The Metamorphoses Summary:Pygmalion

Pygmalion is a sculptor from Cyprus. Pygmalion sees the shamefulness and evilness of women from Cyprus and decides to remain a bachelor. In Pygmalion spare time, he starts to create a sculpture of the ideal woman. The sculpture is lovelier than any real woman. Pygmalion’s sculpture is made of snow-white ivory and is craved in the shape of a girlish figure. The ivory girl is so alluring that Pygmalion falls deeply in love with his sculpture. Pygmalion bestows his ivory girl with trinkets of admiration.

Pygmalion attends Venus’ festival to honor the goddess. At the festival, Pygmalion prays to Venus for a wife like his ivory girl. Venus has compassion for Pygmalion’s love of the sculpture and grants his wish. When Pygmalion returns home, he kisses his beloved sculpture wishing she were alive. Pygmalion notices the sculpture’s ivory is becoming supple like human flesh. At first Pygmalion thinks this is wishful thinking. As Pygmalion caresses his ivory girl, the sculpture blossoms to life under his adoring touch. Pygmalion ivory sculpture metamorphosis to a girl. Pygmalion marries the girl. Pygmalion and his wife have a child called Paphos. Cyprus Island is later known as Paphian isle after Paphos.

Work Cited

Ovid. Pygmalion. The Norton Anthology of World Masterpieces. Ed. Lawall, Sarah and Mack, Maynard. 7th. NY: W.W. Norton & Co., Inc., 1999. 927-928.

Additional Resources

http://www.pantheon.org/articles/p/pygmalion.html