Metamorphoses

Author: Ovid (43 BC – 17 AD)
Written: c 8 AD
Translator: A. D. Melville
Publisher: Oxford University Press 2008 Reissue
Bought from: Book Depository


Introduction

Publius Ovidius Naso or Ovid is a Roman poet. In the year he was born, Mark Antony and Octavian ruled Rome as co-consuls in the aftermath of the assassination of Julius Caesar. By the time he reached adulthood, Octavian had crushed Mark Antony and was ruling Rome as Augustus.

Metamorphoses is a poem written in Latin and consists of 15 books. It is a compilation of Greek and Roman myths and legends involving transformation. Today, it is sometimes used as a reference for various Greek mythologies.


What it is about?

The poem starts with the creation of the cosmos itself and ends with the apotheosis of Julius Caesar. In between, Ovid tells (according to some) up to 250 different myths. Ovid made radical changes to some traditions, including a striking blending of the Echo and Narcissus myths.

Some of the most well known myths recounted by Ovid include the Rape of Europa, Cadmus, Perseus and Andromeda, Medea and Jason, the Rape of Proserpine, Daedalus and Icarus, the death of Hercules, Orpheus and the Trojan War.

Of the major Greek heroes, Theseus appears briefly and he is really only a plot device. Odysseus and Oedipus are not featured at all.

Given Ovid’s nationality, it is not surprising that Aeneas also finds his way into the poem.

There are some gems in the lesser known stories that are included by Ovid. For example, there is a flood story (I.262-314) similar to those in Gilgamesh and the Old Testament. The story of Pyramus and Thisbe (IV.55-168) anticipates Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. And in Ovid’s novel blending of the Echo and Narcissus myths (III.339-510), there is a passage that is strikingly similar to Eve’s account of the first time she sees her own reflection in John Milton’s Paradise Lost.


Themes

The primary theme of the poem is of course transformation or change. Characters are transformed into animals, plants and even inanimate objects.

Many of the changes are a result of love, both licit and illicit. In some of the most poignant stories, characters find themselves at the mercy of the gods. For example, Io (I.568-749) becomes the object of Jove’s lust and is transformed by a jealous Hera into a cow.


How is the book?

This is part of the Oxford World’s Classics series. Melville’s verse translation is readable. There is a useful introduction and some end-notes by E. J. Kenney.


Finally

Good read.