De natura deorum

Book XIII of Ovid's Metamorphoses presents a wide variety of brilliant episodes, from the rhetorically charged contest between Ulysses and Ajax over the arms of Achilles, to the tragic tale of Hecuba and her gruesome revenge, to the amusing story of Polyphemus' unrequited love for Galatea and its bloody conclusion. This edition discusses in detail Ovid's treatment of his sources and sets out the ways in which he has adapted earlier literature as material for his novel work. Guidance is offered on points of language and style, and the Introduction treats in general terms the themes of metamorphosis and the structure of the poem as a whole.