Ovid inherited a brutal tradition of Greek gods interacting with helpless mortals. Rape, murder, and revenge are common themes driving the energy of metamorphosis in the poem. Classical, medieval and early modern scholars wrote voluminously on Ovid, reinterpreting the stories to make them Christian. Brooks takes his cue from the state of philosophy in the ancient world, and reinvents Ovid's tales to try to make the gods face questions of conscience.