Theme/Idea
The central idea of Metamorphoses is the concept of change. To "metamorphose" literally means to change strikingly the appearance or character of something. Metamorphoses is full of instances of change, with each story told containing at least one example (Midas changing all he touched to gold, Alcyone and Ceyx changing to seabirds, Baucis and Philemon changing to trees, and so on).
This theme of change is strongly tied to the reliance of the play upon water. Not only does the water change function throughout Metamorphoses, but water itself is described as "the most protean (lit: diverse or varied) of elements" In transforming her early version of Metamorphoses, Six Myths, into its final form, the most important change was the addition of the pool. According to David Ostling, Zimmerman's scenic designer, "She was looking for the changing ability of water, the instantaneous nature of it, how it could go from still to violent and back to calm."
Zimmerman's Metamorphoses also examines the causes of change in human beings. In other words, what can make a person become something completely different? The most prevalent cause throughout Metamorphoses is love: The rich and powerful Midas becomes a humble pilgrim traveling to the ends of the world out of love for his daughter; Alcyone and Ceyx are transformed into seabirds because of their love for each other; Baucis and Philemon are turned to trees at the moment of their death so that neither must live without the other. At the same time, Metamorphoses warns of what happens when love is ignored. When Erysichthon cuts down a sacred tree, showing that he loves only himself and not the gods, he is transformed into a man consumed by hunger, until he eventually consumes himself. When the beautiful Myrrha scorns the love of her suitors, the goddess Aphrodite curses her to love her father, causing her to sleep with him in disguise. When she is discovered, she flees to the wilderness, where the gods transform her into tears.
The central idea of Metamorphoses can be defined as the changing power of love. Mary Zimmerman herself stated that " makes it easy to enter the heart and to believe in greater change as well... that we all can transform."
Read more about this topic: Metamorphoses (play)
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