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Pygmalion

Mythology
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

Cypriot sculptor whose love for his ivory statue Galatea led to its animation by Aphrodite, symbolizing art’s power to embody desire.

Detailed Definition
Pygmalion, a Cypriot sculptor, carved a statue so beautiful he fell in love with it; Aphrodite brought it to life as Galatea. His myth explores the artist’s desire, the animation of art, and idealized love. Poets reference Pygmalion to examine creation, illusion, and the boundary between art and life.
Example
Example in poetry:
In Ovid’s "Metamorphoses," Pygmalion sculpts Galatea, who comes to life through Venus’s grace; In William Morris’s “Pygmalion and the Image,” the myth explores artistic creation and desire; In W.B. Yeats’s “Pygmalion’s Image,” the statue symbolizes unattainable feminine perfection; In George Bernard Shaw’s "Pygmalion" (rendered in poetic adaptations), the myth critiques social engineering; In modern feminist poetry, Pygmalion often represents male projection onto silent women; In Carol Ann Duffy’s “Pygmalion’s Bride,” Galatea speaks back, subverting the creator’s control.
Additional Notes
Pygmalion, sculptor who fell in love with his statue Galatea, brought to life by Aphrodite, symbolizes the artist’s desire to animate creation and the blurring of art and life; poets explore the ethics of objectification, the power of love to transform, or the creator’s hubris—Bernard Shaw’s play and its adaptations influence modern poetic treatments of agency and identity.
Also Known As
Sculptor of Love Maker of Galatea Artist Enchanted
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