The Golden Ass: The Tale of the Jealous Wife story

apuleius180tgab10inset2 · 180

A woman is condemned to death by wild beasts, and also to have public intercourse with an ass, as punishment for murdering her husband's sister out of jealousy. This is an inset story from Book 10.

19 total · 3 major · 16 minor

ThemeLevelMotivation
female-female rivalry major The story concerned a wife who murdered her husband's sister out of jealousy.
murder major A wife had her servants kill her husband's sister by running her through with a white-hot firebrand, then she poison murdered her husband and daughter.
romantic jealousy major A wife killed her husband's sister out of jealousy because she mistook the sister for a romantic rival.
brother and sister minor A brother was working to marry off his sister to his friend, but it ended tragically when his wife killed the sister out of jealously.
capital punishment minor A woman was sentenced to be thrown to the beasts as punishment for having committed a spate of poison murders.
coping with being tortured minor The murderous wife's attendants were tortured for their information.
coping with the death of a family member minor A brother fell gravely ill upon learning of his sister's tragic death.
extramarital affair minor A wife perceived adultery, though in fact there was none.
filicide minor A woman callously poison murdered her own daughter in an effort to secure her husband's inheritance.
greedy heir minor A woman stooped to poison murdering her own daughter in an effort to secure the woman's deceased husband's inheritance.