Edmund Spenser's posthumously published Mutabilitie Cantos from The Faerie Queen pays homage to many of the mythological figures who play key roles in Ovid's classical poetry. As William Cummings pointed out in his article “The Influence of Ovid's Metamorphoses on Spenser's Mutabilitie Cantos,” Ovid was crucial in the development of the mythological characters that Spenser used to shape his epic poem; “In summarizing the literary influence exercised by Ovid on Mutabilitie, it is evident, therefore, that Spenser was indebted to him not only for much of his pictorial style and pomp in both cantos, but also for most of the illustrations provided from Mutabilitie. in his defense. Spenser displays an extraordinarily thorough knowledge of these two passages in the Metamorphoses” (Cumming 249). Acting as an epilogue to The Faerie Queen, Spenser's Mutabilitie Cantos borrows Ovid's theme of transformation in the Metamorphosis to create the changing world depicted in his poem. Spenser used The Mutabilitie Cantos to illustrate his inspiration for his epic poem in true Ovidian style, allowing the gods to discuss the great work of the great poet, Edmund Spenser; “After he had rested a little, Joue thus spake; / Will mortal thoughts never cease to aspire, / In this bold way, to Heaven will they pretend to do, / And to touch the celestial seats with earthly mud? (Spenser 4-5). Spenser not only took it upon himself to create one of the greatest mythological epics, but he did so in a way that feels as if Ovid himself had written these lines. Spenser went beyond the role of the typical neoclassical poet by demonstrating his ability not only to imitate Ovid's myths, but to be able to imitate Ovid's poetic language and authorial tone. Christo...... middle of paper...... Saylor.org. The Saylor Foundation, 2014. Web. 02 June 2014. Milton, John. “Elegy I”. Complete poems and major prose. (Odyssey Press, 1957). Ed. Merritt Yerkes. Hughes. Indianapolis: Hackett Publ., 2003. 7-10. Print.Ovid, Publius. Metamorphosis. Trans. David Raeburn. London: Penguin, 2004. Print.---. Ovid. Erotic poems. Ed. Pietro Verde. Harmondsworth, Middlesex, England: Penguin, 1982. Print.Roberts, Jeanne Addison. “Anxiety and Influence: Milton, Ovid, and Shakespeare.” SouthAtlantic Review 53.2 (1988): 59-75. JSTOR. Network. 05 June 2014.Shakespeare, William. Venus and Adonis. Raleigh, NC: Alex Catalog, eBook Collection (EBSCOhost). Network. 03 June 2014.Spenser, Edmund. "The Songs of Mutability, from the Fairy Queen." (1609): n. page Montclair State University. MSU, 2014. Web. 01 June 2014. .