Consonant alliteration in Ovids "Metamorphoses", books IX-XV

In Book IX T, D alliteration amounts to 21,8%, M, N – 16,8%, in Book X the most frequent alliteration is T, D – 21,2%, then M, N – 12,9%. In Book XI the first place belongs to alliteration T, D – 14,08%, M, N – 13,7%. In Book XII it is M, N alliteration that prevails – 16,4%, next we have T, D – 12,7%. In Book XIII the first place goes back to T, D alliteration – 17,8%, then we have M, N – 14,8%. In Book XIV, the same as in Book XII, the predominant alliteration is M, N – 22,2%, followed by T, D – 19,5%. The same tendency is also apparent in Book XV, with the most numerous alliteration being M, N – 22,5%, followed by T, D – 22,4%. The most important alliterations play a variety of roles in Books IX–XV. They describe the metamorphoses, e. g. Iphis changing into a man, Hippomenes and Atalanta into a lion, Acmon into a bird etc. They express great passions and the death of the protagonists. The alliteration clusters are found in the apotheosis of Romulus and Augustus, as well as the immortality of Heracles. Ovid uses them to describe the elements, such as the flood or sea storm, and powerful animals.