La Dafne prominent figure throughout the composition, at times adding to the action of the story and at other times, providing reflective commentary. The prologue is delivered by the poet Ovid as he sings the text: When the opera proper begins, the god Apollo slays the Python, a monster which has been terrifying the Greek island of Delos. Cupid and Venus are unimpressed by Apollo’s boasting and about his conquest and his feelings of being invincible. Because of this, they plot revenge on Apollo. Cupid shoots two arrows, the first of which makes Apollo fall in love with the nymph Daphne, daughter
Daphnandra johnsonii "Daphnandra micrantha", the Australian socketwood. Recently it has been recognised as a separate species. The type specimen collected in the Illawarra district by L.A.S. Johnson, after whom the species was named, by Richard Schodde. The generic name "Daphnandra" refers to a similarity of the anthers of the bay laurel. Greek "daphne" refers to the bay laurel, and "andros" from the Greek for man. The term "socketwood" is from the related species "Daphnandra apatela". A feature of which is where larger branchlets meet the main trunk. This joining resembles a "ball and socket" type joint. A small to medium-sized tree. Growing