Metamorphoses (Penguin Classics) presents Ovid’s sensuous and witty poem in an accessible translation by David Raeburn. This classic work brings together a dazzling array of mythological tales ingeniously linked by the theme of transformation—often as a result of love or lust. Men and women find themselves magically changed into new and sometimes extraordinary beings, ranging from creatures of nature to deities. The collection begins with the creation of the world and ends with the deification of Augustus, interweaving many of the best-known myths and legends of ancient Greece and Rome, such as Daedalus and Icarus, Pyramus and Thisbe, Pygmalion, Perseus and Andromeda, and the fall of Troy. Erudite yet light-hearted, dramatic and playful, Metamorphoses has influenced writers and artists throughout the centuries, from Shakespeare and Titian to Picasso and Ted Hughes.

For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With over 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.