Mary Shelley adapts two Ovidian myths into lyrical verse dramas, focusing on the cyclical nature of loss and the corruption of physical desire. In Proserpine, Ceres searches for her daughter after Pluto abducts her to the underworld. The narrative centers on the intake of pomegranate seeds and the compromise that divides Proserpine’s life between the darkness of Hades and the light of earth. Midas presents the Phrygian king who receives the gift of turning objects into gold, only to find that it prevents him from eating or touching his own child. It concludes with the musical contest between Pan and Apollo.
Classicists and students of Romantic literature read these plays to see how a nineteenth-century novelist refines ancient Greek mythology into nineteenth-century poetic structures. Readers find a version of these myths that prioritizes domestic grief, the sensory experience of the natural world, and the dangers of greed. One walks away with a clear understanding of how Shelley used mythological archetypes to examine human isolation and the psychological impact of sudden, irreversible change.
Balanced in tone; a moderate read.
Best for readers like The Story Seeker. Which reader are you?
- Published
- 1922
- Language
- EN
