The Aeneid by Virgil

There is a certain misconception that mentions Romans in the past enjoyed violence in their society. A lot of it was known from books in ancient Rome where the writers would describe their gladiatorial fights and the keeping of slaves. History tells us that it is true that the Romans enjoyed the events of the fights and even today it has become part of our culture to see people fight for entertainment and money but without any weaponry that could kill somebody. These particular types of events it is enjoyed even today. Many of the violence that occurred throughout history have shaped our society to be more civilized and also take these themes into literature even today. We see a lot of it either in movies, TV shows, books even music. This demonstrates how the past has built upon through centuries as we still see stuff in the present. Mostly literature benefited from the common themes of violence and rage as a way to express the author’s idea to the reader. Therefore society in Rome and its violence are one of the few empires which have become what is considered today violent.

The beginning of Roman literature remains an enduring legacy of the culture of ancient Rome. “Some of the earliest extant works are historical epics telling of the early military history of Rome, followed (as the Republic expanded) by poetry, comedies, histories and tragedies.” Much Latin literature was influenced a lot on the traditions of literary tradition of Greece. Virgil’s poetry and stories such as The Aeneid is influence mainly by Homer’s epic story of the Odyssey. Many other authors like Catullus, Horace, Lucan and others follow through the same path while they were coming up with new ideas. From that point on Roman literature started to become more...

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...it before it affects everybody’s lifestyle.

Works Cited

The Classical Origins of Western Cultureby Roger Dunkle Brooklyn College Original Text Copyright © 1986 by Brooklyn College, The City University of New York. All rights reserved. Published 1986.

Drake, H.A. "Intolerance, Religious Violence, And Political Legitimacy In Late Antiquity." Journal Of The American Academy Of Religion 79.1 (2011): 193-235. Academic Search Complete. Web. 28 Apr. 2014.

Russello, Gerald. "Georgics on my mind." New Criterion 23.10 (2005): 89+. Literature Resource Center. Web. 28 Apr. 2014.

Document URL http://go.galegroup.com.ezproxy.gpc.edu/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA133682124&v=2.1&u=clar34424&it=r&p=LitRC&sw=w&asid=9bc985934e495165fa7ab988d5aa74eb Forman, Robert J. "Vergil." Magill’S Survey Of World Literature, Revised Edition (2009): 1-8. Literary Reference Center. Web. 28 Apr. 2014.