"...what men call chaos: undigested mass of crude, confused and scumbled elements, a heap of seeds that clashed, of all things mismatched." -Allen Mandelbaum's New Verse Translation of The Metamorphoses of Ovid
The immortal words of Ovid reflect my thoughts quite well at the beginning of this class. I sit here waiting for the light to turn on and show me how to organize everything but P's God doesn't appear and "Let there be light," doesn't ring throughout my mind. I am left with seemingly random thoughts. If Ovid were more influential than the Bible, would rituals and superstitions become more prevalent? Ovid's gods have a more human quality than the Bible's distant and transcendent God. For example, upon comparing Chapter 19 Genesis and Ovid's Book 6, we find that Minerva herself descended from Mount Olympus to challenge Arachne while God sent two angels in his place. There are many other differences and similarities between the two, which shall come to be discussed later. Could we deal with gods that had all-too-human characteristics? The sky is the limit with these questions of random possibilities. Man seems to become very perturbed and distraught if you question his savious, but his God on the other hand is another matter. While offense may be taken, it is nothing compared to the insulting of Jesus, Muhammed, or Moses.
This is a classic work of art by Velasquez. We see that he has done his homework by looking in the background of the picture. The tapestry featured is that of Arachne's. After reading the tale of Arachne we find that the tapestry that she wove was that of the rape of Europa. The picture on the tapestry is based on another painting of Ovidian importance. This is a painting by Jean-Baptiste-Marie Pierre, called The Abduction of Europa.
The phrases and words of Ovid flow and set up elaborate scenes filled with a wealth of color in my mind versus the more historical account, case-study-ish type of writing in the Bible. Upon comparing Genesis 11 and The Giants from the Metamorphoses Book 1, one can find many similarities. Man or man-like creatures work together to find repreive in the heavens. They are struck down by a god but not completely. The Giants is more violent with the might Jove killing the "dread sons" and talking about how mankind was "keen for slaughter." In Genesis 11, God hints at the inherent evil of man ("Nothing that they propose to do will now be impossible for them") but he isn't as blatant about it as in the Metamorphoses. In Ovid is is also one of the beginnings of man while in Genesis, it is the separation of man's one race with one language. The idea that language could be such a barrier is something that is explored socially today. We are hindered by the lack of a common language. Part of the reason that we have problems in society is our inability to understand each other and really interpret what it is that is trying to be conveyed. The modern implications of God separating man and "confusing" his language are great.