Metamorphoses

As Ovid promises in his opening lines, he begins the Metamorphoses at the beginning of time with chaos. This allows him to immediately begin expounding upon the powers of the gods, as he quickly shows how one god created order. Ovid writes, “this strife a god, with nature’s blessing, solved” (1). By solving this chaos, the unnamed god allows the world to flourish, eventually producing humans and all the stories of the rest of the poem. Ovid’s focus on the creation of humans emphasizes their importance to his history of the universe. For just over five pages, Ovid describes the evolution of humankind through different ages, from Golden to Iron. By ending on the Iron Age, in which “all evil broke out,” Ovid appears to give a pessimistic view of humankind (5). However, after the gods cleanse the Earth in the great flood, the devoutness of Deucalion and Pyrrha presents the prospects of humanity through a more optimistic lens.

When Deucalion and Pyrrha begin repopulating the Earth, they establish the current age in which Ovid (and we) live. In the beginning of this age, gods interact freely with terrestrial beings, such as nymphs and humans, although not always positively. The gods maintain power over terrestrials, taking and doing what pleases them. In the story of Daphne, Apollo cares not at all about Daphne’s clear refusal of him. When she first runs, Ovid writes, “but the young god, / could bear no more to waste his blandishments, / and (love was driving him) pressed his pursuit” (17). Under the influence of erotic love, which appears to be the only force that does have control over the gods, Apollo disregards Daphne’s obvious lack of consent and pursues her. Even after Daphne’s father tries to save her by turning her into a tree, which is a rather drastic measure, “still Apollo loved her” (17). He even “pressed his kisses on the wood,” assaulting her even in tree form (17). Jupiter shows a similar lack of concern for any mortal’s wellbeing when he freely manipulates and terrifies Io for his own benefit. After Juno finds out that her husband was with another (even one who did not want him), “Jove had fore-sensed / his spouse’s visit and transformed poor Io / into a sleek white heifer” (19). Not only does Jupiter clearly disregard Io’s wishes by assaulting her, but he also treats her as a subordinate being by manipulating her form just to avoid his wife being angry with him. Even the fact that Jupiter eventually makes Io a goddess does not take away from the violence of his original transformation. Returned to her original form, Io is “still afraid to speak” (23). Her transformation will forever haunt her.