Includes poems: Epode 9, Ode 1.37, Ode 3.6, Ode 3.14, Ode 4.4, Ode 4.15 and Carmen Saeculare. This notes include the main message of the poems, quotes, themes, anti/pro Augustan and key quotes.
Key background info about Horace. Why is it so important?
Fought against Octavian at the battle of Philippi, Octavian later spared him.
Poem Main messages Main themes Pro-Augustus (give examples Anti-Augustus? Key quotes (pick 2 or 3)
please)
Epode 9 - Celebrates the victory at the - Actium - Augustus has brought ‘As is jove’s pleasure shall I
battle of Actium. - Imperator peace to the empire delight’- Octavian has the
A Toast - Poem addressed to Maecenas’ - Otium through war and now support of the gods in this war,
to (Horaces’ patron) house in - Pax everyone is in Otium. adding to his presentation as
Actium anticipation of the triumph. - Mos Maiorum - He makes sure the war an imperator.
- Antony is depicted as an un- - Pax Deorum is seen to be against a
30 BC Roman leader who married a foreign country, not ‘In the war with Jugurtha you
straight shameful foreign woman. Antony that would be a never returned such a general
after - He has been defeated by a civil war. to us’- Introduces the concept
Actium leader greater than Marius and of mos Maiorum and that
the Scripios. people should aim to be like
- Why delay the triumph and the great ancestors of Rome.
celebrate. It also reinforces the idea that
Octavian is the best general
there has been so far.
Ode 1.37 - Poem about Cleopatra written 7 - Actium - Horace stresses that ‘Now’s the time to beat the
years after Actium. - Otium Augustus has defeated earth with unfettered feet’-
Cleopatr - The poem talks of how it would - Pax Augusta a strong enemy. Adds to Implies that Octavian and his
a be wrong to drink and feast - Imperator his presentation as an people were once slaves with
while the empire is under attack imperator. chains around their feet. They
23 BC and threat by a foreign force. - Augustus has managed have now been liberated by
- Complex portrayal of Cleopatra; to bring peace to the this tyrannical force due to
shown to be a tyrannical queen empire through war- it Augustus and are able to
yet weak but a strong was necessary. enjoy Otium.
opponent.
- Never directly mentions ‘With her crowd of deeply-
Cleopatra’ name and does not corrupted creatures sick with
talk of Antony. turpitude’- Portrays Cleopatra
as an uncivilised barbarian as
, well as her people that she
has likewise corrupted. This
reinforces how great of a
leader Octavian is as he has
been able to defeat a
‘maddened queen’.
‘As the sparrow- hawk follows
the gentle dove’- Compares
Octavian to Cleopatra through
the smilie. Depicts her in a
gentle way to possibly enforce
that she is a woman who is
unsuccessful at heart and has
womanish fear. Octavian is
shown to be a ‘sparrow- hawk’
and shows him as brave and
mighty.
‘But she, intending to perish
more nobly, showed no sign of
womanish fear at the sword’-
Now Horace portrays
Cleopatra as brave and valiant
in her death that typically a
woman would have ‘womanish
fear’ at such things. This is to
enforce Octavian's skill as an
Imperator.
Ode 3.6 - A poem about the moral laxity - Moral decline - Octavian is aware of the The situation of ‘Neglected gods have made
as the cause of Rome’s failings. - Need for a moral laxity of the Rome is shown many sad woes for Italy’-
Moral - Sexual morals were seen to be religious empire and is keen to through its loose Neglecting the gods in Rome
sexual morals and
Decaden in decline and there was more leader. change things. Shown has led to disaster and
highlights the
ce adultery- Leges Juliae passed - Need for a through the Leges immoral nature of
destruction for the empire. We
for this in 18 BC. Pater Patriae Juliae. the people. should honour the gods
23 BC - Romans pay the price of their properly and they will honour
ancestors for neglecting the Shame is brought us back - reciprocal
gods and religion. upon the empire relationship.
- The heroes of the old were through adultery
better and brought pride to the and does not depict ‘Our age, fertile in its
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