Ovid's Metamorphoses have been seen to mark the culmination of the classical epic tradition, and a revolutionary transferral of narrative interest from warfare to love and fantasy. This introduction considers how Ovid defined and shaped his narrative, its cultural context, and its vivid depictions of the cruelty of jealous gods, the pathos of human love, and the imaginative fantasy of flight, monsters, magic, and illusion. Elaine Fantham provides a stimulating introduction to this marvelous and complex poem, and to the traditions it drew on and inspired.