The Metamorphoses of Ovid | Style

Dactylic Hexameters

Dactylic hexameter is the meter that traditionally was used in Greek and Latin epic poetry. From the Greek meaning “finger,” a dactyl is a metrical arrangement that consists of one stressed syllable followed by two unstressed syllables. Hexameter literally means “six metra.” The term dactylic hexameter is a metrical pattern that per line consists of six successive dactyls. Virgil’s Aenid is an example of an epic written in dactylic hexameters. Beginning with the second line of the Metamorphoses, Ovid employs dactylic...

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