The Tale of Pygmalion and Galatea

Author: Edith Hamilton

Project by: Juliet Ferrell

Project due: April 25, 2009

Characters

Pygmalion- the main characterGalatea- the lover

Venus- Goddess of Passionate Love

Background Knowledge

The myth was told by Ovid, and is described as one of his best examples of a “dressed up” myth.

Pygmalion was a very skilled artist who hated women so much he vowed never to

marry. He was passionate for art, which led him to make a sculpture of a women who

was ideally “perfect”

As soon as she became completely flawless, Pygmalion

found himself falling passionately in love with her. He tried to love her as if she were a real human, but she was inanimate and couldn’t

respond to his acts of compassion. Pygmalion was so sad that he went to an alter of Venus, the Goddess

of Passionate Love.

Venus had helped many sad lovers, but Pygmalion was the

first of his type of lover. Pygmalion prayed to Venus and asked to have a wife who was as perfect as his statue, but

Venus knew just what he wanted.

The flame at the alter of Venus that Pygmalion was at

jumped three times the original height, and

Pygmalion thanked Venus because he knew that his

prayer had been answered.

When Pygmalion went home, When Pygmalion went home, he caressed and loved on his he caressed and loved on his

“statue”, and to his surprise, she “statue”, and to his surprise, she did the same to him. He named did the same to him. He named his love Galatea and they had a his love Galatea and they had a child named Paphos, in honor of child named Paphos, in honor of

Venus’s favorite city. Venus’s favorite city.

Pygmalion and Galatea

Venus the Goddess of Passionate Love

The City Paphos, the city Pygmalion’s son was named after

Any questions?Any questions?