Abstract

Among the wealth of myths found in Ovid’s Metamorphoses, the tale of Narcissus has particularly attracted the attention of readers over the centuries. Early modern England was not indifferent to the powerful charm of the Ovidian beautiful boy, and the literary reworking of his story necessarily involved translations. After an introduction to the myth of Narcissus and its literary background, my paper will focus on two early modern works concerning Ovid’s Narcissus: the first by T.H., a hitherto unidentified author, and the second by Arthur Golding, translator. I would like to show how these two authors and their publications overcome the medieval moralisations to which the Ovidian story was subjected: by fusing the original Ovidian spirit and Biblical precepts, they offer contemporary readings of the story and make them suitable for a brand-new audience. Christian and classical concepts are now balanced through the typically Renaissance sense of observation, and Narcissus becomes a favourite character through whom to investigate the fashionable concepts of “prideµ and "scornfulness".