Theseus and Ariadne
Catullus 64 (The Marriage of Peleus and Thetis; Ariadne on Naxos) is a long narrative poem written by Gaius Valerius Catullus in the mid-1st century BCE (c. 60–55 BCE).
Sydney Pemble
Gaius Valerius Catullus’ Catullus 64 is a long narrative poem of the myth of Ariadne, who has been abandoned by the hero Theseus. It begins with brief tellings of other myths that shaped the world and lead to the birth of Theseus, Ariadne, and the Minotaur. Ariadne tells of her thoughts and actions after she is left alone on Naxos. Catullus 64 connects many different myths together and shares an interesting perspective, a character who is of the helper maid motif. Here is how this poem interconnects many myths and how it is comparable to other variations of myths of Theseus and Ariadne. The myth reflects how the ancient Greeks perceived heroism, marriage, and consequences.
In the class lecture Back to Athens, Side Trip to Crete: Theseus, we learn the stories of Theseus, who was the most important hero of Athens. The myths of Theseus are interconnected with the history of many other mythic characters, such as Daedalus, Icarus, Minos, and the Minotaur. These characters come from Cretan myths, which were very closely linked to Athenian myths. Theseus travels to Crete after reuniting with his father Aegus, volunteering as one of the 14 noble tributes. This is retold in Catullus 64, as Ariadne recalls the history that lead to her abandonment, “for once they say that Athens having been compelled by cruel plague to pay the penalties of the blood of Androgeos, at the same time was accustomed to give youths having been chosen and grave of the maidens as a sacrificial meal to the Minotaur”. While Catullus 64 does not tell of Theseus’ past labors nor all of his future adventures, it does reference the death of Aegus in the lines “But the father, as he gazed out from his tower-top, wasting his longing eyes in constant tear-floods, when first he saw the canvas of the bellying sail, threw himself headlong from the summit of the rocks, believing Theseus destroyed by ruthless fate”, which concurs with the story from lecture, where Aegus throws himself into the sea after seeing sails of the ship that Theseus was on, believing that his son was dead. In Catullus 64, Ariadne curses Theseus for leaving her, saying “let him pollute both himself and his own with death, goddesses“, which may represent all of the death that follows Theseus through his life. Another remark from the lecture was that the abandonment of Ariadne who betrayed her family for Theseus reflects the anxieties women had around marriage and leaving their families.
The narrative of Catullus 64 is that of fear, abandonment, and regret. We first hear the thoughts and emotions of Ariadne in the lines “And due to looking forth from Dia island's wave-sounding shore, bearing wild madness in her heart, Ariadne watches Theseus leaving with a swift fleet; not yet does even she believe that she sees what she sees”, where we have the imagery of a a stormy island and the rising rage and anxiety that takes over Ariadne. She was tricked by love into aiding Theseus, “As soon as the royal maiden caught sight of this one with a desiring eye”. She tells of her perspective in his fight with the minotaur and how she could help him live, “From there the safe bent back the foot with great praise guiding footsteps wandering to the thin string lest the untraceable maze might trick the one going out from the labyrinthian bendings”. She thought of Theseus as a man who seemed of great importance and heroism, thinking “How great she turned pale of gold with great gleam, with Theseus seeking to fight against the savage monster or death or reward of praise”. In aiding him, she betrays her family and chooses him, fulfilling the helper maiden motif. She escapes with Theseus once he has beaten the minotaur, symbolizing her ‘marriage’ or devotion to him over the life that she previously had. Yet she is later abandoned by him, leaving her with no one to return to as she now has no family. This represents the anxieties women had about marriage, having to leave their own families for that of a stranger, her new husband. This is clearly represented in Ariadne’s narration “recall more things, how the daughter leaving behind the face of the father the embrace of the sister, and finally the embrace of the mother, who having been destroyed utterly used to be the happy in the sad daughter she preferred the sweet love of Theseus to all these things”. Ariadne renounces the joy she felt from Theseus, cursing him for his actions and lies. She questions him rhetorically, asking “But did you not give these promises with a seductive voice to me: you were not ordering for the sad one to hope for these things, bu happy unions, but desired weddings, all which worthless things the airy winds tear, Now already let no woman trust a man swearing, let none hope that the speeches of man are faithful,: for whom while the desiring mind is eager to grasp something”. Ariadne is a victim of being a helper maiden, suffering from the actions of a man she thought she could trust, a man she thought would be her new family.
Ariadne Abandoned by Theseus Oil Painting by Angelica Kauffmann
This is an oil painting by Angelica Kauffmann (1794) that resides at the Attingham Park in
England. It features Ariadne laying on a mattress with a box of jewelry next to her. Her hands are up and face turned away from Theseus’ departing ship, showing her grief and despair.
Nathan Burpeau
Ariadne Abandoned by Theseus is an influential oil painting created by the neoclassical artist Angelica Kauffmann. Neoclassicism was an artistic movement inspired by ideas from enlightenment, bringing back the ideas, values, and subjects from ancient Greece and Rome. It focused on portraying reason and virtue. Often idealizing calm and quiet strength, this neoclassical idea is clearly seen in Ariadne’s portrayal in this painting. While she is in utter despair, she holds her composer in a noble and almost stoic manner. While classical ideas as a whole had a heavy influence on Kauffmann’s piece, it was directly inspired by the story of Theseus, Ariadne, and the Minotaur. More specifically, the version of the ending in which Theseus abandons Ariadne on Naxos. As was the case with most of her works, Kauffmann has a heroine as the subject of her painting. Focusing on Ariadne’s emotional response to her abandonment, after everything she did to help Theseus, tells an undervalued part of this story. Being a woman herself, as well as highlighting female subjects, made most 18th century scholars upset. Never before had a woman done historical paintings in this period, with many men involved in said subject believing that it should have stayed this way. Despite the resistance to her work, Kauffmann’s talent spoke for itself and the painting was displayed in the Royal Academy Exhibition in 1774, which recognized her 5 years prior as having “uncommon genius and merit.” After the exhibition, it was purchased by George Bowles, further showing the work’s positive reception. Along with her other works, Angelica Kauffmann made strides in popularizing neoclassicism throughout England. The classical stories and idea of emotional nobility became more prominent in English media as a result of her work. Not only did this painting influence others, but herself as well. After Ariadne Abandoned by Theseus, Kauffmann also made Ariadne and Baccus and The Triumph of Ariadne. Art focused on the female experience and their accompanying emotions during this time period was new, especially from a female artist. Her skillful creation of these works helped women break into and become respected in historical art. The neoclassical painter Maria Cosway benefited greatly in her career by being a part of the same circles of scholars and artists as Kauffmann. Anne Seymour Damer was a neoclassical sculptor who was able to become successful due to growing acceptance of female artists resulting from Kauffmann’s trailblazing. Now being displayed in Houston's Museum of Fine Arts, Ariadne Abandoned by Theseus still serves as a source of inspiration for women in art and anyone interested in the classics.
Works Cited
Catullus 64 - Wikisource, the Free Online Library, en.wikisource.org/wiki/Translation:Catullus_64. Accessed 18 Feb. 2026.
Fincken, Ella. “Renaissance and Revolution Series: Sex and Desire in the Restoration.” Arcadia, Arcadia, 15 Sept. 2024, www.byarcadia.org/post/renaissance-and-revolution-101-sex-and-desire-in-the-restoration.
“The Internet Classics Archive: Metamorphoses by Ovid.” The Internet Classics Archive | Metamorphoses by Ovid, 2009, classics.mit.edu/Ovid/metam.8.eighth.html.
“The Internet Classics Archive: Theseus by Plutarch.” The Internet Classics Archive | Theseus by Plutarch, 2009, classics.mit.edu/Plutarch/theseus.html.
Morford, Mark, et al. Classical Mythology. Oxford University Press, https://platform.virdocs.com/read/2324966/303/#/4/2[isbn-9780197653920-book-part-25-sec-9]/28[isbn-9780197653920-book-part-25-sec-18]/6[isbn-9780197653920-book-part-25-fig-13]/4/2/2,/5:178,/5:178.
“Ariadne Abandoned by Theseus.” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 12 Jan. 2026, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ariadne_Abandoned_by_Theseus. Accessed 21 Feb. 2026.