The Influence of Ovid's Metamorphosis English Literature Essay
The origins of selected examples of metamorphosis in Germanic literature are traced to their roots in Ovid's Metamorphoses, roughly grouped on an 'ascending evolutionary scale' invertebrates, birds, animals and mermaids. Although a wide range of mythological, legendary, fairy tale and folktale traditions have played a significant role, Francis Meres neatly summarized one of the most striking literary affinities in the Western canon: 'As the soul of Euphorbus was thought to dwell in Pythagoras, so the sweet, witty soul of Ovid lives in the sweet and honeyed Shakespeare. In recent years, Shakespeare and Ovidians have come to be increasingly appreciated: The themes of Metamorphoses made it an unlikely addition to the canon of improving literature used in English secondary schools, but it was an important educational text of the sixteenth century , Samsa's economic conditions are the main example of class conflict in the Metamorphosis, which Marxism represents. Samsa's family is not well off. Gregor has to pay his father's debt, and after he can no longer work, his family pays off their debt. This makes the novella an example of a capitalist society. Even though Ovid was the main source for Shakespeare's creation A Midsummer Night's Dream, the latter writer also ignored most of the plot of “Metamorphoses” in his work. The main difference between the two poems is that Ovid's writings were based on mythology, while Shakespeare preferred the.