I agree. Much like the painters who painted them, I think they either didn't care about the "rape", or not even categorise it as such. Rather, they, like Ovid, might have seen it as a funny story of deception...Shakespearean almost.

The male gaze comment reminds me of the lesbian Shunga prints in Japanese erotica. They usually picture women using dildos (penetration) or pleasuring each other near a male in a sort of orgy kinda intercourse. They were of course drawn by male artists.

Thank you for reading my story, Conny!