“I Sing of Warfare and a Man of War” “My soul would sing of Metamorphoses...

Unit 3, Lecture 2: The Epic Contrasts of Virgil and Ovid

Historical Background I: (Long View) From Athenian Decline to Hellenistic Empire –Peloponnesian war ( BC) means end of Athenian dominance in Greece –Expansive ambitions of Phillip of Macedonia ( ) and his son Alexander the great ( ) replace independent Greek city states with a “Hellenistic empire” in 4 th century BC –This empire was dedicated to spreading Greek culture and language as well as political conquest –After Alexander, empire fell into states fragmented politically but united culturally –Ultimately absorbed by expanding Roman empire

Historical Background (2) Origins and Nature of Roman Republic Roman origins –Legendary beginnings of “city on the seveh hills” –Etruscan dominance ( ) –Overthrow of Tarquinius the Pround and establishment of the republic Roman government –Republican form of government distributed ower among... Consuls Senate (selected from “patrician” or aristocratic families Tribunes (representatives of the {“plebians’ before Consuls and Senate Roman character (“to play a Roman’s [not] a lover’s part”) Devotion to state Devotion to family and household gods. Defined by “citizenship”

Background (3): From Republic to Empire External expansion –3 Punic wars to conquer Carthage ( BC) –Wars to South and East conquering Greece, Eygpt, and Middle East –Wars to North and west conquered most of Europe and British Isles Internal changes –Julius Caesar and nephew Octavian lead change from republican to “imperial” government –Octavian (Caesar Augustus”) creates autocracy and stabilizes empire

Virgil (70-19 B.C.) His career –Educated “farm boy” from Mantua –Lived during transition from republic to empire –His “Eclogues” and :”Georgics” (poetic discussion of farming techniques!) established fame –Augustus commissioned an epic to glorify Rome His contradictory character The man who most eloquently sung the majesty and destiny of Rome would never show the hard masculinity of the Roman stock, but would touch... Strings of mysticism, tenderness and grace rare in the Roman breed. (Will Durant, Caesar and Christ, 235)

Virgil’s Serious Epic Two types of epic –“Primary” Epic “The primary epic simply wants a heroic story and cares nothing about great national subject” (Lewis: A reface to Paradise Lost 29). –“Secondary” Epic (a “great subject” as well as a great hero) Virgil’s great subject: founding of Rome as decreed by gods –A Roman founding myth to rival that of Greeks –Material: shadowy stories of a Trojan hero rescued to found a “new” Troy –Modeled upon the Homeric Epics First six books are Aeneas’s Odyssey; last six are his Iliad. Differences: –Historical destiny is foremost unliike Homer –Events in the story have either a predictive or symbolic correspondence to historical developments (i.e., Dido’s curse foreshadowing wars between Rome and Carthage)

Ovid (43 B.C.-17 A.D.), the “anti- Virgil” His career –Born in pleasant valley of Apennines –Abandoned law carer for intensely eortic and popular poetry such as Amores (14 B.C.) and Ars Amatoria (2 B.C>) –His greatest work is the fast-moving, gracefully written Metamorphoses (“Transformations”) (A.D.7) –Banished and works banned, A.D. 8) His character –“Light of heart and head” (Durant 253) –Dedicated to Venus, not Mars

Ovid’s “Naughty” Epic Characteristics of Metamorphosis –“”Epic” only in sense it recites a series of mythological “transformations” from world’s beginning down through history –Polished story-telling –Witty and psychologically penetrating –Constant change of narrative perspective and technique Contrasts with Virgil –“Unofficial” narration of entertaining misdeeds instead of “official” upholding of public virtue –Great fluidity vs. fixed historical purpose –Undermining rather than exaltation of authority.