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Mary Zimmerman’s Metamorphoses:

A Literary Metamorphosis of Ovid’s Metamorphoses

BY YEONG MIN KIM

March 18, 2009

“Of bodies changed to other forms I tell;” (Melville, 1) declares the acclaimed Roman poet Ovid,

in the very beginning of Metamorphoses. True to his word, Ovid spins fascinating tales of gods, demigods,

and humans, many of whom undergo miraculous change and transformations. The ostensible theme of

metamorphosis, however, was not entirely unexplored by his predecessors. Skillfully exploiting the

ancient resources that were available to him, Ovid proved himself to be a mastermind of discovering and

combining materials, choosing to omit, include, or tell in full the myths and legends of his Greco-Roman

ancestors. Although the content of Ovid’s Metamorphoses clearly had its origins in Greek and Roman

mythology, as well as in the teachings and writings of his predecessors, the former elegist’s first foray in

the meter of epic verse was deemed revolutionary in Augustinian Rome. Exceeding the limits of elegy in

a thoroughly unprecedented way, Ovid’s Metamorphoses is, in fact, considered as both the culmination of

and a revolution in the classical epic tradition. Similarly, playwright Mary Zimmerman’s contemporary

adaptation of Ovid’s poem- based on barely a dozen of the myths recounted in the Latin original- boldly

takes the liberty of blending the ancient with the modern, thereby successfully metamorphosizing the

Ovidian epic into the American drama that is revolutionary in its own right.

Zimmerman opens her play with the scene of the Creation, in which the Woman by the Water

expresses her desire to “glimpse the secret and speak […] of the world’s birthing, and the creation of all

things, from the first to the very latest” (Zimmerman, 5). Ovid similarly calls out to the Gods to “inspire

[his] enterprise and lead [his] lay/ In one continuous song from nature’s first/ Remote beginnings to [his]

modern times.” Indeed, behind the impressive linkage of episodes in Ovid’s Metamorphoses lies the

historical scheme of the Creation to the present reign of Augustus. Zimmerman’s adaptation, however,

follows no strict temporal movement. Instead, Zimmerman, focusing on narratives and universal themes

that have particular contemporary relevance, aptly discovers and combines materials, choosing to omit,

include, or tell in full the myths and legends penned by her Roman predecessor. Zimmerman’s

Metamorphoses is thus enhanced by a Q and A session that recounts Lucius Apuleius’s tale of Eros and

Psyche- which, despite its non-Ovidian origins, is included due to the playwright’s exceptional fondness

towards the well-known myth- and by Rainer Maria Rilke’s poetic evocation of the dead Eurydice’s

indifference to her past life and love. The heart-rending tale of Alcyone and Ceyx remains fairly faithful

to Ovid’s rendition, while the narrative of Pomona and Vertumnus is structurally altered by the

substitution of the story of Myrrha in lieu of the story of Iphis and Anaxerete. Also, characters such as the

Scientist, the Three Launresses, and the Therapist- all of whom cannot be found in Ovid’s

Metamorphoses- are cleverly incorporated into the plot. Finally, all of the dozen or so episodes are

artfully framed by the story of Midas, which has also undergone some structural and narrative

transformation.

Like Ovid, Zimmerman masterfully re-interprets and transforms the small selection of episodes

from the Latin original with varying degrees of modernization and innovations. Zimmerman’s modern

approach can be recognized in the stage direction that accompanies the statement that “there was neither

reason nor order, until at last, a god sparked, glowed, then shone like a beam of light to define earth and

the heavens and separate water from hard ground” (Zimmerman, 6): “[ZEUS appears above the sky. He

lights a cigarette]” (Zimmerman, 6). Immediately after that, a chandelier is instructed to lend its glow

above the stage while the Woman speaks of the “sky [displaying] its array of stars in their constellations”

(Zimmerman, 6). Thus, Zimmerman, while remaining somewhat faithful to the Roman classic, gives her

version a contemporary and almost cheeky spin.

Furthermore, the narrative of the angst-ridden adolescent Phaeton, Apollo the sun god, and the

Freudian jargon-spouting Therapist is yet another example of Zimmerman’s modern take on Ovid’s rather

morbid account. Readers and audiences are transported to contemporary America, where Phaeton,

“wearing sunglasses” (Zimmerman, 62) and floating upon a “yellow rubber raft” (Zimmerman, 62)

pompously recounts his past to the notepad-wielding Therapist. Not only do the modern audience find

relevance in the all-too-familiar scene of psychological treatment, but also in Phaeton’s desire to drive his

father’s fiery chariot across the sky, as it clearly represents the modern teenage boy's ambition of

obtaining the keys to his dad’s flashy car. By exploring themes are relevant in today’s society,

Zimmerman is successful in the humorous mixing of myth and modernism.

In addition, Zimmerman’s script allowed for the Edgewood College production to take the

creative liberty of further juxtaposing the old and new. The audience was presented with the odd scenes of

Iris, beautifully draped Roman garb, treading across the stage in her shocking pink Crocs and Silenus

staggering about the stage holding a box of Franzia wine. This kind of jarring juxtaposition was

particularly noticeable in the scene where the smartly suited Midas interacts with the severely inebriated

Silenus, who, by contrast, is garbed in a toga and flaunting vine leaves in his hair. On the whole, the

Edgewood College production of Metamorphoses was successful in creating Zimmerman’s comical and

witty hybrid world of ancient Greek antiquities and modern American culture.

Interestingly, Zimmerman’s Metamorphoses itself seems to be a hybrid of various genres such as

comedy, tragedy, and drama. Much of the witticism and humor found in Ovid’s original work is

magnified and multiplied in Zimmerman’s adaptation, resulting in a performance that induces bouts of

audible laughter from audience members- thanks to the comic wit of the actors on stage.

Zimmerman’s greatest innovation, however, seems to be magnificent pool on stage, which is

undoubtedly the primary feature in any production of the Metamorphoses. To Zimmerman, water- with its

ever-changing ability- was the perfect embodiment of the theme of metamorphosis. The pool, shallow and

surrounded by a boardwalk, is in a constant flux of transformations. It becomes, at varying times, Midas’s

luxurious swimming pool, the ocean in which Ceyx meets his tragic death, Narcissus’ mirror, and the

incestuous bedroom of Cinyras and Myrrha, and the River Styx of the Underworld, amongst many other

settings. With the presence of the impressive pool, the theatrical experience is no doubt enhanced for

audience members.

In theory, Zimmerman’s Metamorphoses seems to have remained fairly true to Ovid’s canonical

myths. With the exception of the tale of Eros and Psyche, all episodes of Zimmerman’s adaptation have

its roots in Ovid’s Metamorphoses, and as playwright herself states in the title page of her book, her

writings were “based on David R. Slavitt’s translation of The Metamorphoses of Ovid.” Yet, with

Zimmerman’s efforts to create a play that was imbued with elements that would be relevant in modern

times, Ovid’s age-old poem was transformed into a unique and innovative piece of literary work that

deserves much more recognition than the epithet “Ovidian.” More importantly, however, Zimmerman’s

Metamorphoses, with its various themes of love, lust, greed, faith, and betrayal, demonstrates that these

tales are still as relevant in our day as they were in Ovid’s.