Passage 1 excerpt adapted from
Myths and Legends of Ancient Greece and Rome
by E. M. Berens

Apollo, the god of light and son of Zeus, first fell in love with Daphne, the daughter of the river-god. Daphne wished to remain unmarried in her life and devote herself to the chase. But one day, Apollo happened to see Eros, a young god of love, bending his bow. Proud of his own superior strength and skill, Apollo laughed at the efforts of the little archer.

Eros angrily replied that his arrow should pierce the heart of the mocker himself. Flying off to the summit, he drew two darts of different workmanship. A dart made of gold had the effect of inspiring love, while a dart made of lead created distaste. Taking aim at Apollo, Eros pierced him with the golden dart, while aiming the leaden one at Daphne. Apollo instantly fell in love with Daphne, who, on her part, showed the greatest dislike toward him. At his approach, she fled as if Apollo were a hunter.

He called upon her in the most endearing accents to stay, but she still sped on, until at length, becoming tired, she called upon the gods to come to her aid. Hardly had she uttered her prayer before her tiredness overcame her, causing her to freeze. Just as Apollo approached, she became transformed into a laurel-bush. Apollo sorrowfully crowned his head with its leaves. He declared, that in memory of his love, it should henceforth remain evergreen, and be held sacred to him.

Passage 2

adapted from
Daphne
by Edna St. Vincent Millay

Why do you follow me?—
Any moment I can be
Nothing but a laurel-tree.
Any moment of the chase
I can leave you in my place
A branch for you to embrace.
Yet if over hill and hollow
Still it is your will to follow,
I am off;—to heel1, Apollo!

1. heel: a command usually given to a pet to follow, spoken here by Daphne to Apollo

5
Select all the correct answers.

Read the passages. In what two ways does the poem “Daphne” transform the myth of Daphne and Apollo?

by focusing on the perspective of Daphne
by giving Daphne the ability to change into a tree whenever she wants
by making Daphne more interested in Apollo romantically
by emphasizing the role of love in the story