The novel "The Golden Donkey" of Apuleius, a summary of which is given in this article, is one of the most famous works of this ancient Roman author. This is a novel consisting of 11 books, which was written in the second century. One of the most famous literary works in Latin, translated into many foreign languages.
Summary
The novel "The Golden Donkey" of Apuleius, the brief content of which will help you quickly and accurately recall the plot of the work, begins with an introduction to the main character named Lucius. He travels around Thessaly. On the way, he constantly encounters amazing stories about witching charms, as well as other mystical incidents.
Lucius arrives in the city of Gipatu, where he stops at the house of Milon, a wealthy and mean man. At that time, Thessaly is famous as the birthplace of magical art.
Summary of Apuleius' Golden Donkey helps to better understand the work, find out what the author wanted to say. In the house of Milon, Lucius begins an affair with the maid Fotida. She tells her lover about the secrets of Milon’s wife. It turns out that Pamfila with the help of ointment turns at night into various creatures, such as an owl.
Lucius wants to feel the effects of magic. Fotida, agreeing to his persuasion, sneaks into the hostess’s bedroom, but mistakenly brings another vial. As a result, the main character turns into a donkey. In this form, he remains until the very end of the novel. To turn everything back, he needs to taste the rose petals. But incredible obstacles stand in his way every time he sees a rose bush.
In a gang of robbers
Summary of the chapters of the "Golden Donkey" of Apuleius gives an idea of ancient Roman literature. Soon, the main character in the form of a donkey finds himself in the camp of robbers who rob the house of Milon. They use a donkey as a pack animal, it has to carry a heavy load.
More than once on the verge of death, he participates in raids, dwells in the mountains, eats in the brothel brigade. There he learns terrible stories about their adventures every night.
Insert novels
The content of the novel "Golden Donkey" by Apuleius gives an idea of the structure of this work. It contains plug-in short stories. The most famous of them is called Cupid and Psyche. This is a beautiful fairy tale about Amur’s beloved.
Psyche was so charming that the god of love fell in love with her. Zephyr transported her to the magical palace, in which she received Eros every night. At the same time, Cupid remained invisible, which was the main condition for their visits.
Once Psyche persuaded Eros to allow her to see the sisters. Her relatives, who openly envied her happiness, knocked Psyche to disobey her husband, trying to see him. The next night, Psyche, who herself was dismantled by curiosity, lit a lamp to examine her husband, who was sleeping next to her.
But then hot oil sprinkled from the wick of the lamp onto God. He woke up, angry that the oath was broken, freed from his wife's arms and soared into the air.
Venus pursues Psyche
Apuleius’s novel, Metamorphoses, or the Golden Donkey, a summary of which you will find in this article, describes in detail the subsequent sufferings of Psyche. Venus begins to pursue her, who sees her rival in the girl. She orders two celestials - Ceres and Juno - to find Psyche, convincing them that this is her slave.
Meanwhile, the girl spends time in search of her husband, wanting to again test his affection and mitigate righteous anger. On her way she finds herself in the temple of Ceres, gaining her favor with her humility and hard work. But still, the fertility goddess refuses to protect her, as she is connected by a strong friendship with Venus.
Juno does the same, claiming that Roman law prohibits helping runaway slaves. True, they do not give Venus either. The latter asks Mercury to begin the universal search for Psyche. But the girl herself is already declared in the halls of the goddess, deciding to surrender voluntarily.
But she vainly counts on mercy. Venus taunts her sister-in-law, beating her at the end. She is frightened by the very prospect of someday becoming a grandmother, so she wants to prevent Psyche by all means from having a baby, whom she conceived from Cupid.
Venus Quests
Venus gives Psyche three impossible tasks, which later become the so-called eternal plots of world folklore. The first of them is to make out an immense mountain of grain. The ants help her in this. With the help of other forces of nature and good deities, she manages to cope with the rest of the errands.
Meanwhile, Cupid is imbued with sympathy for his wife. He forgives her, asks Jupiter's father to resolve this unequal marriage. Then the main Olympic god calls all the gods and goddesses to order Mercury to immediately deliver Psyche to heaven. Holding out to her the cup of ragweed, Jupiter makes her immortal.
A wedding is played on Olympus, during which even Venus begins to favor Psyche, which is given to the Amur. And when the time comes, they have a daughter, Pleasure.
Lucius hears this story from a drunken old woman who helps robbers manage the household. She sums up that Amur’s father was not completely disinterested in his decision. Firstly, for this, he asked his son to find him another beauty on earth for love joys, and secondly, how could a man understand the feelings his son felt.
Ass flight
A brief summary of Apuleius' Golden Donkey books will help you prepare for the exam or any other test work. From this novel we learn that Lucius, having turned into a donkey, retains the ability to perceive human speech. So he learns numerous amazing stories on his long journey. He is lucky, storytellers come across mostly amusing and skillful.
A donkey has to constantly change its owners, most of which turn out to be evil, and only occasionally good people come across. In the end, the donkey flees from the next owners, falling on a secluded Aegean coast.
Salvation of Lucius
Then at night he watches the birth of the moon, which rises from the sea. After that, he turns to the goddess Selena, who has different names for different peoples. He asks her to be freed from the appearance of a four-legged animal, returning to him a more familiar human appearance. Otherwise, it is better to die, Lucius believes, than to live such a life.
Then Selena appears before Lucius, showing him the only possible way to salvation. It is worth noting that it is no accident in the ancient tradition that this goddess has always been associated with all magical and mysterious, including mysterious transformations, as well as mysteries and rituals, the true content of which was available only to the initiates. A mysterious procession begins, during which the priest, whom the goddess had warned in advance about what should happen, finally gives the donkey the opportunity to taste the rose petals. In the eyes of the admiring crowd, the donkey acquires its usual human appearance.
Thus ends Apuleius’s novel Golden Ass, with a brief outline of which you just met.
The finale of the novel
The final chapter of the novel tells about religious sacraments, which are described very naturally and organically, especially after what readers have already learned from the pages of this work.
Lucius goes through a series of sacred rites, learns many mysterious and magical initiations, eventually returning home. He again begins to work as a lawyer, but receives a higher rank.
Analysis of the work
Apuleius' Golden Donkey as a moral allegorical novel has always been perceived by his researchers. The work was very popular not only in ancient times, but also in the Middle Ages.
When analyzing the "Golden Donkey" of Apuleius, it should be noted that an expanded allegorical interpretation of the legend about Psyche and Amur, which is described in sufficient detail in this work, occupies an important place in the work. The main essence of the book, as noted by most of its researchers, is the wanderings of the human soul in search of God.
In the Renaissance, the novel became popular again. The Golden Donkey began to be actively reprinted. The work of Apuleius had a strong influence on the development of the new European novel, primarily the Dodger. Its influence can be seen in the works of Cervantes, Defoe, Boccaccio, Rabelais, Voltaire. Separate storylines and logical references to the "Golden Donkey" can be seen in their works.
The novel was first translated into Russian in 1781 by Eugene Kostromin.