Respected v. Rejected Episode 2 - Vergil

Virgil, a respected Latin author, was born in 70 BC in a small town. He showed early signs of greatness and studied law and rhetoric. Virgil wrote about his love for nature and the importance of hard work and piety in his poem Georgics, which was highly praised by the Romans. He also wrote the Eclogues, a pastoral poem, and his most famous work, the Aeneid, which tells the story of Aeneas and symbolizes the glory and values of Rome. Virgil's writing style and stories captivated the people, and he is regarded as one of the greatest Latin authors of all time. Hey everybody, and welcome back to Little Latin Lessons for Language Lovers, where I give little lessons on Latin and the cultural impacts of this fascinating language. On today's episode of Respected vs. Rejected Latin Authors, Virgil, I will be discussing who Virgil was, his start in literature, his most famous work, and why he was respected by his peers. Publius Virgilus Morrow was born on October 15, 70 BC. His father was a potter and cattle farmer who wanted pretty much, his only promising child, to have an aristocratic education. Because of living in a small town in his early years and knowing the beauty of his father's farm, Virgil always was partial to the outdoors and loved nature for all his years. Virgil showed early signs of greatness in his early education and went to study law and rhetoric in Opidius's Academy where it is rumored that he met Octavian. It is questioned whether Virgil participated in Caesar's war with Pompey a little later because of some small poems some say that he wrote. Virgil went to study philosophy in 47 BC under Cero. Virgil and his teacher became close and when his teacher died in 42 BC, Virgil inherited his villa. Later, while Virgil was still living there, his father got evicted from his farm and it was given to war veterans. This upset Virgil greatly, even more than the turmoil in Rome while the Republic was slowly turning into an empire. Virgil wrote fondly of a farmer's love for his land several times, such as in his poem The Farmer's Year from his manual Georgics where he writes in Georgics 2, lines 513-522, The farmer cleaves the earth with his curved plow. This is his year-long work. Thus he sustains his homeland, thus his little grandchildren, his herds and trusty bullocks. Never a pause. The seasons teem with fruits. The younger flocks, or sheaves of Carus' corn, they lull the furrows and burst the barns with produce. Then come winter, the olive press is busy. Sleek with acorns, the pigs come home. The arbutus in the woods give berries. Autumn sheds its buried windfalls, and high on sunny terraces of rock the mellow vintage ripens. The Georgics focused on the value of hard work and piety, and the people loved it. This was exactly what the Romans stood for, and the Georgics is appraised as near-perfect Roman poetry. A bit before he wrote this, he wrote his first major work, known commonly as the Eclogues, which was a ten-book pastoral poem. It is quite obvious that this work was intended to be read aloud, and it is reported that Virgil liked reading it to friends and other literary artists. Virgil was heavy on many Roman values, wrote several small poems and books, and touched on his political ideals. However, the work that set him apart from other authors, that my kinesis said to have listened to rough drafts of and helped Virgil edit, and that was his most famous work, is the Aeneid. The rousing story of heroes, villains, love, duty, war, and adventure. This twelve-book epic followed the hero Aeneas, who was sent on an expedition to Italy. In the Aeneid, the precedent in the story is set as follows, in Book One, Lines One through Seven. Arms, and the man I sing, who forced by fate, and haughty Juno's unrelenting hate, expelled and exiled, left the Trojan shore, long labors both by sea and land he bore, and in the doubtful war before he won the Latin realm, and built the destined town, his banished gods restored to right divine, and settled sure succession in his line, from where the race of Alvin fathers come, and the long glories of majestic Rome. Aeneas travels all over, has fortune and misfortune with the Roman gods, has to leave his love ditto, choosing love over duty, fights a bloody battle, and so much more. The Aeneid is more than a story, it is symbolic of Rome itself. The tales of glory, honor, and duty were everything the Romans strived for. His eventual victory and success shows the glory of Rome. The people were encapsulated by Virgil's writing style and stories. He displayed how true Romans were supposed to act, with duty and honor, putting one's country over one's own self. This gentle and nature-loving soul could write tales of battle and adventure like no other. The Aeneid was such a huge hit in Rome, and it forever changed Roman writing and set the standard for Roman authors and epic writers. Virgil is respected as one of the greatest Latin authors of all time. All of his peers and other authors looked up to him, and many authors today look back to him for inspiration. Rome forever cherishes Virgil for his contribution to the people. Thanks for joining me on Little Latin Lessons for Language Lovers, and I hope to see you on the next episode of Respected vs. Rejected Latin Authors.