Abstract

This paper examines the famous polyptoton (Thetidis . . . Thetis . . . Thetidi) in Catullus’ poem 64.19–21 and interprets it as a morphological realization of Thetis’ metamorphosis, which—along with the whole negative side of the myth—is suppressed in the Catullan narrative. This “morphological metamorphosis” is, according to this paper, part of Catullus’ play with narrative and (inter)textual illusions in his miniature epic.

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