... while the humans are punished by become the degraded ones. Ovid shows that mankind's ill motivated desire to become gods always ends in tragedy. Phaeton, the son of Phoebus and Clymene destroys himself, his sisters and his lover because of his wish to join take on the role of a god. In his desire to gain proof of his father's godliness and preserve his mother's virtue, Phaeton pleads with his mother for confirmation of his high birth, "I am mortified-ashamed / that I could be insulted in this way- / yet not rebut the charge! So, if in truth / my lineage is heavenly, provide the / proof of my high birth, and justify my claim / to have a father in the sky!" (Book I, 33). Phaeton requests verification of his true identity only because he wants to best his friend, not because he truly believes that he come ...

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