In Book II, of Ovid’s Metamorphoses the myth of Callisto and Arcas is explored. Throughout the story, their are many transformations, both kind and cruel. The first such transformation that occurs is when Juno transforms Callisto into a bear, due to her adultery with Jove. However, this adultery in actuality was rape and from this rape Callisto gave birth to her son Arcas. As a bear Callisto was not able to care for her son which caused her extreme pain. Callisto’s transformation is also punishment for Jove as he can no longer be with the beautiful Callisto. Arcas, the son of Callisto, is also punished when his mother is transformed into a bear, as he is unable to be raised by his loving mother. Furthermore, Callisto’s punishment can also be seen as an extension of Lycaon’s punishment because Callisto is his daughter. As wolf, bear, and human, all are destined to live a life of solitude. The second major transformation that occurs in the story, is when Arcas almost kills his mother. When he is about to commit matricide, Jove intervenes and transforms both Arcas and Castillo…show more content… As seen in the story, humans, such as Castillo, Arcas, and Lycaon are merely pawns to the gods whims. When they are needed, they are treasured, but when they are not they can easily be expelled. Although the gods are higher entities than humans, the gods when interacting with humans have little moral authority. Though Castillo is raped, Juno punishes her rather than her husband, and when Castillo is about to be killed by her son, Jove transforms both into constellations, to taunt Juno. Furthermore, although the gods believe themselves to be divine, the gods are susceptible to human emotions, such as love, lust, and jealousy. This illustrates both the interconnectedness between humans and gods, and the fact that even gods may not have what they
