The Re-Maled Fe-Male

I don’t know if being turned into a bird was a good thing in Roman times, but it would probably not be my choice. So many in the Met suffer this fate. We in the modern age may wish to fly on occasion--on the other hand, there is the question of whether your mind would …

Polyphemus’ Rage: The Prequel

Men in the Greek world have a long history of making rash decisions without thinking that often end really badly and commonly with bloodshed. One big example that immediately comes to mind is Paris kidnapping Helen of Troy which led to a ten year long war which led to the fall of Troy, causing all …

Ancient Authors’ Treatment of Iphigenia

Reading through Ovid’s presentation of Iphigenia in Book 12, I was struck by the following lines: “Ready to shed her chaste blood, Diana/Was moved to pity. She threw up a mist/Before their eyes, and in the confusion/Of the ritual and prayers they say she substituted/A deer on the altar for the Mycenaean girl” (Metamorphoses 12.41-45). …

The Death of Orpheus

Christian Segura The Death of Orpheus I absolutely had a great time reading about the death of Orpheus! The imagery alone was the most significant and, in my opinion, the best compliment to such a devastatingly beautiful end to Orpheus. The tragedy literally begins with Orpheus atop a mountain having all manner of objects hurled …

Sir, this is my emotional support significant other, please stop killing them

There is a difference between love and passion and I think that distinction was made pretty clear within these two books and I feel like it also divides godly love versus human love. We see real intricate stories of love in these books, starting out strong with Orpheus and Eurydice.  They seemed to truly love …

Pygmalion and [there is scholarly debate]

Pygmalion and Galatea by Jean-Léon Gérôme. Of the songs of Orpheus in book 10, Pygmalion’s is the one that has stuck with me the longest. It has been recieved into popular culture numerous times; a simple search of the Wikipedia page cites stories from Shakespeare’s “The Winter’s Tale” and “Pinocchio” to more contemporary retellings like …

Pygmalion the Incel

Audrey Hepburn in a scene from the film 'My Fair Lady', 1964. (Photo by Warner Brothers/Getty Images) When I was in high school, I read George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion, and for some reason (my own naïveté), I really enjoyed it, and annotated nearly every line. As the title suggests, the play is based on the …

The Commonness of Incest

"From Incest to Incense" The depiction of Myrrha Something never mentioned to me before in Greek Mythology was incest. The idea that gods connected through loving their family members romantically was never something I thought was common. As I read the stories, I see it is more common than it is actually talked about. Incest …

The Lack of Women’s Agency in Met Love Stories

Side by side of a painting of Orpheus and Eurydice and a shot from the move Portrait of Lady on Fire. As much as I love the story of Orpheus and Eurydice, the way the Met tells the story is a little weird, and not what I expected. As brought up in the reading guide, …

(not) the victim

Artist: Antonio del Pollaiuolo, Italian, Florence, ca.1432–1498Hercules and Deianira The story about how Deianira was fought over by Hercules and Acheloüs like a prize is one thing, but when Acheloüs and Nessus start talking about Nessus' encounter with Deianira and Hercules it really shows toxic masculinity. Just because things did not go their way, the way …