Final answer:
Ovid's criticism was directed at the Augustan government's restrictive laws on social morals and marriage while Augustus ingeniously balanced the preservation of republican values with his authoritarian control.
Step-by-step explanation:
Ovid was highly critical of Augustan government, especially his restrictive laws on social morals and marriage. The government under Augustus shifted from a republic to an authoritarian regime, with moralistic laws and emphasis on republican values, a transition that was accepted by the Roman elite due to their conservative views and respect for the mos maiorum or "way of the ancestors". The elite families and their client networks controlled the government, while equestrians, the business class, supported them in exchange for economic benefits. Although Augustus fostered an image of maintaining republican traditions, his rule was characterized by an increasing centralization of power around his person, which shaped Roman political and social life.