The Narcissus Myth in Ovid

The metamorphosis of Narcissus takes place in a secluded, idealized pastoral setting. Yet the scene is strangely arrayed; none of the usual motives of the forest are present. We are simply told that there are no shepherds, flocks, wild birds, or animals. Even the serene placement of the branch fallen into the pond, which can cause the wondrous music of nature, is pointedly missing. Our scene is simple: this clear, cool, shining fountain. Ovid quickly prepares us for the exterior scene which is actually a location in the inner recesses of the psyche; the scene minutely characterizes the type of action which it will contain: aloof, cold, unfulfilling, and ultimately a portrayal of the narcissistic self and its dissolution via a symbolic death and transfiguration.

The boy quickly enters into this exactly prepared space. Once again Ovid describes attitude and character in a few brief phrases. The youth is tired not by the hunt itself, but by his eagerness for it and by the heat. Warmth, languidness, and flesh enter the silvery, cool clearing. Then, in a brilliant use of desires as motivations for action, the immediate need of water to satisfy thirst initiates the deeper, soul-felt need for communication and incorporation. The infatuation builds until it reaches its peak in the wonderful, balanced lines where the youth both marvels and is marveled at, both esteems and is esteemed (424-426). The image in the pond becomes a mirror for self-discovery (418-423), yet the deceptiveness and nonreciprocality both of the self and of the environment cause only a further retreat from reality and emotional maturity. The futile kisses and the hands, which are only wettened in their striving after the other, are poetic metaphors for the regressive, self-indulgent, and masturbatory personality of the youth. The mistake both incites and urges on; the cycle is begun when the primary need for sustenance is fulfilled, but once initiated the narcissistic love and concern for the self becomes