agency, overwhelming passion & suffering

• ever-smitten'

  'bent on amorous theft'

  'a celestial heat burnt from his winged heels to either ear'


  hermes' passion being anticipatory for lamia's, seems destructive and obsessive
• thou shalt behold ber, hermes, thou alone if thou wilt, as thou swearest, grant my boon!'


  lamia manipulates a god, shows her passionate intensity, willing to go against someone more powerful in order to gain access to lycius, error as this is what grants her access
• let me have once more a woman's shape'


  lamia reveals what she wants, desires a new form, wants to be able to be with lycius, mistake as she allows her passionate intensity to drive her toward doom
• i love a youth of corinth - o the bliss! give me my woman's form and place me where he is'


  lamia's obsession with lycius, finally reveals that she wishes to transform in order to form a relationship with lycius, seems lust driven and slightly insane as they have yet to speaks
• her elfin blood in madness ran, her mouth foamed'

  'her eyes in torture fix'd, and aguish drear'


  clearly distinguished from mortals, only gains the same shape, insanity (caused by perceived love) driving her toward the object of her obsession
• she writh'd about, convulsed with scarlet pain'


  allows herself to experience such immense pain in order to unite with lycious, overwhelming passion causes her suffering already
• and in the air, her new voice luting soft, cried "lycius! gentle lycius!"'


  immediately thinks of lycius as she's granted her female form, overwhelming obsession as she lacks ability to focus on herself or own pain- only him
• and once, while among mortals dreaming thus, she saw the young corinthian lycius charioting foremost in the envious race... and fell into a swooning love of him'


  emphasises lycius' youth (compared to lamia's immortality), fell in love without knowing him, clear flaws to her obsession
• jove heard his and better'd his desire for by some freak chance he made retire from his companions, and set forth to walk'


  lycius making decision to walk away from the rest of the scholars, allows lamia to lure him to their place of private bliss, error in judgement
• his fantasy was lost, where reason fades'


  change in lycius' character, once highly regarded scholar/thinker and now abandons everything he once held dear for a beautiful woman
• for so delicious were the words she sung, it seem'd he had lov'd them a whole summer long'


  lycius falling victim to lamia's magic, entrancing him and trapping him in her thrall, will eventually lead to both their downfalls
• he, sick to lose the amorous promise of her lone complain, swoon's murmuring of love, and pale with pain'


  lycius so suddenly enamoured that he seems so sickly that he's on the verge of death
• the cruel lady...put her lips on his, and gave afresh the life she had so tangled in her mesh'


  brings him further under her spell, makes sure he follows her
• then from amaze into delight he fell to hear her whisper women's lore so well'


  whispers to him to further entrance him, irony as she isn't truly a woman
• thus gentle lamia judg'd and judg'd alright, that lycius could not love in half a fright, so threw the goddess off and won his heart, more pleasantly by playing woman's part'


  narrator seems to admire lamia's plan + the execution, while reminding the reader of her manipulation and lies, shows how their relationship can't last
• love in a hut, with water and crust, is... cinder, ashes, dust; love in a palace is perhaps at last more grievous torment than a hermit's fast'


  narrator showing how there's an imminent ending coming for couple, continues from part 1 to now at beginning of part 2, idea of finality and how love can't last no matter the place
• what mortal hath a prize... but lets it sometimes pace abroad majestical, and triumph... amid the hoarse alarm of corinth's voice'


  lycius' love becoming possessive, showing his hubris and desire to show off to the public, show he has something others can only dream of
• let my foes choke, and my friends shout afar, while through the thronged streets your bridal car wheels round its dazzling spokes'


  lycius' error of judgement driven by hubris, it takes over as he wants to take possession of her in mortal terms
• his passion, cruel grown, took on a hue fierce and sanguineous'


  power shift in relationship as lycius begins to revel in lamia's weakness, now becomes the one described as cruel in this relationship
• she burnt, she lov'd the tyranny'


  problematic gender politics as lamia seems to enjoy the newfound cruelty and agency of lycius
• and, all subdued, consented to the hour when to the bridal he should lead his paramour'


  futility of fighting, lamia become the weaker of the pair, allows lycius' choice which will cause their relationship to crumble
• o senseless lycius! madman! wherefore flout the silent-blessing fate, warm cloister'd hours, and show to common eyes these secret bowers?'


  public vs private, narratorial comments of how the public will be viewing their relationship due to his stupid pride, their love may never flourish
• fool! said the sophist'

  'fool! fool! repeated he... from every ill of life have i preserv'd thee to this day, and shall i see thee made a serpent's prey?'


  apollonius representing the voice of reason, showing lycius the truth of his relationship with lamia, full of lies and deceit
• one the high couch he lay - his friends came round supported him - no pulse, or breath they found, and, in its marriage robe, the heavy body wound'


  errors of the pair resulted in the death of the one lamia loves, emphasis of tragic ending as apollonius is allowed to walk away after destroying two lives