Like Elena
In "Ode VIII’’, the narrator compares the major character, a woman named Lydia, with the ancient Greek character Elena, the woman who was loved by two princes who eventually started a war for her. As a result, an entire city was destroyed and countless men killed. The narrator compares Lydia with Elena because he wants to transmit the idea that when a man falls in love with a woman, he puts himself in grave danger. Thus, this comparison also has the purpose of portraying love in a very negative way, as something which should be avoided at all costs.
Metaphor for drunkenness
In "Ode XVIII’’, the narrator mentions the God Bacchus and also the connection between Bacchus, wine and grapes. The associate appears only briefly in the beginning but as the ode progresses, and then it is later mentioned only as grape. Thus, the grapes are used in this ode as a metaphor for the idea of happiness and also the practice of getting drunk on a regular basis.
Famine and the plague
In "Ode XXI’’, the narrator compares famine with the plague at the end of the ode. This comparison is extremely important because it shows just much the society was affected by famine and how much they had to suffer because of it. The comparison also transmits the idea that famine was more than often deadly and spread quickly from one area to another once it started. It also has the purpose of showing how every person could one day be affected by it, no matter their background and their social status.
Metaphor for death
In "Ode XXV’’ the narrator recalls his love for a woman named Lydia, who, unfortunately, died long before he did, thus leaving the narrator behind to mourn her death. The time when the actions described in the ode take place is during the winter and death thus becomes associated with the cold season in the poem. Because of this, we can argue that winter is used in this context as a metaphor for death and for the feelings of emptiness caused by death.
Metaphor for creative inspiration
In "Ode XXVI’’ the narrator describes a dangerous journey a person decides to take on sea, a journey which puts the person’s life in danger. The only element in the poem which makes the person feel safe and makes the person continue the journey is the presence of wind. The wind becomes here a metaphor used for creative inspiration, the reason why many people decide to continue their dangerous creative journey.
