The Golden Ass | Characters & Character Analysis

The Golden Ass Characters

Lucius

Lucius is a Roman—his nationality is indicated by his name—traveling through Greece on business. Prior to his religious conversion at the end of the story, Lucius is characterized by two chief characteristics. First, he is intensely curious. This quality manifests itself in the opening narrative, when Lucius begs the two travelers to tell him what they are talking about because "few subjects fail to interest me" (4). His curiosity leads him into trouble when he arrives in Thessaly and discovers that the city is home to several witches, including the wife of his host. He enters into a sexual relationship with a servant-girl in the house and convinces her to help him witness some of the magic. His curiosity is not sated by mere sight, however, and eventually leads to him trying some of the magic himself. He and Fotis make a mistake, though, and instead of transforming himself into...
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