Margaret Yoon

I greatly enjoyed reading Book I of Metamorphoses because I found the literary style of the text quite appealing. By utilizing dactylic hexameter, the narrative flows beautifully, making the text pleasurable in auditory terms. Also, the text does not have much repetition, unlike Genesis or Gilgamesh, which directly connects to the different purposes of the creation myths. Unlike the Bible’s intentions of spreading Christianity and acquiring followers or Gilgamesh’s objective to reinforce a sense of community and collective culture, Metamorphoses functions simply as a story and for recording. The flood stories vary in cause and reason, for God is punishing mankind for his sin in Genesis, Enlil is bringing the disaster for a greater necessity in controlling the population growth, and Jove is exercising his power, encouraged by Lycaon’s disrespect for him. Even though they have concrete differences, a notable similarity is that the survivors of each flood embody devotion or virtue, gaining a divine power’s favor. By receiving blessings from a higher power, they are able to survive and continue their lives after the calamity.