This study investigates how the figures of Pasiphae, Ariadne, and Phaedra function as interconnected symbols within the framework of Latin poetry. Rebecca Armstrong, a scholar of classical literature, utilizes a comparative methodology to analyze the evolution of these myths from their Greek origins to their specific manifestations in Roman texts. By examining the familial lineage of these women, the author argues that their recurring presence in poetry serves as a vital mechanism for exploring Roman cultural anxieties regarding morality, memory, and the wild.

Scholars recognize this monograph as a rigorous contribution to the study of Roman reception of Greek myth. Readers frequently note the academic density of the prose, which is intended for specialists in classical philology and literary history.