The Golden Ass: Book 8 story
Lucius the ass ends up being on the menu after a roundabout series of misadventures that begins with the tragic death of his master and his lover.
24 total · 4 major · 20 minor
| Theme | Level | Motivation |
|---|---|---|
| husband and wife | major | Tipolemus and Charite, and later an unnamed couple. |
| love triangle | major | Thrasyllus hatched a vile plot to make Tipolemus' loving wife, Charite, his own, but failed miserably. |
| romantic jealousy | major | Thrasyllus was envious of Tipolemus being with Charite. |
| the desire for vengeance | major | Thrasyllus was said to want revenge on Tipolemus because the latter snatched Charite. Charite took a gruesome vengeance on Thrasyllus after he killed her husband. |
| band of outlaws | minor | Thrasyllus had been in a gang of robbers, or several. |
| betrayal | minor | Thrasyllus betrayed his friend Tipolemus by running him through with a spear on a wild boar hunt as part of a plot to steal his wife. |
| coping with being tortured | minor | A slave was tied to a tree, smeared with honey, and left to the ants. |
| coping with the death of a spouse | minor | Charite mourned her husband Tipolemus' death. She initially threw herself on Tipolemus' corpse out of grief, and later ran herself through with a spear rather than live without him. |
| coping with unwelcome romantic attention | minor | Charite did not appreciate Thrasyllus' advances soon after her former husband's murder. |
| extramarital affair | minor | A woman killed herself and her child because of her husband's infidelity. |