THE

ROMAN / LATIN
LITERATURE
Roman literature, written in the Latin language, 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,
poetry, comedies, histories and tragedies.
LATIN was the language of the
ancient Romans. It is a lasting legacy
of their cultural dominance over the
western world.

Latin was also the lingua franca of

Europe throughout the Middle Ages
Latin literature includes the essays,
histories, poems, plays (comedy ,
tragedy satire), and other writings
recorded and preserved in
the Latin language.
Roman literature was in many ways a
continuation of Greek literature,
using many of the same forms.
Greek literature was translated into
Latin.
 EPIC POETRY
Literate societies have often copied the epic format, and the earliest
known European example is Virgil's Aeneid, which follows both the
style and subject matter of Homer.

LYRIC POETRY
EPIGRAM
•A common form of Roman Lyric poetry .
•It is a short poem with a clever twist at the end or a concise and
witty statement. They are among the best examples of the power of
poetry to impress insight and wit.
•Roman epigrams were more often satirical than Greek ones, and
at times used obscene language for effect.
•The master of the Latin epigram is Martial. His technique relies
heavily on the satirical poem with a joke in the last line, thus
drawing him closer to the modern idea of epigram as a genre.
Roman literature had a “moral” to the stories. They
were intended to instruct about right action or warn
against foolishness, often the dangers of angering the
gods.

Epigrams were a popular form of Roman literature,

not just written by recognized philosophers, but by
educated amateurs. These were witty sayings intended
to express some kind of moral or logical truth,
 KNOWN ROMAN AUTHORS

1. CATULLUS - lyric and elegiac poet, 100-1 BC

2. VIRGIL - epic and didactic poet, 100-1 BC
3. HORACE -  lyric poet and satirist, 100 BCE
4. OVID - didactic and elegiac poet, 100 BCE - 100 CE
5.SENECA THE YOUNGER - tragic playwright
and satirist, 1-100 CE
6. LUCAN - epic poet, 1-100 CE
7. JUVENAL - satirist, 1-200 CE
8. PLINY THE YOUNGER - correspondent, 1-200 CE
 
 VIRGIL
P. Vergilius Maro

Virgil published his pastoral the Georgics, perhaps the most

beautiful poem ever written about country life; and
the Aeneid, the adventure of Aenas,an epic poem
describing the events that led to the creation of Rome.
Aenid follows both the style and subject matter of Homer.
Virgil told how the Trojan hero Aeneas became the ancestor
of the Roman people.

Virgil also provided divine justification for Roman rule over

the world. Although Virgil died before he could put the
finishing touches on his poem, it was soon recognized as
the greatest work of Latin literature.
 HORACE
Q. HORATIUS FLACCUS

Horace was Rome's leading poet after Virgil died.

He wrote Epodes, Odes, Satires, and Epistles. The

perfection of the Odes in content, form, and style has
charmed readers for hundreds of years. The Satires and
Epistles discuss ethical and literary problems in an urbane,
witty manner.

Horace’s Art of Poetry, greatly influenced later poetic

theories. It stated the basic rules of classical writing as the
Romans understood and used them.

Famous for The Odes of Horace, the Satires of Horace and

The Epistles of Horace are the most original form of Roman
verse.
 OVID
P. OVIDIUS NASO

Most of his poetry is concerned with love. Ovid was a witty

writer who excelled in creating lively and passionate
characters .

Metamorphoses  is Ovid's greatest work . It weaves various

myths into a fast-paced, fascinating story.

The best-known source of Roman mythology throughout

the Middle Ages and the Renaissance.

It inspired many poets, painters, and composers.

A variety of literary forms was evident during the Silver Age:
1. Satire
- in virulent satires of rich and powerful figures by Juvenal;
- poetic satires supporting the stoic philosophy by Persius
2. Epigrams
-elegant epigrams on contemporary society by Martial
-Lucan wrote the Pharsalia (about AD 60), an epic poem describing
the civil war between Caesar and Pompey.
3. Annals

-Pliny the Elder and the Younger wrote letters on biography,

science, natural history, grammar, history, and contemporary
-Tacitus, the historian painted an unforgettably dark picture
of the early empire in his Histories and Annals, both written
in the early 100s.
4. Picaresque Novel
-Satyricon by Petronius – the first Latin novel that describes
the adventures of various low-class characters in absurd,
extravagant, and dangerous situations, often in the world of
petty crime.
5. Anecdotes and Reports
- Aulus Gellius wrote one of the important works from the AD
100s, the Attic Nights, a collection of anecdotes and reports
of literary discussions among his friends;

An Epigram is a short poem with a clever twist at the end or

a concise and witty statement. They are among the best
examples of the power of poetry to compress insight and
wit
A Picaresque novel is a form of prose fiction that humorously
describes the adventures of a roguish or low-class character.

Annals contains an account on the principal events in

Roman history arranged under their respective years
Latin literature includes not only Roman authors
like Cicero, Virgil, Ovid, and Lucretius, but also
includes European writers after the fall of the
Empire from religious writers like St.
Augustine (354–430 AD), to secular writers
like Francis Bacon (1561-1626) and Spinoza
(1632–1677).
 HISTORY ROMAN LITERATURE
THREE PERIODS:
1. EARLY LATIN LITERATURE

2. THE GOLDEN AGE

2.1. The Age of Cicero
2.2. The Augustan Age

3. THE IMPERIAL PERIOD

Roman literature began after the conquest of
the Greek cities in Southern Italy, shortly
before the First Punic War .

It began with the Dramatic poetry where

dramatic exhibitions were first introduced at
Rome from Etruria in 363 BC. But it were only
pantomimic scenes to the music of the flute,
without any song or dialogue. It was not till
240 BC that a drama with a regular plot was
performed at Rome
 During the reign of Augustus many
commentators proclaimed the arrival of a new
Golden Age as Romans returned to traditional
values. Writers and artists from all parts of Italy
came to Rome, where generous patronage helped
to encourage extraordinary achievements. The
Augustan peace and the prosperity that
accompanied it brought about the revival of
patriotic literature that hailed the triumphs of
Rome, its people, and its new leader.
 Early Latin literature
The Golden Age of Roman Drama
240 BC - 100 BC
Formal Latin literature began in 240 BC, when a
Roman audience Livius Andronicus saw a Latin
version of a Greek play.

Livius Andronicus was regarded as first Roman

poet, a Greek who had been brought to Rome as
a prisoner of war in 272 BC. translated Homer's
Greek epic the Odyssey into an old type of Latin
verse called Saturnian.
 THE GOLDEN AGE OF ROMAN DRAMA

• The Golden Age of Roman Drama

dates to B.C. 240 when Livius
Andronicus - Titus Livy - adapted a
Greek comedy and tragedy for
performance on a Roman stage.

•This was not only the beginning of

Greek drama in Rome, but of formal
Latin literature.
This coincides with the end of the
first Punic War (264-241) which is
relevant because with the Punic War,
Romans came into contact with the
Greeks of Southern Italy and Sicily.

Instead of being concerned entirely

with mastering their physical world,
the Romans were now becoming a
world power.
 The Roman Dramatist
GNAEUS NAEVIUS (264-194 BC)

• a dramatist and the first Latin epic poet to write on a

Roman theme during the 200s BC.

• Second Roman poet to wrote epic poem on the Punic

Wars titled, Bellum Punicum.
•His epic combined the representation of actual history with
a mythical background, a Roman type of epic poetry.

•It treats the mythical adventures of Aeneas in Sicily,

Carthage and Italy. The poem was one continuous work, but
was divided into seven books by a grammarian of a later age.
• Gneaus Naevius was also known as original
comedy writer.
• He also produced two specimens of fabula
praetexta (national drama)
1. Lupus or Alimonium Romuli et Remi
(The childhood of Romulus and Remus)
2. Clastidium, which celebrated the victory of
Marcus Claudius Marcellus over the Celts
• He also created tragedies based on Roman myths
and history. Among these are Aegisthus,
Lycurgus, Andromache or Hector Proficiscens, Equus
Trojanus, the last named being performed at the
opening of Pompey's theatre (55)
 Historical Epic Writers
A. QUINTUS ENNIUS

• He wrote a historical epic, the Annals (soon after 200

BC), describing Roman history from the founding of
Rome to his own time.
• He adopted Greek dactylic hexameter, which became
the standard verse form for Roman epics but later
replaced it with Saturnian Latin meter.
• He wrote the poem called Saturae.
• Also wrote Ambracia which were written in
commemoration of great military successes.
B. MARCUS PACUVIUS

• The greatest tragic writer of ancient Rome, the nephew

of Ennius.
• Among his plays founded on Greek subjects are
Antiope, Teucer, Armorum Judicium, Dulorestes,
Chryses, Niptra, most of them on subjects connected with
the Trojan cycle,

C. LUCIUS ACCIUS
• His tragic plays were free translations from Greek, his
favorite subjects being the legends of the Trojan war and
the house of Pelops.
• He wrote Didascalicon and Pragmaticon libri, treatises in
verse on the history of Greek-Roman epic and dramatic
poetry.
 Early Latin Comedy
Plautus wrote (20 complete plays) and Terence wrote (6 plays).
 These men modeled their comedies on Greek plays known as
New Comedy. But they treated the plots and wording of the
originals freely.

T. MACCIUS PLAUTUS [254-184 BC) scattered songs through

his plays and increased the humor with puns (clever remark)
and wisecracks, plus comic actions by the actors.

P. TERENTIUS AFER (usually called Terence) plays were more

polite in tone, dealing with domestic situations. His works
provided the chief inspiration for French and English comedies of
the 1600s, and even for modern American comedy.
 PROSE
M. PORTIUS CATO or known as Cato the Elder
• First prose writer of early Latin period.
• Wrote On Agriculture (160 BC)
• Wrote the first Latin history of Rome, Origines and
other Italian cities.
• The first Roman statesman to write his speeches as
a means of influencing public opinion.
GAIUS LUCILIUS

• Early Latin literature ended with Gaius Lucilius 

who created a new kind of poetry in his 30 books
of Satires (100s BC).

•He wrote in an easy, conversational tone about

books, food, friends, and current events.
 THE GOLDEN AGE (Classical Latin)
81 BC – AD 17
• This period began with the first known speech of Cicero and
ended with the death of Ovid.

The Age of Cicero (80 BC – 43 BC)

• Cicero has traditionally been considered the master of Latin prose.
• The writing he produced from about 80 BC until his death in 43 BC
exceeds that of any Latin author whose work survives in terms of
quantity and variety of genre and subject matter, as well as
possessing unsurpassed stylistic excellence.
• Cicero's many works can be divided into four groups:
1. Letters 3. Orations
2. Rhetorical Treatises 4. Philosophical Works
Two Outstanding Historical Writers of this Period

1. Julius Caesar wrote commentaries on the

Gallic and civil wars in a straightforward style to
justify his actions as a general.

2. Sallust adopted an abrupt, pointed style in his

historical works. He wrote brilliant descriptions of
people and their motives.
The Silver Age In Latin Literature
(AD 18-200)
Also known as the Imperial Period
Roman authors emphasized style and tried new ways of
expression
The Silver Age of Roman Literature was an era during the rule
of Nero which finally proved that Romans could excel in
literature without the help of their Greek neighbors.

Under Caligula and Nero, speech making was a dangerous

art, and rhetoricians turned to literature, influencing the
development of the elaborate and poetical style
characteristic of Silver Age prose.