One of the most popular works of classical literature ever, even considered a magnum opus, was Metamorphoses, the name given to the work of Ovid (full name of Publius Ovidius Naso), a Roman poet who, around the year 2 AD, was already recognized as one of the best of his time. Metamorphoses is divided into 15 written books, covering tales and myths of transfiguration and even ‘metamorphoses’ of gods and men.
“Metamorphosis” means transformation, and transformation is exactly the theme predominant part of the work. For Ovid, the physical world is constantly changing, just as human life (the evolution of Man from birth to death). Metamorphoses
It is also a compilation of myths that are very characteristic of classical society. At the beginning of Metamorphoses, he explains to us how bodies transform in different forms, addressing all types of metamorphosis. The most popular are metamorphoses in physical terms where there is a transformation of a body into a new appearance. Ovid shows us this fantastic world, with a linear line of stories, without interruptions of opinion or theoretical reflection on the meaning of the ‘metamorphoses’.
Ovid begins with the creation of the world, and later on the creation of beings humans, the Age of Gold, Bronze and Iron, followed by the Great Flood.
“My mind is bent to tell of bodies changed into new forms. / Ye gods, for you yourselves have wrought the changes, / breathe on these my undertakings, and bring down my song / in unbroken strains from the world’s very beginning even unto the present time.” (Book I: 5; page 3)
Then begins the narrative about gods, demigods and mortals, all centered on moments of transformation from one state to another. With the tales of Io and Jupiter; Apollo and Phaethon (among others), Ovid shows the way in which these metamorphoses affect human beings, resulting in an evolutionary chain, such as, for example, the transformation of Phaeton’s sisters into trees and the transformation of Callisto into a bear.
The constant theme, but secondary to the main one, is love. Even though I don’t believe that love conquers all, Ovid believes that it is capable of changing people, whether to good or for bad. Love is described as the force behind transformations. No one can or can resist its effects.
Throughout the books, there is a wide variety of stories of punished lovers. and gods But there is also a distinction between mortals and gods. With this, Ovid intends to emphasize human fragility. While the gods can transform into whatever they want whenever they want and return to their original form, humans, after metamorphosis, can never return to their initial state. Other themes that draw the reader’s attention are the danger of love, such as the story of Medea, a mortal woman who is corrupted by love, the vulnerability of humans to the power of superior deities, incest (Myrrha and her father), homosexuality (Iphis and Ianthe), war and violence, human greed and, to a large extent, the desire for transcendence.
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This desire for transcendence has always been present in human history, and There is no better example of this need than the myths and stories of heroes that cut across all cultures. The longing to rise heroically above the ordinary human world into a magical world of gods, demons, magic and salvation.
A great example for this concept is the myth of Narcissus (Book III).
“While he seeks to slake his thirst another thirst springs up, / and while he drinks he is smitten by the sight of the beautiful form he sees. / He loves an unsubstantial hope and thinks that substance which is only shadow. / He looks in speechless wonder at himself and hangs there motionless in the same expression, like a / statue carved from Parian marble. Prone on the ground, he gazes at his eyes, twin stars, and his locks, worthy of Bacchus, worthy of / Apollo ; on his smooth cheeks, his ivory neck, / the glorious beauty of his face, the blush mingled with snowy white / : all things, in short, he admires for which he is himself admired.” (Book III. : 415-420: )
Narcissus, after heartbreak, falls in love with his own reflection. He, captivated by his reflection, he dies and a flower is born, the narcissus. When you see his reflection, you don’t can deal with frustration and their own feelings. The absence of themselves and transcendence condemn Narcissus to solitude and self-destruction. Even though he is alive, he wants to become immaterial like his image. Thus, Narcissus becomes an allegory for the desire for transcendence.
The theme is a constant throughout the books, as evidenced, for example, in the story of King Midas or Phaeton who wanted to drive his father Helios’ chariot and also the story of Achilles.
Narcissus, after heartbreak, falls in love with his own reflection. He,captivated by his reflection, he dies and a flower is born, the narcissus. When you see his reflection, you don’t can deal with frustration and their own feelings. The absence of themselves and transcendence condemn Narcissus to solitude and self-destruction. Even though he is alive, he wants to become immaterial like his image. Thus, Narcissus becomes an allegory for the desire for transcendence.
The theme is a constant throughout the books, as evidenced, for example,in the story of King Midas or Phaeton who wanted to drive his father Helios’ chariot and also the story of Achilles.
**Metamorphoses by Ovid:, Frank Justus Miller**
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by Pandora_box_Hesiod