More Love Stories

As I've been reading Metamorphoses, love has been present in most of the readings. The ones this post is about are no exception. Being a teen-age girl, I suppose I fit the cliche since I enjoy anything that has to with love. The story of Pomona and Vertumnus is the perfect example of a love story (also referred to as chick-flick nowadays). On the contrary, the story of Myrrha and Cinyras, is more of a scandal. Although these stories have very little to do with each other at first, (one has a sad end, the other a happy one) they actually have much in common. To begin, both Myrrha and Vertumnus try to hide their identities to get what they want, and second, they end up revealing themselves without being able to stop it. Myrrha does her best to prevent her father from knowing the truth, but eventually, he finds out and there's nothing more she can do. The girl begs the Gods, "Oh Gods, I pray you, change me; make me something else; transform me entirely; let me step out of my own heart".(60) This part also suggests more evidence to the title, Metamorphoses. Many characters throughout the stories have been changed into trees or even gold, and in the case of Myrrha, "She stepped into a shimmering stream and began to dissolve: Her body melted." (61)

A big difference that I found between Pomona & Vertumnus and Myrrha & Cinyras, was the God's inetervention in the character's development. In previous stories, like the one of Alcyone & Ceyx, everything began to go wrong when the Gods intervened in the lives of these characters. If it wasn't for Poseidon, Ceyx would've never had difficulty at sea, and if it wasn't for Aphrodite, Myrrha would've never fallen in love with her father. So far, the Gods have brought nothing but trouble and it is because of them that the stories have turned into tragedies.

However, this changes when Vertumnus courts Pomona without the help or intervention from any of the other Gods, Vertumunus manages to win Pomona, "When at last the god revealed himself just as he was, much to his surprise, he had no need of words. Little Pomona was happy with what she saw, unadorned and undisguised. Soon enough, the vine was clinging to the tree." (62) This is my favorite part in Metamorphoses up to now. It's so sweet how in the end, Vertumnus doesn't need anything but himself to make Pomona happy. Sometimes, being yourself is all it takes to get what you want. I really liked how this story ended and it's good to have a happy ending once in a while. Returning to what I mentioned previously about the intervention of the Gods, Vertumnus is a God, but in the lack of interruption on the God's side granted Vertumnus what he longed for, Pomona. The Gods, in my opinion, are supposed to bring good fortune and wish only the best for their followers, but in this case they have proved me wrong, good fortune is best attained when the Gods don't interfere at all.





















This picture has absolutely nothing to do with either Myrrha & Cinyras or Pomona & Vertumnus, but it is one of my favorite paintings and it was on the list of images we could use.