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In his Ars amatoria, Ovid provides his readers with a compelling lesson on the value of boldness for the aspiring lover. Ovid's vision of Ariadne in the arms of Bacchus-rather than the lone lamenting woman-gives a vivid description of a vigorous seduction, in terms that are both visually and aurally captivating. While scholars have long been fascinated with Arianna's lament, this essay reconsiders Monteverdi's Arianna from the perspective of the Bacchic ending as a celebration of sensual pleasure. It draws upon paintings and frescoes by such artists as Carracci, Titian and Guido Reni to demonstrate the often ironic, playful and erotic way in which this myth was understood in the 17th century. I also explore the sonic realm implicit in most artists' rendering of the myth, and its implication for our speculation about the ending of the opera that we are otherwise constrained to imagine. This allows us to understand Ariadne's lament not only as the impassioned outpourings of an abandoned woman, but also as a central part of an erotic awakening that opera was uniquely able to express. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]