By first examining the origins of ecphrasis as a rhetorical trope, as well as its association with simile, the author provides an historical context on which to base a discussion of Ovid's own use of the device. Consideration is given to recent theoretical approaches to the subject, as well as to a selection of ancient texts that may have influenced Ovid's work. After this, a more in-depth examination of relevant passages within the Metamorphoses is undertaken. The author concludes by considering the benefits of an intertextual approach to the material, as well as looking at the extent to...