Week Two Reading Anthology - Reading Notes

I am taking notes on the story of Pygmalion, from Ovid's Metamorphoses, translated by Tony Kline in 2000.

Notes:

• Begins with revealing to the reader the virtuousness of the protagonist (all the women he met were full of "wickedness," so he chose a life of loneliness rather than marriage to someone unworthy). This is important, because it clues the reader in to what type of person he is, and directs them to anticipate his virtuous nature being rewarded (which does occur at the end).
• The next bit is fairly weird, but it's the ancient Greeks, so what do you expect? We see Pygmalion, our protagonist, create an ideal partner for himself, as a measure to alleviate some of his loneliness while still rejecting the wickedness of the women around him. Again, the reader is meant to see in this some evidence of his virtue, bolstered by the description of the treatment he gives his "ivory girl" - even with an inanimate woman, he treats her with all the love, passion, and appreciation that a good man would bestow on his wife. He brings her all manner of gifts, he ensures her comfort with a soft pillow and bed, and he talks to her and gives her affection and compliments. The reader is, I think, supposed to take away something along the lines of "Wow, if this is how well he treats a woman made of ivory, imagine how well he'd treat a real woman! He deserves to have a wife worthy of his noble character." (Granted, if I met a dude in real life who was feeling up a statue, this would decidedly not be my first reaction, but I say again: it's the ancient Greeks, so what do you expect?)
• In the next section, the reader is shown one more facet of Pygmalion's virtue: his dedication to the gods. He goes to a festival for Venus/Aphrodite, and pays homage to her in the form of sacrifice. After his offering, he requests a bride like his "ivory girl."
• An important note: He makes his request "shyly." Now we see his humbleness in the face of the gods, marking him for us again as a man of virtue.
• Venus/Aphrodite is moved by his request *because he is favorable in the eyes of the gods*. This is the moment we've been directed to all along. The author presents Pygmalion to us as the epitome of virtue (for that time/culture, anyway), so we as readers are expecting this moment all along - in fact, we'd feel almost cheated if it unfolded differently.
• The ivory girl is made human as Pygmalion gropes her (gross, but okay.) They get married and live happily ever after with their son.
• An important note: Venus/Aphrodite attends the wedding - she is pleased with Pygmalion and wishes to see the product of her own benevolence.

Regnault's Pygmalion priant Venus d'animer sa statue