METAMORPHOSES by OVID Books 1 and 3

I will be discussing one of my own topics for book one, and answering one of your questions for book three.

The largest shock in book one, at least to me, was when Jupiter raped Io. Immediately in the beginning of the text we are told that Jupiter is not that great. He marks the end of the golden age, and rules during the lesser silver age. During this silver age the weather becomes more harsh and less temperate. Summer and winter are formed. It doesn't necessarily give a reason as to why Jupiter forms these new seasons, but I assume it is just because he is a mediocre god. Later in the text, Jupiter captures innocent Io and rapes her. His wife comes down from the heavens to catch him, but he quickly turns Io into a cow, and lies to his wife's face. He covers up that fact that he raped Io. Io then suffers for years in the form of a cow, unable to speak, all because Jupiter wanted sex. There are even more mentions later in the text of Jupiter cheating on, and tricking his wife. The gods in Metamorphoses are very different then those in The Odyssey. As it is, the only god in The Odyssey who seemed a little bit unfair, still had justification to act as such. Jupiter has no justification except for lust, and I don't think that should even count. He is a reckless god, that does not serve as a good example for humans.

5. Deceptively simplistic question: With what or whom does Narcissus fall in love? What is the problem with this? Many writers see in this myth the foundation of love found in all relationships (I would agree!) - what does the myth have to tell us about human desire?

Narcissus does not truly fall in love with himself. At least not at any deep level. He only falls in love with his own physical appearance. To prove the shallow nature of his love even further, one must also analyze his interaction with the echo. The echo is his own voice, his personality. He runs away from this. He is not at all inserted in a relationship with his personality, nor does he seem to like it. Shortly after running away from his voice, Narcissus falls in love with his own physical reflection. The problem with this is that what he feels is not truly love, rather it is lust. This myth is making a statement about how human desire is only skin deep. Perhaps for some people this is true. It is at least true at the beginning stages of many relationship, before the couple truly gets to know each other. That's why there is supposedly such thing as love at first sight.