William Chiu

Book 1 of Metamorphoses seemed like a confusing, dull and long text upon reading the first few stanzas, however the poem progresses into an interesting plot which even includes comical events. Ovid's terminology and sentence usage with the object of the sentence used first made reading a hassle early on. However the appearance of many gods with different characteristics made the poem a more enjoyable read. It was fascinating how the gods possessed human-like characteristics which diminished my outlook of them as almighty beings who are always stern. The king of the gods, Jupiter or Jove demonstrates that even figures of authority can lack the ability to pass fair judgment as he causes the earth to flood because of the disrespectful actions of one person of the human race. In addition to the vices of the gods, Apollo brings the story into a funny perspective when he gropes a laurel tree which is actually a transformation of Daphne brought upon by denied lust. Metamorphoses greatly differed from the previous two creation/flood myths. The main focus of this story shifts away from the flood and leans towards the relation of gods and the inhabitants of the earth. Perhaps there is an internal message to look at the gods and laugh at their actions so a understanding can be reached that people should behave in a manner which is opposite that of the unrighteous gods, in their societies.