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Ovid's Metamorphosis Differences

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The work of Ovid’s Metamorphosis has been translated and reimagined numerous times since it has been first created. I have chosen two similar but very different translations of “Atalanta and Hippomenes” from Ovid’s Metamorphosis. The two translations I have elected are done by Allen Mandelbaum (1993) and Charles Martin (2010). Both of these translations have very unique word style and are more suited for different audiences. In the translation from Martin, his writing style is more modern, making it easy to understand. Mandelbaum’s translation on the other hand is written using beautiful imagery. My preferred choice would have to be Mandelbaum’s translation, thought it may be a little more difficult to understand, with every word and line
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It is significant that nearly every major character makes an allusion to one or more Ovidian myths, suggesting their awareness, as well as the audience’s familiarity, with Ovid’s texts. This is made most obvious with Titus’ declaration of revenge, in which he invokes an Ovidian narrative, “For worse than Philomel you used my daughter, and worse than Procne I will be revenged” (Act V, Scene II). The characters are strangely and unnervingly aware that their lives are constructed and defined by Ovidian principles. Moreover, the characters employ the model of the Metamorphoses as a basis of their actions. For instance, Aaron, the primary villain of Titus Andronicus who first plants the machinations of Lavinia’s rape, instructs Tamora and her sons, “Philomel must lose her tongue today,” (Act II, Scene I).

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The Odyssey is Homer’s epic of Odysseus’ journey to return home, to Ithaca, after the Trojan War. This novel includes altercations with mythical creatures when he and his men must face the anger and punishments of many gods. Also, his wife Penelope and his son Telemachus attempt to stop the suitors that are looking for Penelope's marriage, and Ithaca's throne long enough for Odysseus to return. The Odyssey ends when Odysseus proves his identity to all who are surrounding, slaughters the suitors, and reconquered his kingdom of Ithaca. Through epithets and cultural aspects, “The Odyssey” by Homer, Robert Fitzgerald’s translation, illustrates an opposition between the [Cyclops] and hospitable men.

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The most effective translation is Elizabeth Wyckoff due to its effectiveness in sentence structure and word choice. The sentence structure varies starting from Strophe 1, introducing the excerpt with “many the wonders but nothing walks stronger than man”. This simple sentence allows the main idea of Strophe 1 state itself in a quick and effective manner. After the introductory sentence, complex and compound sentences continue to Strophe 2. This variation slows the pace down making the reader look deeper into those sections.

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Here his final transformation takes place and his true character is revealed. Taking Tiresias advice, Odysseus, after twenty years away from home, is forced to humble himself even before a lowly swineherd and take the swineherd’s advice. Odysseus demonstrates this great change of heart when he purposely lets his own dogs attack him so that his beggar identity will be concealed. “Suddenly—those snarling dogs spotted Odysseus, charged him fast—a shatter of barks—but Odysseus sank to the ground at once . . . but here and now, on his own farm, he might have taken a shameful mauling” (Homer, 302).

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Margret Atwood’s The Penelopaid is a response to the issues unaddressed within The Odyssey. Complications regarding class and gender divisions is explored through techniques such as irony. Odysseus’ glorification within The Odyssey is challenged as Atwood provides dialogue to female characters such as the maids. The traditional use of comedia and tragedy is utilized to overshadow the seriousness of the court case. The effectiveness of Deus ex Machina is challenged due to Atwood’s utilization of the technique.

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As Odysseus approaches, Argus recognizes the familiar and soothing voice and scent of his master. Consequently, Argus strugles to stand on his four paws, ears flattened, greeting his master. A salty tears rolls down Odysseus’ cheek, knowing that in the mind and hearts of some, his return was a hope they clinged to for life. « …but the death and darkness in that instant closed the eyes of Argus, who had seen his master, Odysseus, after twenty years. »

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A mythological story can express a valuable message to its readers, advising them to choose a certain path when making decisions and to stray away from what can harm them. It can also give an artist, whether it is a painter or a poet, the inspiration to express their intake of what was given to them. The expression can show support of a character’s decision, show sadness towards a character’s place in the myth, or relate the myth to a real-life occurrence. When poet Eavan Boland was reading Book 1 of Ovid’s Metamorphosis, she wanted to express a different meaning of the story of Daphne by writing “Daphne with her Thighs in Bark”. She did this by using a feminist approach while looking back at Daphne’s fate.

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Martin may have won best translation in the scene where Atalanta is described, but Mandelbaum’s expression of the scene in the cave is superior to that of Martin. Where one is more compelling in one section the other is enthralling in another section. Reading both works made it truly easier to understand the story, I would recommend to anyone wanting to read or having to read the story to read

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“The Odyssey.” The Norton Anthology of World Literature, Norton, 2001, pp. 225–530. Lawall, Sarah N., and Maynard Mack. “The Aeneid.”

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Franz Kafka, heavily influenced by Ovid’s Metamorphoses, devises the character Gregor Samsa in order to portray a detailed experience of an individual’s metamorphosis. Kafka’s narration style differs greatly from Ovid’s, in that, the narration begins with a first person perspective and changes to a third person narration, which remains consistent to the end of the novel. Unlike the stories within the Metamorphoses, there is a clear contrast in the portrayal of Gregor’s transformation. Ovid and Kafka’s depiction of a metamorphosis incorporates the concept of identity in the individual’s transition, however Kafka emphasizes the family dynamic and the hostility Gregor feels. Gregor’s family’s inability to look past Gregor’s exterior appearance

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Many uses of literature develop family relationships within the story. This helps characterize the people in the story and develop the theme. In the novella The Metamorphosis, the author Franz Kafka uses family dynamics to show the relationships within the characters and show how they have changed throughout the piece. The relationship between Gregor and his younger sister, Grete, changes as the story goes on.

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In this text there are three Ovid’s myths explicated in the light of Freud’s thesis about sublimation. According to Freud it means that the energy related to sexual desire redirects in the form of another mental process. This Freud’s thesis can be found in all three myths of Ovid. In the further parts of the text there will be short analysis of all three.

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The punishment of hunger, and that he is against something that he does not comprehend, is everything”. These two examples constitute part of his journey on the sea, by comparing things like the brotherhood between the fish and his two

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It was not uncommon in Ancient Greek and Roman myths for gods to transform humans into animals or objects, or to alter parts of their mortal bodies in some way shape or form. It’s easy to think that end result of these transfigurations was always hurtful or that they were only used as a type of punishment, because who would want to be turned into a flower? However, Ovid demonstrates that these transformations did not always have the detrimental outcome you think they would; he tells stories where transformation can be both a beneficial and a harmful incident. In Metamorphoses, Ovid relates myths in which transformation is used to both take away the identity of an individual and to restore it in order to portray transformation in both a positive and negative light.

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