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The Aeneid
10Virgil
Virgil's national epic legitimized Rome to itself and gave the Christian Middle Ages its template for poetic seriousness — Dante's chosen guide through hell.
GBM Assessment (Score: 10/10)
Virgil's Aeneid is Rome's national epic and one of the supreme achievements of Western literature, tracing the mythical journey from the fall of Troy to the founding of Rome. It stands alongside Homer's epics as one of the twin pillars of the European epic tradition, and Dante Alighieri honored Virgil by choosing him as his guide through Hell and Purgatory in the Divine Comedy.
Commissioned by Augustus to celebrate Rome's destiny, the Aeneid established Virgil as the dominant literary authority of the medieval period. Dante chose Virgil as his guide through the Inferno and Purgatorio, and the epic inspired operas by Purcell and Berlioz.
Late Roman Republic to Early Empire, c. 55 BC - 19 BC
The Roman Republic collapses: Caesar crosses the Rubicon, is assassinated; Octavian becomes Augustus, first emperor (27 BC). Amid upheaval, Latin literature reaches its zenith. Lucretius writes Epicurean philosophy in verse. Cicero defines Roman political thought. Virgil composes Rome's national epic. Horace perfects the ode.
Awards & Adaptations
Dante's guide. Purcell/Berlioz operas. Core at Princeton/Oxford/St. John's.
Recommended Edition
H.R. Fairclough (Loeb 1916); J. Dryden (1697)
