Pygmalion and Galatea

“A gifted young sculptor of Cyprus named Pygmalion was a woman hater.” The story of Pygmalion and Galatea shows that everyone, no matter what will find love in some way. There are three levels in describing a myth or any story for that matter. The first level is natural. This means the places around you, your world and environment. The second one is social, your community and city. The final level is psychological, or your mental being and what goes on in your mind.

On a physical level Pygmalion symbolizes all that is male. He also represents art and how to be a perfectionist. He vows never to marry. He is a woman hater. He believes art is enough for him. Yet he always sculpts women. He wants to show the other men of the community what the “perfect” woman looks like.


On a social level he makes one of his sculptures absolutely perfect. It was beautiful but he still kept working on it. He worked on it day and night. He could not keep his hand off it. He made it look SO real that he began to believe she was. He named the statue Galatea. When he was finally satisfied with it he would let no man, no woman touch it or even near it. He had made the “perfect” woman. He wanted to show every man what the real woman were not.


On a psychological level he had finally fallen in love, but he could not hold her or kiss her. No matter how hard he tried she would not come to life. He would treat her like a doll; Clothe her, put her to bed, kiss her, and bring her gifts. He went from being a woman hater to a lover of something that could not love him back. Venus felt so bad for him that she made Galatea real.


So the next time you are feeling sorry for yourself, think back to this story. A man who hated woman and vowed never to marry falls in love with a statue that could never love him back. Do not think there is not love out there for you. Just wait because there is.