The story of Pygmalion and Galatea has been retold throughout the ages, morphing to fit its audience. A lonely artist, Pygmalion, despairs of women. He withdraws to his art, and creates a magnificent statue, which he falls in love with and names Galatea. So deep is his desire for the statue that Pygmalion sacrifices to Venus, the goddess of love, for a wife. Upon his return, Pygmalion discovers his beautiful statue to be alive. This classic myth displays both purity and the corruption of man. Different retellings of Pygmalion and Galatea contain diverse aspects such as the changing views of both women and the gods. Times changed, as did the perspectives of writers. Pygmalion, the protagonist of Pygmalion and Galatea, is a cynical man.
…show more content…
“[F]rightened, he hoped he had not stained that perfect beauty” (Metamorphoses, 281). This supposed purity is the difference which causes Pygmalion to fall in love with Galatea and detest other women. In his eyes, she is the one pure being. Personification, or the humanization of objects, is another significant element in Pygmalion and Galatea. While she is still a statue Pygmalion brings gifts to Galatea, trying to normalize his situation, “He brought her toys, small gifts that girls delight to wear, to gaze at” (Metamorphoses, 281). By doing this, Pygmalion hopes to evoke a response from the object of his love. “The fair white creature sleeping [o]n a cloth of purple, as if it shared his dreams” (Metamorphoses, 281) Pygmalion attempts to place his own thoughts into her head, and to manufacture empathy within her, for she has none of her own. Obsessive and unhealthy love is a primary interpretation of the myth of Pygmalion and Galatea, as is shown in Ovid’s Metamorphoses “He called her [h]is bride, the fair white creature sleeping on a cloth of purple” (Metamorphoses, 281). Ovid emphasizes Pygmalion’s consuming passion by dedicating the longest section of his work to the interactions of Pygmalion and Galatea, a section longer by far than the only divine being in the myth, the aid of Venus. This episode is dwarfed by the copious description of Pygmalion’s …show more content…
In Grave’s story, Pygmalion falls in love not with his statue, but with Aphrodite. He then created an ivory image of the goddess, and laid it in his bed. Aphrodite took pity on Pygmalion, and brought it to life. “Entering into this image, Aphrodite brought it to life as Galatea” (The Greek Myths, 127). This version brings more glory to the gods, as Aphrodite is not only the power behind Galatea’s animation, she is the object of Pygmalion’s love. Grave places Aphrodite in the place of the loved, rather than just an aid to lovers. He also puts Pygmalion in a more favorable light, as he is now not obsessed with his own work of art, rather he is enchanted by a divine
“[F]rightened, he hoped he had not stained that perfect beauty” (Metamorphoses, 281). This supposed purity is the difference which causes Pygmalion to fall in love with Galatea and detest other women. In his eyes, she is the one pure being. Personification, or the humanization of objects, is another significant element in Pygmalion and Galatea. While she is still a statue Pygmalion brings gifts to Galatea, trying to normalize his situation, “He brought her toys, small gifts that girls delight to wear, to gaze at” (Metamorphoses, 281). By doing this, Pygmalion hopes to evoke a response from the object of his love. “The fair white creature sleeping [o]n a cloth of purple, as if it shared his dreams” (Metamorphoses, 281) Pygmalion attempts to place his own thoughts into her head, and to manufacture empathy within her, for she has none of her own. Obsessive and unhealthy love is a primary interpretation of the myth of Pygmalion and Galatea, as is shown in Ovid’s Metamorphoses “He called her [h]is bride, the fair white creature sleeping on a cloth of purple” (Metamorphoses, 281). Ovid emphasizes Pygmalion’s consuming passion by dedicating the longest section of his work to the interactions of Pygmalion and Galatea, a section longer by far than the only divine being in the myth, the aid of Venus. This episode is dwarfed by the copious description of Pygmalion’s …show more content…
In Grave’s story, Pygmalion falls in love not with his statue, but with Aphrodite. He then created an ivory image of the goddess, and laid it in his bed. Aphrodite took pity on Pygmalion, and brought it to life. “Entering into this image, Aphrodite brought it to life as Galatea” (The Greek Myths, 127). This version brings more glory to the gods, as Aphrodite is not only the power behind Galatea’s animation, she is the object of Pygmalion’s love. Grave places Aphrodite in the place of the loved, rather than just an aid to lovers. He also puts Pygmalion in a more favorable light, as he is now not obsessed with his own work of art, rather he is enchanted by a divine