Ode to Galatea

Hi there HildegardHope! Ollie here with a review!!

I absolutely love this poem! The story of Pygmalion always did stick out to me from the myths — he agonizes but he does eventually get his happy ending, and I love the way you've characterized him in this piece, as well as the rhyme scheme and rhythm of it.

I'm not very well versed (ha) in poetry, so I'm not sure what constructive criticism I could give. There is a spelling mistake (should be "seen" and not "[...]seem the flaws.")

So, diving right in to what I love about this!
The first line is excellent. "I used to think Orpheus a fool" immediately draws us in, and gives us context for the world and tone we're dealing with in this poem by referencing a very famous tragic love story. It also shows us who Pygmalion is as a person — someone who dismisses the desperate emotions love can make one feel as perhaps childish or irrational — or at least, someone who *used* to do that, as the past tense also shows us. Really solid!!!

Love the reference to Aphrodite hinting at her involvement in the story.

"Why have the muses cursed my eyes?/To all other works despise." is great, because it shows that Galatea, whose gaze Pygmalion longs for, is quite literally a work of art and not a person — the central conflict of the myth.

"I have no Eros, Ludus or Agape./Perhaps Mania is the only word to say" I absolutely love these lines, as they express Pygmalion's frenzied feelings towards Galatea really well, and through the lens of Greek words too! I like emphasizing that this is stressful and not some sort of pure love. It isn't any flavor of love he might be feeling for any ordinary woman, it's desperate and uncomfortable.

"As an artist I've always seem the flaws." "What kind of artist doesn’t love his creation?/I don't believe in self deprecation." More Pygmalion characterization! I love the glimpses you give us into who he is outside of Galatea.

"Could you love, a flawed disgusting organic creature?" I love that the central question here, the one you leave the poem on, is not 'can she ever be real enough to love?' it's 'would she ever love me?' It's so much more interesting from a character perspective, expanding on Pygmalion's disgust for human flaws and scorn for something so emotional as love. He thinks Galatea is perfect, and that he never can be — and how could a perfect being love anything less than perfection?

All in all, excellent poem!! Thank you so much for sharing and I hope this review is helpful!

I really love this piece! I love Greek mythology and the story of Galatea and Pygmalion is so underrated. I love how you begin it with more well known Greek myths, it really provides context for people who might not know this particular story and clearly communicates the complex emotions Pygmalion is feeling.

I am not an expert on this myth but I know the basics, so this might be me rambling over something that is less deep than I am thinking, but I love the idea of Pygmalion almost admitting to resenting the tales of lovers. I am not sure if that is in the myth or not but either way it is really well incorporated in the poem.

I like how you added the "flawed disgusting organic creature" because it dives a little into Pygmalion's depth. It highlights his narcissistic qualities when it comes to his creations and works yet he seems to have no respect for himself. As most Greek myths it is easy to get caught up in the romance and fantastical elements of them but when you actually read through some of the conversations it is so toxic. Pygmalion is really putting Galatea on a pedestal but buddy needs to learn to chill