Philomela is raped by her sister's husband in a dwelling in the woods, a deeply traumatic event for her. When this brother-in-law, Tereus, realizes that Philomela cannot be shamed into silence, he grabs her hair, ties her hands behind her back with it, and using his sword and pincers, cuts out her tongue. Philomela, however, won't be silenced: she weaves a tapestry that reveals the deed and sends it to her sister. Philomela herself is also able to journey to her sister and brother-in-law's home. There, her sister, Procne, pulls her into her arms. But in front of her sister, Philomela is too ashamed to look up. The text states:

But Philomela could not bear to lift her eyes, seeing herself as her sister’s betrayer. With her face turned towards the ground, wanting to swear by the gods, and call them to witness, that her shame had been visited on her by force, she made signs with her hands in place of speech.

Philomela keeps her face toward the ground because she realizes she has been an adulteress by having sexual intercourse with her sister's husband, although completely unwillingly. It is notable that she is not ashamed in front of her rapist but that she is in front of a person she cares about. The return to this home seems to trigger in Philomela a traumatic reaction, as she knows she is back in the proximity of her abuser:

When Philomela realised that she had reached that accursed house, the wretched girl shuddered in horror, and her whole face grew deathly pale.

Procne, however, does not blame her sister but her husband, burning with anger against him and exacting a gruesome revenge.

The story is still relevant today, as raped women are often silenced by the social power and status of their rapists or by a criminal justice system that often makes it difficult for women to press charges against a rapist.