In The Heroides, Ovid writes many poems formatted as epistles from jilted women in mythology to their respective lovers. But why letters and why not monologues? After looking at his poems for Penelope, Dido, Ariadne, Oenone, and Briseis, I argue that the epistolary format establishes the female voice and power and uses an important part of Roman culture to maintain contact. In this format, Ovid is re-centering the myths around women and making them the main characters of their myth. By doing so, Ovid forces the reader to reconsider the “heroes” and life for females
