Agony and the Ecstasy by Irving Stone
THEME(S) Michelangelo loves marble as much as he does his life and working on the white stone transports him to a state of ecstasy. However, the irony of fate is that he is kept away from the object of his desire and made to experience agony. The agony and ecstasy of an artist is thus the major theme of the novel. ... Ecstasy replaces agony as he chisels the white stone and creates wonders on the marble. Michelangelo’s life as an artist is thus a saga of agony and ecstasy.