The Problem of Lygdamus and Ovid Reconsidered

In this paper I will examine the relationship between some well known parallel passages of Lygdamus and Ovid, but not according to the method laid out in the influential articles of Lee and Axelson. Instead of looking for signs of inept borrowing, I will ask whether Ovid, in these passages, does anything that suggests his characteristic manner of allusion. In each case, it will become apparent that Ovid alters the passage of Lygdamus in a way that is typical of his style, often leaving the distinctive verbal cues by which he ordinarily calls attention to his engagement with earlier literature. I therefore argue that Ovid is the imitator of Lygdamus, and not the other way around.