Although this depiction differs from Ovid’s original story, it helps viewers understand that there is more than one idea about what the pool of Salmacis will do to someone who enters it. In his depiction of the tale of Salmacis and Hermaphroditus, the main aspect of the drawing is the two characters. However, they both appear to be in a mutual agreement of what is happening. However, in Ovid’s story, Hermaphroditus is struggling. In lines 358 to 362, the poem states:
She holds the having been fought, she plucks fighting kisses, throwing up her hands, and touching the unwilling chest, and now surrounding the youth on one side and the other; finally, struggling against the wanting to slip away, she interweaves, as a snake who is held back by the eagle
These actions are not depicted in this visual. In this drawing, Salmacis appears to be peacefully in love with Hermaphroditus, rather than attacking him. Although Hermaphroditus is shown with a more somber expression, this image does not fully capture the climax of the story. This is could be due to another version of the same story. Some believe that the water is not cursed and the original story was incorrect. This idea came from Vitruvius Pollio’s The Ten Books on Architecture, specifically Book II, Chapter VIII, Section 12. Pollio wrote that the waters actually had a very good taste and and were very clear, rather than making someone weak and feminine. His evidence was that when Melas and Arevaniafrom Argos and Troezen founded their colony, they set up shops around the fountain, since it was such an attraction. Then, when the barbarians that came to the shop returned back to their home weaker than before, it was said that they were weakened by the kindness of the civilization. This story was written between 30-15 BC and this significant difference in the effect of the water could be due to a societal believe that women could not rape men. Aside from this difference, the rest of the drawing is accurate to Ovid’s story. The scenery around the two is relatively simple, keeping the viewer's eyes on the pair. There is not as much detail as other images which depict the same tale, so there is less room for confusion about the story itself, unlike in other images with extravagant, detailed backgrounds. So, even though this drawing of the Tale of Hermaphroditus and Salmacis to not entirely accurate to Ovid’s telling of the story, it helps viewers understand that there is a debate about whether the fountain is truly harmful or not.