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Metamorphoses
9Ovid
Ovid's two-hundred-and-fifty-tale Latin poem of mythological transformations — the single most influential source of imagery for European art and literature for two thousand years.
GBM Assessment (Score: 9/10)
Ovid's Metamorphoses is the great encyclopedia of classical mythology rendered in verse, weaving together over two hundred myths of transformation into a single, sweeping narrative. It served as the primary source of mythological knowledge for Shakespeare, Dante, and the artists of the Renaissance, making it a deeply influential work of poetry in Western civilization.
Ovid was exiled by Augustus to the Black Sea coast, but his Metamorphoses survived to become the primary mythological source for the Middle Ages and Renaissance. Shakespeare is said to have considered it his favorite book, and Arthur Golding's English translation was praised by Ezra Pound as one of the finest works of translation in the language.
The Roman Empire at Its Height, c. 8-170 AD
The Pax Romana: Rome governs 60-70 million people across three continents. Ovid completes his mythological encyclopedia. Jesus is crucified under Tiberius; Paul's letters and the Gospels launch Christianity. Seneca writes Stoic philosophy. Plutarch pairs Greek and Roman lives. Tacitus chronicles imperial tyranny. Marcus Aurelius writes Meditations while fighting on the Danube. The Han Dynasty parallels Rome in the East.
Awards & Adaptations
Shakespeare's 'favourite book.' Golding praised by Pound.
Recommended Edition
F.J. Miller (Loeb 1916); A. Golding (1567)
