The unusual iconography of Apollo kneeling here suggests his submission to Daphne as he pleads with her to reciprocate his love. Is this Chassériau’s attempt to validate Apollo’s intentions? The pose intensifies the emotional force of the episode and draws attention to Daphne’s changing form. Apollo is clearly touching her; Ovid describes how the sun god feels her skin and kisses her, even as she metamorphosises. Chassériau eroticises these incriminating advances and portrays Daphne as an idealised and passive nude, common in Romantic art of the time. Her serene expression further complicates questions around consent, passion and sexual violence.