ABSTRACT
Ovid now presents Cydippe’s perspective on the trick with the apple and the idea of marriage to Acontius, and he gives us her reaction to his letter of courtship. Our poet here takes a major step forward in the story and clearly foreshadows the happy ending, as near the conclusion of Heroides 21 he makes Cydippe agree to marry the young man and intimate that she loves him. It turns out that like Her. 20 this is also a manipulative, clever and light-hearted poem. There are further links in her reassuring allusion to the rival at her bedside, Acontius’ claim of Diana’s responsibility for the sickness being confirmed here by an oracle of Apollo and the fact that his suggestion that the young woman should tell her mother everything has been taken up by her and carried out. By way of variety, for much of the epistle she attacks his ruse with the oath (which he defended), refrains from saying that she will marry him (whereas he frequently pressed for that) and conceals her affection for him (in contrast to his parading of his love for her).
