The Golden Ass

by

Apuleius

The Widow Character Analysis

The widow comes from a story told by Thelyphron at a feast hosted by Byrrhena. She appears to be mourning her husband and hires Thelyphron to help guard the corpse from witches, but in fact, she murdered her husband to get ahold of his inheritance. The widow is one of many characters who acts deceptively for the sake of her own greed.
Get the entire The Golden Ass LitChart as a printable PDF.
The Golden Ass PDF

The Widow Character Timeline in The Golden Ass

The timeline below shows where the character The Widow appears in The Golden Ass. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Book 2
The Power of Stories Theme Icon
Faithfulness and Loyalty Theme Icon
Identity, Transformation, and Curiosity Theme Icon
The old man leads Thelyphron to the house of a weeping widow who needs someone to guard her husband’s corpse. Thelyphron promises to be such a good... (full context)
The Power of Stories Theme Icon
Faithfulness and Loyalty Theme Icon
Identity, Transformation, and Curiosity Theme Icon
...to check on the corpse, but it still seems to be entirely intact. Eventually, the widow comes in, still weeping, and does her own inspection. She thanks him and pays him. (full context)
The Power of Stories Theme Icon
Faithfulness and Loyalty Theme Icon
Identity, Transformation, and Curiosity Theme Icon
Consequences of Greed Theme Icon
...mourners goes forward and announces that the dead man was murdered by his wife (the widow) in order to steal his inheritance for her and her other lover. He calls for... (full context)
The Power of Stories Theme Icon
Faithfulness and Loyalty Theme Icon
Identity, Transformation, and Curiosity Theme Icon
Consequences of Greed Theme Icon
...tell how he died. The man says he was murdered by his adulterous wife, the widow. (full context)