The physical transformations of various characters in Ovid’s Metamorphosis reflects their “genuine” personalities, or what is “most true” about them. Further, through these transformations, their characteristic tendencies as well as weaknesses are eventually hardened into reality, i.e., into a form. The driving force between most of the transformations is love, or more importantly lust. Ovid shows that change is inevitable in life, however, the change doesn’t change all that much. The change in form reflects a particular truth. Ovid demonstrates that in this truth – a truth of one’s life and in the drama one lives lies real power. This is a power that works in gods, mortals and nature.
According to Ovid, love is related to something beyond our humanity. He demonstrates that no one can avoid or resist the effects spurred on by love and lust. However, Ovid’s representation of love as well as lust shows its power to damage lives. Ovid suggests that the power of love effects both parties, but those without any power are suffer the most. The first transformation associated with love begins in Book I, when Apollo provokes cupid. Cupid seeked avenge by shooting Apollo with…show more content… To cover for Jupiter, Echo knowingly distracted Juno by holding her in long conversations to give time for the Nymphs involved with Jupiter to flee. For doing this, her speech was altered, so that she can only repeat the last word spoken. One day, the lovesick nymph saw the beautiful narcissus wandering in the woods. Unable to resist his charms, she tried to confess her love to him. However, she was only able to speak the last words spoken; Narcissus rejected her. The embarrassed and heartbroken nymph fled into a dark cave, and she became nothing but a voice; an echo. Here again Ovid demonstrates how a life is damaged due to unrequited love. The power of love and lust presents far more dangerous consequences than
