Does Lucius Really Fail to Learn from Socrates' Fate?: Elegiac Themes in Apuleius' Metamorphoses (Books 1–3)

The aim of this paper is to highlight the elegiac aspects of Apuleius' Metamorphoses. My discussion will argue that Apuleius presents his protagonist Lucius and the slave-girl Photis as an elegiac couple. A comparison with the story of Socrates and Meroe establishes Apuleius' awareness of the different types of servitium amoris that are featured in Roman elegy. In contesting the communis opinio concerning the relation between Lucius and Socrates, I will argue that Lucius does not fail to learn from Socrates' misfortune with women and magic, but successfully applies the elegiac strategies Ovid recommends in hisArs amatoria.