The Metamorphoses Summary:Io and Jove

Jove caught sight of Inachus’ daughter Io. He told her he was a god and her guardian. He raped Io in a heavy fog. Juno (Saturn’s daughter) was the wife of Jove. She started to look for Jove, and he knew it so he changed Io to a white heifer. Jove gave the heifer to Juno and she entrusted it with Argus (man of one hundred eyes). He only slept with two of these eyes shut at anytime. Io told her father by drawing words in the sand that she had been turned into a cow. Inachus was outraged. Jove instructs his son Mercury to murder Argus. Mercury plays some reeds to put Argus to sleep. Once he is asleep, Mercury proceeds to murder him. Juno is upset and begins to torture the heifer. Jove pleads to his wife to leave her alone and she will never bother her again. Then Io is turned back into her beautiful self and it was believed she gave birth to Jove’s son, Epaphus.

Characters

• Io
• Jove
• Juno

Questions

1. Why was Io turned into a heifer?

2. Why did Juno take her anger out Io, when she knew Jove was to blame?

3.What was the significance of Jove's cloud?

4. Why is Io transformed into a goddess?