Abstract

Even though the common reader may not be familiar with Ovid’s Metamorphoses, over centuries of circulation, this epic poem has woven itself into the very fabric of our present-day culture. In my thesis, I will analyze three of its most popular myths, searching for new feminist meanings in these ancient, male-dominated texts. In my introduction, “The Metamorphosis of the Metamorphoses: A Brief History,” I examine the epic’s history of translation and explore the ethos of retelling and reinterpreting stories about rape and female subordination. In my first chapter, “From Beheld to Beheaded: Medusa and the Male Gaze,” I show how Medusa’s gaze symbolizes the belief that to truly see and appreciate the woman would result in a man’s loss of identity. In Chapter II, “Modern Arachne and Ancient Webs of Female Misogyny,” I explain how Arachne’s myth exposes the patriarchy’s reliance on rivalry between women to maintain male dominance. Lastly, in “Pygmalion’s Womb Envy: The Male Suppression and Appropriation of the Female Procreative Life Force,” I prove that Pygmalion sculpts his perfect woman not only to use her as an object of sexual gratification but also as one of reproduction. Drawing inspiration from feminist theorists such as Laura Mulvey, Simone de Beauvoir, Susan Bordo, and Karen Horney—and depending exclusively on Stephanie McCarter’s translations—I analyze how the patriarchy uses stories to inculcate and perpetuate its ideology.