Reading Reflections: Ovid's Metamorphoses

Any teacher with any interest in Shakespeare has got to read this book.

… With those words, this classic was placed in my hands by a colleague from the History department. It was probably high time that someone did just that; the fact that I’ve managed to get this far into life without reading any Ovid has indeed been a gap in my reading journey (much like my complete ignorance of A. Camus).

After reading this Roman poet (translated by Rolfe Humphries), I expect enriched experiences when I approach the Bard: from his use of names (Ganymede, Theseus, Laertes…) and all that they imply, through some of his direct quotes (“…as ivy winds round great oaks”), to direct references such as Niobe weeping (who, interestingly enough, was weeping for her slaughtered children, and not for a dead husband as Hamlet implied — maybe the Prince of Denmark really was as selfish and egotistical as my colleagues try in vain to convince me). And of course, a quick comparison of Titus Andronicus with the story of Tereus, Procne, and Philomela is recommended for all with a taste for the macabre. Shakespeare’s dark side. Scratched deep enough, he’s a noble Roman.