ROLE OF WOMEN IN BACCHUS

Women play a sexual role in the narrative. In Book 1, Daphne is the first female to experience the lustful urges of the gods. When Cupid pierces Apollo with an arrow, Apollo falls uncontrollably in love with the young virgin and tries to rape her. Her speed and quick wits save her from the god, but the price she pays is her youthful beauty. Io similarly experiences the sexual powers of the gods when Jove finds her and rapes her. Throughout the Metamorphoses, women, especially young virgins, are subject to the urges of and violent rapes by the male gods.