Metamorphoses (Magill Book Reviews)
At a glance:
- Author: Ovid
- First Published: 8
- Type of Work: Epic Poetry
- Genres: Poetry, Mythological literature, Narrative poetry
- Subjects: Mythology or myths, Europe or Europeans, Literature, Poetry or poets, Flowers, Legends, Birds, Entertaining or entertainers, Greek or Roman times, Greece or Greek people, Metamorphosis or transmogrification, Ear
- Locales: Greece, ancient, Roman Empire, Realms of the gods
Metamorphoses is a handbook of classical mythology, containing such well-known stories as those of Pygmalion, Jason and Medea, Apollo and Daphne, Pyramus and Thisbe, and Hercules. Virtually all these legends were well-known before Ovid, but it is Ovid’s version that is most familiar today.
This is so because Ovid is a brilliant story-teller, and his characters come alive. In earlier versions of the myths, human actors appeared to be mere pawns of the gods and hence lacking in realism. Ovid’s characters, though, are motivated by love, fear, and hate. They thus seem...
[The entire page is 576 words long]
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