Reading Notes: Metamorphoses I, Part B

Perseus with the Head of Medusa, by Benvenuto Cellini

Pyramus and Thisbe
Wow, Shakespeare basically just stole this entire story for the plot of Romeo & Juliet. So far in the Metamorphoses, the stories seem to be separated distinctly into "lesson" stories and "how" stories, with some overlap (such as Phaethon). This tale definitely falls into the "how" category, though it admittedly seems to be a very dramatic explanation as to why berries are dark (but you could make the same claim towards many classical "how" stories). Not really sure how I could retell this one, as it seems to have already been done (see Romeo & Juliet).

Mars and Venus
I've read this story before and it always makes me so sad for Vulcan. Not only is he a very ugly god because of the abuse he suffered at the hands of his mother Juno (because throwing your baby off of a cliff is apparently top tier parenting by Greek god standards), but he also basically gets dismissed and ridiculed because he wife cheated on him. Sure, Venus may not have loved him in the first place due to the fact that their marriage was forced (and because he's hideous, but he can't really control that), but that's still a pretty low blow for all of your friends to laugh at you when you expose your wife's affair. If I retold this story, I'd probably take great liberty with the plot to give both Venus and Vulcan a happy ending.

Tales of Perseus
Stories of Greek heroes are always entertaining to me because of how hilariously overpowered they are. They never really struggle with many of their exploits (for example, this gigantic sea monster didn't even land a hit on Perseus and the whole battle sounded like it lasted for about 30 seconds), and usually the only things that have a chance of beating them are themselves. Perseus especially reminds me a lot of an overpowered D&D character that was given a bit too many magical items, and if I retell this story, that's probably how I'll frame it.

Comments

Storybook Comment Wall

Mothman: Image My Storybook Project, Mythical Monsters of the New World can be found here I hope you all enjoy it, and I appreciate any feedback you can give! EDIT 3/5: I have heavily revised my Introduction, so if you have not read the new version yet, do so now!

Introduction to Brett the Graphic Designer

Hey! My name is Brett Drake and I'm a senior Public Relations major with a Classical Culture minor. I'm from the small town of Wagoner, Oklahoma (if you've heard of it, chances are you're also from northeast OK!) and while I've enjoyed my time here at OU, I can't wait to graduate in May. I want to become a graphic designer in the OKC area after graduation and help local businesses build their brands. My favorite class last semester was Digital Design (surprise, surprise) as it allowed me to really hone my skills as a designer across all different types of media. Me at the Coliseum : Photo by a friend Last summer, as I talked about in my favorite place post , I was able to study abroad in Italy for the month of June, allowing me to finally travel outside of the country for the first time in my life. While traveling abroad had its ups and downs (I arrived in Rome running on a good 3 hours of sleep and had lost my luggage), overall it was an amazing experie

Week 3 Story: Perseus, A DM's Worst Nightmare

Perseus and Andromeda, by Frederic Leighton Dan had been the Dungeon Master for his friends' Dungeons and Dragons group for a while now, and he always looked forward to their sessions on Wednesday nights. Everyone had a good time, and they had created stories that would last a lifetime, one of which was the unfortunate story of Percy. Percy was an acquaintance who was also an avid D&D player. When his group disbanded for unknown reasons, Percy asked Dan if he could join his group. Dan allowed it, welcoming Percy to the group. Percy was insistent that he should be able to keep the same character that he had played in his former campaign. Dan, not knowing what he was agreeing to, let him keep his character. When Wednesday came and everyone sat down to play, Dan began to realize his mistake. "Alright everyone," Dan began. "When we last left off, you all had made your way to the fields of the giant monster known as Atlas. A mountain looms in the dista

Brett's Blog

Search This Blog