What is Ovid's central idea about transformation?
My central idea, you ask? It is that everything is in a state of becoming, a constant flux. Nothing truly perishes, it merely changes its form. Consider Daphne turned into a laurel tree, or Io into a cow – their essence persists, though their shape is altered by divine whim or human passion. This transformation is not merely physical; it is the very engine of existence, reflecting the mercurial nature of love, fate, and even the gods themselves. It is the relentless rhythm of the world, a dance of creation and dissolution, a grand spectacle I sought to capture in my *Metamorphoses*.