Metamorphoses

In book two, "Of Mortal Children and Immortal Lusts", of Ovid's Metamorphoses we see the story of Jove and Callisto, a story in which Callisto is raped by Jove yet Callisto is seemingly blamed for the said occurrence. Although in the beginning of his writing Ovid implies that Callisto is in fact a victim and not at fault, as the tale progresses that stance seems to change into blaming Callisto for beings raped, this is amplified by both Juno and Diana blaming Callisto for the rape. In the…

half, we all know that there is still a lot of hatred directed towards the people of this community. We have all heard people say it is not natural and the feelings should be pushed down and ignored. However, a look towards the past into Ovid’s Metamorphoses, shows that homosexuality has been around a lot longer than many people realize. In Book IV, Fable V and VI, Ovid presents us with two love stories that are not the typical way of romance. The first fable is about twin siblings, a girl…

Texts can be interpreted in many different ways. Being able to understand a reading is key in filling yourself with knowledge. In Ovid's collection of stories, Metamorphoses, different readers misconstrue what they are told, while others understand the true meaning of what is said to them. Pentheus is an eisegetic reader which means he interprets a text by forcing his own ideas upon it. Pyrrha is a literal reader which means she can only see one meaning and can not recognize symbols or metaphors…

What citizen-readers could learn in Metamorphoses by Yueqing Hu As a part of whole society, on the one hand, citizens have to deal with the complicated relationship with family, colleges, lovers and strangers. On the other hand, Citizens have his own right and freedom to lead life but on condition that they have to conform to the social rules. Two short stories, one is about Medea and Jason while the other is about Byblis and Canunus, in metamorphoses really enlighten or warn us in how to be a…

the transformation of Gregor Samsa from a human to an unappealing vermin unless it implies a general metamorphosis; one that involves his family members all together. That is to say, “The Metamorphosis”, from my viewpoint, implies a plurality of metamorphoses. I would simply entitle Gergor’s story—is it really Gregor’s? — “Metamorphosis”. The poignant beginning of the story is about Gregor Samsa waking up to the realization that he became a repulsive vermin. Absurd…

The parallels between Athena in Homer’s The Odyssey and A.S Kline’s Metamorphoses are the goddesses’ wisdom, scheming ways, and fighting spirit, which help the reader understand the goddesses’ temperament. Athena, alternatively called Minerva in Kline’s version, displays her values in her teachings, disguises, and challenges. Athena in Metamorphoses possesses and shares her wise manner with Arachne, telling her “Not everything old age has is to be shunned,” as well as shaming her for…

the backgrounds of the gods and goddesses that govern much of classical mythology. Ovid’s Metamorphoses and Hesiod’s Theogony are two pieces of work that account for how our universe came to be. A comparison of Theogony with Metamorphoses reveals that Hesiod’s creation story portrays the deities as having an omnipresent, powerful function who are at the center of the universe’s creation whereas, in Metamorphoses, the gods do not play a significant role; rather the humans are at the center of the…

Since we were discussing the story about Narcissus and Echo in Ovid’s poem Metamorphoses this past week in class, I saw it fitting to choose my painting based on this particular ancient myth. The story of Narcissus is one of the most prominent examples of myth created by a Roman author. The story goes that Echo, a nymph punished by Juno for her constant chatter, could only repeat the words that others have spoken to her. She crosses Narcissus in the woods one day and he rejects her sexual…

beings. They are seen to be so intricate that the human mind cannot grasp the complexity of their being. Today the gods of the ancient world are seen to have been ruthless and all powerful when compared to a human. On the contrary, the texts The Metamorphoses by Ovid, and Daphnis and Chloe by Longus show a different view of the gods then what they are known as today. The texts show that in ancient times the gods were viewed to be identical in nature to humans with the exception of their…

According to Otanes, no good can come from a monarchy. During his speech Otanes states that monarchy cannot be fit into a system of ethics, since the ruler is allowed to do whatever he pleases without question or consequence. Otanes goes on to say that the vices of every monarch are envy and pride – “envy, because it is a natural human weakness, and pride, because excessive wealth and power lead to the delusion that he is something more than a man. These two vices vices…lead to acts of savage…