' References", ''Lampas'' 30: 4–19.
eprinted in Knox (ed.) (2006): 51–68.* ___. (2002) ''Ovid: The Poet and His Work'', trans. G. M. Goshgarian (Ithaca, NY and London).
* James, S. L. (2003) ''Learned Girls and Male Persuasion: Gender and Reading in Roman Love Elegy'' (Berkeley).
sp. ch. 5* Kauffman, L. S. (1986) ''Discourses of Desire: Gender, Genre, and Epistolary Fictions'' (Ithaca, NY).
* Knox, P. E. (ed.) (2006) ''Oxford Readings in Ovid'' (Oxford and New York).
* Zwierlein, O. (1999) ''Die Ovid- und Vergil-Revision in tiberischer Zeit'' (Berlin and New York).
External links
Latin textat
The Latin LibraryEnglish translation A. S. Kline
Perseus/Tufts: Commentary on the ''Heroides'' of Ovid*
{{Authority control
Poetry by Ovid
1st-century BC poems
1st-century BC books in Latin
Cultural depictions of Sappho
Roman mythology
Trojan War literature