The

are the third work in chronological order by Publius Ovidius Naso, coming after the

and the lost tragedy

. The grammarian Priscian (

. 2.544 Keil) mentions the work as

, which is perhaps the title given by the poet (or

). However, at

3.345 Ovid refers to this work using the term “Epistula: vel tibi composita cantetur Epistola voce” [“Or an Epistle tunefully recite”, trans. A.D. Melville]. Perhaps the full title used by Ovid was

, a title which fully corresponds to the first part of the collection, comprising letters by women (see below), but not to the second, which comprises letters by men as well (see below).

The work is written in elegiac couplets and consists of two parts: the first part contains

2387 words

Citation: Michalopoulos, Andreas. "Heroïdes". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 06 May 2009 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=4766, accessed 22 November 2024.]

• View recommended reading for this article