Why did he make his request timidly?
We are told that Pygmalion makes his request timidly by Ovid (at timide … dixit). There are maybe a few reasons for this. One is that Pygmalion was embarrassed with what he wanted from the gods, him wanting his statue to be brought to life. Earlier, Pygmalion didn’t seen to mind what he did with the statue on his own, such as placing it in his bed and giving it many gifts, but at this point, he may just realise that what he wants, and has been doing, isn’t exactly normal. modo grata puellis munera fert illi …conlocat … stratis ... reponit
Also, Pygmalion may not be sure if his request is really what he wants. It is a big step from having a statue, to which you can do anything, to having a living woman with you. He may also be worried that the living woman may not fall in love with its creator, and so he would have lost his love.
Another reason may be that Pygmalion being the king of Cyprus (as the legend has it), he has never had to ask anyone for anything, as it would just be given to him. This may mean Pygmalion asks timidly because he has never had to ask for anything so important, from such an important source.
What were the different stages of the miracle?
The miracle occurred over many stages, starting at the point where Pygmalion prayed to Venus and she answered by flaring up the flame three times. When Pygmalion returned home, he immediately went to see if Venus had done anything. At first glance it seemed that Venus had ignored his plea, because his statue was still a statue; however, as he returned to his routine of kissing her, he started realising that the statue was changing, and becoming human. At first he leans over the couch and gives her kisses: “incumbensque toro dedit oscula:” At this point he realised that she felt warm: “visa tepere est”, so he kissed her again, the only difference being that this time he felt her breasts. “admovet os iterum, manibus quoque pectora temptat”. On feeling the breasts, (a clearly erotic touch, for presumably this is the “first choice” for softening up the woman), he realised that the ivory had become soft: “ temptatum mollescit ebur, positoque rigore subsidit digitis, creditque … ”. Ovid at this point uses an extended simile to describe how the ivory became soft. In this case he uses beeswax from Mt Hymettus, and describes how it softens under the sun “ut Hymettia sole cera remollescit, tractataque pollice multas … utilis usu”. At this point Pygmalion knew that his beloved statue had indeed become real, and was a body: “corpus erat”.
Pygmalion started rejoicing, however he hesitated, because he was not sure whether his mind was playing tricks on him, as it had done many times before. To ascertain whether the statue had in fact become real, he stroked her again and again, so that the veins, when they were touched by his thumb, throbbed: “rursus amans … retractat”. Pygmalion was overwhelmed by this miracle performed by the goddess Venus.
This part of the text is the climax of it. It is the most important part of the myth. It is this bit, particularly, that links the story with the title Metamorphoses. This change from a statue into a human being is a metamorphosis. However, this is not the only metamorphosis occurring. The other one is not a physical one, but a mental one. This is Pygmalion’s metamorphosis from being a loner with a statue as a lover, to being a lover with an ideal woman to reciprocate. This change in his mentality, and his new-found happiness and self-confidence, are the crux of the story.
How rapidly was Pygmalion convinced of what had happened?
Pygmalion had, earlier on that day, been at the festival of Venus where he asked her for a wife like the “eburnea virgo” – for “non ausus” (he did not dare) to ask for the actual statue as his wife, perhaps concerned about everyone thinking he was something of a sexual deviant. After the request was made “flamma ter accensa est”, as an omen of Venus’s friendly power. Thus Pygmalion must have had some inkling that he would be gaining something in the uxorial line at some point, and thus should not have been too surprised or incredulous at what happened later on that day with the statue.
It almost seems as if Pygmalion was expecting his statue to be transformed, for he went straight to it “ut rediit” – when he returned. Also, he began to treat the statue even more as if it were a real human, touching and feeling it and caressing it as if it were a woman. Admittedly he had already been doing that sort of thing, but here it is described more fully, and indeed more erotically. Unless Pygmalion has a liking for cold ivory intrinsically, which is very unlikely, why would he “admonet os iterum, manibus quoque pectora temptat”, if not hoping for the statue to become a real woman?
However, the metamorphosis is described in tentative terms: “visa tepere est” – she seemed to become warm, perhaps concerned that it was all his own imagination. Because Pygmalion probably recognised that he had had delusions, this would have made it harder to believe – he could have been concerned that he was just very successfully fooling himself again.
The line “dum stupet et dubie gaudet fallique veretur” may sum up Pygmalion’s feelings: amazed and rejoicing while at the same time doubtful and fearing a mistake. However soon after this we read the words “corpus erat” – perhaps meant by Ovid as an exclamation made by Pygmalion himself, thus showing that he had now become convinced of what had happened, as he felt the blood leap within her: “saliunt temptatae pollice venae.”
Pygmalion probably had quite low expectations. He probably didn’t think that the mighty Venus would actually listen to his pleas. Nonetheless, he did return to his house to check if anything had happened. At the beginning he thought that the statue was still a statue, and nothing more, however as he kissed her and felt her, he started realising that the ivory seemed to be alive, and that his precious statue was becoming his perfect woman. The first thing he noticed was that she seemed warm: “visa tepere est”. This, although by no means definite, started to put thoughts into Pygmalion about whether she was actually alive or if he was imagining it again. He then felt her breasts, to make certain that she was in fact real, and once again the statue (or ex-statue) seemed to show signs of life – they were soft! “manibus quoque pectora temptat … ” After this, just to completely assure himself that what he was feeling and hoping was true, he felt her again and again, and when he touched her veins they throbbed under his thumb. “rursus amans rursusque manu sua vota retractat;… saliunt temptatae pollice venae.” During this realisation, Ovid constantly implies that Pygmalion is in great doubt as to whether it is true or not – for example he adds “credit” (which means “he thought”) at the end of the sentence where Pygmalion says that the ivory becomes soft. At another point (line 45) he adds the word “dubie” meaning “hesitantly”. This shows that even though Pygmalion’s statue has actually become a woman, he is still very cautious about rejoicing, until he is completely sure. The last proof of how long it took Pygmalion to be convinced of what had happened, is that he strokes her again and again. Even though this does have an erotic aspect, it is also quite innocent, if you are in Pygmalion’s frame of mind, because he’s only trying to reassure himself that the statue has become real.
The long time which it took Pygmalion to be convinced suggests that he had possibly thought that she had become real many times before, because this time he is making very sure that she is real. If this was the first time it happened, it would (probably) not take you very long to be convinced, but if it has happened many times, then you would be determined not to be fooled by your mind again, and make sure it as true before you rejoiced, so that your happiness would not be in vain.
What is the change in the ivory compared to?
Do you think this is an appropriate comparison?
From lines 42-44, Ovid uses an extended simile, in order to give us an idea of what was happening, and what Pygmalion was feeling. In these lines he compares the statue’s ivory body becoming a real human body with beeswax from Mt Hymettus, and how the wax softens under the sun and, when held by the thumb, is moulded into many shapes, and is made usable by being used: “ut Hymettia sole cera remollescit, tractataque pollice multas flectitur in facies, ipsoque fit utilis usu.” I think that this simile is very appropriate for describing what is happening to the statue’s body. It is easy to imagine how wax is moulded into different forms, and how, when warm, it softens, and is smooth. Mt Hymettus is obviously a famous place for beeswax, and Ovid mentions that it comes from this place to give the idea of the amazing quality of this wax. This simile is particularly apt, though, because the colour of wax is very similar to that of ivory, this makes you imagine pushing your thumb into a piece of wax and how your thumb sinks into it, and it also makes you imagine that the skin and limbs of the ex-statue feel soft as the wax does under the sun. The reference to the wax being moulded into many shapes is due to the different shapes which the body has. Ovid makes it seem as if she was all made of wax, and all her body was sculpted beautifully into a human form, and every time Pygmalion pushed his fingers into it they sank into this soft wax. … ipsoque fit utilis usu … Just so does he manipulate his creation into life, or so it must have seemed to him: the miracle is divine, but he is very much its human agent, the moulder of the gods’ benign purposes on this occasion.
With the ivory becoming soft to touch and having lost its hardness, it is compared with the beeswax from the Hymettus softening in the sun. (ut Hymettia sole cera remollescit). I think that this is a very good comparison as many people who would have read this would know of the mountain as it is prominent in Attica, so many could relate to it. Also the colour of beeswax resembles the colour of the Mediterranean skin colour, so the statue hasn’t just come alive, but also changed from white ivory to a dark tanned colour. The sweet smelling of the beeswax may also resemble the sweet smelling of the ivory statue, once it came alive. Another good example is how the beeswax can be easily moulded into any shape and has flexibility, as does human flesh.
Why did Venus grant Pygmalion’s wish?
At the time when Pygmalion made the wish to Venus, it was the festival to Venus and there were crowds of people all around Cyprus celebrating Venus. Therefore with everyone celebrating her greatness she might have felt more inclined to grant the wish since everyone was paying attention to her and offering sacrifices to her. She would have been flattered by all the public celebration and jubilation and would have wanted to return some of the kindness and attention to people who were asking for things, particularly if the person who was making the request was a king. She could have seen Pygmalion as an ‘immortal mortal’, because he was a person of great power and a king, and so he was above everyone else and closer to the Gods in that he had lots of fame and respect paid to him. She would not have granted everyday wishes for everyday people. However he was no ordinary person, since he was the King, and it was also no ordinary or everyday wish. When he made his wish to her at the altar, she would probably have metaphorically gone to his house (or palace?) and seen what all the fuss was about and why she was so special. When she had got there, she would have seen a statue whose beauty would have rivalled hers and who was more beautiful than any mortal. She would probably have thought that the likeness was supposed to represent her and that he would have taken his inspiration from paintings or statues of her (how else would he or we imagine such a figure?) If her beauty was part of his inspiration for sculpting it, then, since she was the goddess of love, she would have been honoured that someone would want to marry someone like her or as beautiful as herself. With these ideas in mind she would probably have been happy to grant the wish.
There are a few reasons why Venus granted Pygmalion’s wish of having his statue brought to life. (“si, di, dare … similis mea,” dixit, “eburnae”). A simple one is that Venus is the goddess of love and is obliged to fulfil someone’s desire for love and sexuality. Venus wouldn’t be carrying out her godly duties if she refused true love to be given to one of her devotees. A main characteristic of mythical gods is that they don’t often hesitate to help someone, like Athena helping Heracles with his tasks, and there is no reason for Venus not to help Pygmalion with his wish.
Venus would also have been pleased to see how much effort Pygmalion had put into preparing his wish for Venus. Pygmalion had gathered together incense and was burning it, and also made an offering (turaque … ad aras constitit), all impressing her. Venus, being feminine, would also be moved by having so much thought put into her and wouldn’t refuse the wish.
Pygmalion also gave compliments to Venus in his prayer. He could have said “Gods, I pray to have as my wife … ”, but Pygmalion decides to compliment the gods by saying before that, “If you can grant all things, gods … ”. Women like compliments and this would have impressed Venus (“si, di … sit coniunx …”). On the other hand, Venus may have granted his wish for another reason. Pygmalion begins his prayer “If you can grant all things, gods”. This could be a challenge given by Pygmalion to Venus and the other deities. He says ‘if’, therefore questioning the power of the gods, maybe implying that they wouldn’t be able to bring an ivory statue alive. If Venus took it this way, she would give all her power to perform his wish, just so that Pygmalion could see the gods’ power and that they can do anything.
Another reason is that Venus could see how much love Pygmalion had for his statue. She could see how much money he spent on gifts for the statue, showing his commitment (conchas … pectore pendent). Venus knew it would be a good job done to perform his wish, as there would be true love made and she would have fulfilled her godly duties.
Venus may have had admiration for Pygmalion. We are told that the island of Cyprus was full of women leading lives of wickedness and this sickened Pygmalion (quas quia … consorte carebat). Venus, being the goddess of love and beauty, would also have been sickened by the women, and I think that she would admire Pygmalion for not marrying or going out with one of these women. I bet Venus agreed that a pure ivory statue would be better than the wicked Cypriots, and so she wouldn’t think twice about performing Pygmalion’s wish.
Whatever the reason why Venus granted Pygmalion’s wish, it didn’t take her long to decide that it was a good idea, as she showed a sign of her co-operation by flaring the flames three times at the festival. (flamma ter … aera ducit) soon after Pygmalion’s wish.
‘In this story the events are incredible, but Pygmalion
behaves just like a real person.’ Do you agree?
I disagree with this statement since at the start, when he felt disgusted and almost depressed by the seedy women that he had seen around Cyprus, any normal person would not have started to make a statue of a perfect woman as a substitute for a real woman, because and especially as he was king he could have had any woman that he desired. We get the impression from the way that his actions are explained and the descriptions given that he is not a real person, because all the actions of Pygmalion and all the effects of his actions, i.e. that the statue turns into a real person, are very implausible. However, as the story progresses, we see that he starts off acting fairly rationally, by only making the statue, but then his actions become more irrational and thus harder to believe since a sane person would certainly think that these actions were the actions of an insane person.
The next sign that is described further confirms that these are not the actions of a normal person but of a fairytale person. He tests the body by feeling it with his fingers and tries to see if it is a real body or whether it is ivory. He further believes that his fingers are sinking into her limbs. His perception of reality becomes more faded and distant, as he truly believes that this is a real body and not a statue. He gets consumed with a passion for the idol and starts to lose his grip on sanity. In the eyes of the reader he eventually completely loses it, when he worries about whether he is bruising her by pushing his fingers into her too hard. At the height of his insanity, he applies flattery and gives gifts to her that a Cyprian woman would have appreciated. He gave her: shells, smooth pebbles, small birds, flowers of a thousand colours, lilies and painted balls of crystal or amber. He adorned her body with clothes and decorations such as jewels for her fingers, long necklaces for her neck, rings of light pearl hanging from her ears and pendants over her breasts.
At this point in the story there is a turning point. He comes more normal and real, in that he decides to ask Venus to turn her into a real person. He seems to realise that he can’t continue like this and that it would be in his best interests if he had a real person instead of a statue as his ‘wife’. It seems at this point as though he is a real person and has completely shrugged off his former madness, by actually having a normal woman and not having anything else peculiar about him. There is however one final moment of madness … When he returns home, he doesn’t at first believe that she is real and, although he realises that she is warm, he does not dare to celebrate lest he is proved wrong. Throughout the story he behaves very unlike a normal person and acts very irrationally. However, the very last few lines show that he did manage to overcome it and he did end up being a normal and conventional person.
