Reading Diary B: Ovids Metamorphoses Books 1-4

(Echo and Narcissus, by John William Waterhouse)

Ovid’s Metamorphoses Books 1-4



Echo

Metamorphoses: Tiresias from man to woman to man, tattle tale to mummer



Juno and Jupiter ague. Women gain more pleasure from love according to Tiresias who has been both. Juno gets really mad and blinds him. Jupiter gives him knowledge of the future in recompense.

Narcissus is born, once again the product of rape, to the naiad Lirope and river god Cephisus. Tiresias prophesied that Narcissus will have a long life if he does not discover himself.

Echo spots Narcissus. “…she of the echoing voice, who cannot be silent when others have spoken, nor learn how to speak first herself.”

Echo came to be this way when Juno punished her for hiding Jupiter’s affairs with the other nymphs.

Echo falls in love with Narcissus but is spurned so she wastes away in loneliness. Now she is only her voice.



Narcissus

Metamorphoses: Narcissus to flower

One of Narcissus’s spurned lovers curses him to know the pain of rejection. Nemesis overhears.

Narcissus falls in love with his own reflection and wastes away. Echo laments with him. After death he turns into flower. Even in the underworld, Narcissus still stares at his reflection.



Pyramus and Thisbe

Metamorphoses: Changing color of mulberry bush, love to pain and eventually death



Two thwarted lovers conspires to meet. Thisbe is frightened from meeting spot by lioness and drops her veil which becomes covered in blood. Pyramus, fearing Thisbe has died at the hands of a lion, kills himself with his sword at the base of the mulberry bush. His blood changes the white berries blood red. Thisbe finally returns to the meeting spot and finds a dying Pyramus. In her anguish, the falls on Pyramus’s sword and dies. They are finally together in death, sharing an urn.



Mars and Venus

Metamorphoses: ?



This is a very entertaining story of Vulcan catching Venus and Mars having an affair. He catches them with a golden net for all the gods to see. “one of the gods, undismayed, prayed that he might be shamed like that.”



Perseus and Andromeda

Metamorphoses: Atlas to stone, plants to stone, coral, etc


Perseus turns Atlas to a great mountain as prophesiszed using Medusa’s head. Perseus flies everywhere and spots Andromeda being sacrificed to Kraken. Offers to save her and defeats Kraken using mercury’s wings. Marries her.



Perseus and Medusa

Perseus tells the story of slaying Medusa

Story Source:Ovid's Metamorphoses, translated by Tony Kline (2000).