Imperial Image: Horace

Cleopatra- when was it written?

23BC

Cleopatra- how does he describe her?

"a maddened queen was still plotting the Capitol's and the empire's ruin"- puts all of the blame of the civil war on Cleopatra/ doesn't even mention Antony feeding into the Augustan propaganda of the late 30s BC that she was the real threat/ presents her as potentially plotting to be queen of Rome, supported by the donations of Alexandria

Cleopatra- how does he describe Egyptian gods?

"deeply corrupted creatures sick with turpitude"- has a very xenophobic view of other nations beliefs and practices/ would see any other religion as false and unnatural/ emphasising her foreignness makes her even more frightening and difficult to understand

Cleopatra- what simile does he use to describe her?

"the sparrow-hawk follows the gentle dove"- contrasts description of her as a monster before/ complex image as the dove is a symbol of peace/ power imbalance shows how she never stood a chance/ attempts to portray Octavian as a mighty hunter

Cleopatra- how is her bravery described?

"no sign of womanish fear at the sword"- he admires her as she "intended to perish nobly" suggesting that he believes she should be admired but also feared/ it would be seen unnatural in Rome seeing her as an unknown quantity and potentially dangerous/ he emphasises her death on her own terms rather than being paraded during Octavian's triumph as he admires her even though she threatened Rome

A Toast to Actium- when was it written?

30BC

A Toast to Actium- who does Horace address the poem to?

Maecenas who was his patron and funded the careers of many other Augustan poets and artists.

A Toast to Actium- who's "pleasure" will Horace "delight in"?

"Jove's pleasure, shall i delight"- nickname of Jupiter/ shows how Octavian had divine backing in Actium/ even the gods are celebrating his victory

A Toast to Actium- what does Horace say he is celebrating?

"Caesar's triumph"- there is no mention of Agrippa who was the mastermind behind Octavian's victory/ Horace paints Octavian as the sole influential military commander

A Toast to Actium- what does Horace criticize Sextus Pompeius for?

"those faithless slaves, his friends"- his fighting force consisted of a large number of slaves/ he is painting him in a bad light, causing a potential slave uprising, in order to justify Octavian's action against him

A Toast to Actium- how does Horace refer to Antony?

"A Roman"- he does not name Antony as he wants to frame Actium as a conflict against the foreign Cleopatra and not a civil war, feeding into the Augustan propaganda of 'spinning Actium'/ he is painting Antony as the victim of Cleopatra and evil foreign practices, and by not naming him is creating the fear that this could happen to any Roman citizen

A Toast to Actium- what does Horace compare Octavian's victory at Actium to?

"In the war against Jugurtha you never returned such a general to us, Nor was Africanus, whose courage made a tomb For himself of Carthage, such."- Horace is comparing Octavian's victory at Actium to those of Marius and Sulla in the Jugurthine War and the victory of Scipio Africanus over Carthage/ he is massively overplaying the importance of Actium

A Toast to Actium- at the end of the poem what does Horace say to delight in?

"banishing fear and anxiety"- he is presenting Actium as the end of Rome's troubles/ aa time for peace and posterity

When did Horace write Moral Decadence?

23BC

In Moral Decadence, what does Horace say has made woes for Italy?

"Neglected gods have made many woes for sad Italy"- it is a neglection of religion that has brought times of war and civil disturbance upon Rome/ Augustus is therefore presented as restoring Rome's peace by bringing a focus back to religion

In Moral Decadence, how does Horace display the way in which the gods have been disrespected?

"the tumbling shrines of the gods, and their images, soiled with black smoke."- this highlights the religious duty to preserve the temples and clean them/ this has been neglected during the civil war

In Moral Decadence, what military failures does Horace say have been caused by this neglection of religion?

"Already Parthians... have crushed our inauspicious assaults"- it is due to a neglection of the gods that military campaigns such as Crassus in Parthia have failed, leading to the loss of military standards and Roman treasure

In Moral Decadence, how does Horace blame immoral behavior on disaster in Rome?

"Our age... has defiled the marriage bed, our offspring and homes: disaster's stream has flowed from this source"- disaster in Rome such as the Civil War has also come about from a abandonment of traditional moral values/ the only way to restore order is to crack down on moral behavior- paints Augustus' 'leges iuliae' of 18-17BC in a good light

In Moral Decadence, how does Horace display how immoral behavior is effecting the youth?

"The young girl early takes delight in learning Greek dances... and soon meditates sinful affairs"- it is a deviation from traditional Roman practices that has led to immoral behavior/ children should be kept in check and seen to be following traditional behavior in order to prevent immorality

In Moral Decadence, what example does Horace give in contrast to the current immoral behavior?

"The young men who stained the Punic Sea with blood they were not born of such parentage"- suggests that Rome has lost its way/ previous generations were loyal to the city and its traditional values and practices/ great military victories of the past such as the Punic Wars against Carthage came at a time of rigid moral standards

In Moral Decadence, what direction does Horace say moral behavior is heading in Rome?

"Worse than our grandparents' generation, our parents' then produced us, even worse, and soon to bear still more sinful children"- Rome is in a state of moral decline/ this must be halted and reversed in order to restore traditional moral values/ this in turn will lead to more victories and success for Rome

When and in what context did Horace write the poem Augustus Returns?

It was written around 23BC following Augustus' military campaigns in Spain and Gaul.

In Augustus Returns, what hero does Horace compare Augustus to?

"like Hercules, now was said to be seeking that laurel"- he is comparing Augustus to one of the greatest heroes in mythology, known for his strength and skill as a fighter/ he is seeking to flatter Augustus/ it portrays Augustus as wanting and deserving of military celebrations for his successful campaigns

In Augustus Returns, what does Augustus say about Livia?

"May his wife rejoice in a matchless husband, having sacrificed to true gods"- she has been given such a matchless husband, for her devotion to the gods- something for other Roman women to aspire to/ it also highlights how the women of the Augustan household were expected to look after religious practices in his absence

In Augustus Returns, what does Horace say about how he is feeling in the current political climate?

"I'll not fear civil war, nor sudden death by violence, while Caesar has command of the earth."- Augustus has brought peace upon Rome, and its citizens no longer fear internal conflict/ he has unmatched power/ peace is dependent on him, therefore he and the imperial family must stay in power to ensure stability

When and in what context did Horace write Drusus and the Claudians?

It was written in 13BC following the successes of Livia's two sons Drusus and Tiberius during military campaigns in Germany around 15-14BC.

In Drusus and the Claudians, what does Horace make reference to in the opening line?

"the winged agent of the bright lightning-bolt"- the eagle/ the symbol of Jupiter/ Jupiter disguises himself as an eagle to take Ganymede

In Drusus and the Claudians, what metaphor does Horace use to praise Drusus?

"fresh to his labors, out from the nest"- praising him for his bravery and service to Rome despite his young age

In Drusus and the Claudians, what metaphor does Horace use that slightly criticizes Drusus?

"sweeping down on the sheepfold, and love of spoils, and the fight... like a lion-cub newly weaned from rich milk"- his youth is highlighted by comparison to young animals, but these are apex predators- highlights how he will grow to be a great leader, or even deadly/ he is slightly critical of his over-love for spoils and war/ perhaps Horace is warning that he is slightly cocky and inexperienced- they are not yet ready to take over from Augustus/ maybe it is their upbringing in the imperial household and having Augustus as their adopted father, which has caused this cockiness/ it is under Augustus' protection that he is able to exercise military power

In Drusus and the Claudians, what explanation does Horace give for Drusus' military success?

"By the brave and good, are the brave created", "the ferocious golden eagles don't produce shy doves"- bloodlines' of the brave are destined to be brave also- this is evident within the imperial household/ anyone raised in the imperial household will reflect the virtues of Augustus/ all of the praise Horace is giving to Drusus therefore also reflects back onto Augustus/ Drusus and Tiberius do themselves come from the Claudian dynasty so have brave blood already, such as Gaius Claudius Nero who defeated Hasdrubal, Hannibal's brother/ once again compared to the eagle, a symbol of Jupiter

In Drusus and the Claudians, how does Horace get past the point of Drusus and Tiberius not being Augustus' biological sons?

"education improves inborn qualities, and its proper cultivation strengthens the mind"- it is not a biological link that caused the success of Drusus and Tiberius' successes, but having Augustus as a role model and father figure/ this is in parallel to Augustus as the adopted son of Julius Caesar

In Drusus and the Claudians, who does Horace speak through and what do they say?

Horace speaks through the voice of Hannibal who is praising the Romans who are unstoppable like "The Hydra" and he also praises the Nero family saying "there's nothing that Claudian power can't achieve".

When and in what context did Horace write To Augustus?

It was written in 13BC to celebrate the peace and prosperity that Augustus had brought to Rome.

In To Augustus, who 'condemned' Horace's verse?

"Phoebus condemned my verse, when I tried to sing of war and conquered cities"- you are no longer, by divine decree, able to talk of war- now that peace has been restored to Rome by Augustus

In To Augustus, what references does Horace make to peace and prosperity?

"this age has restored rich crops to the fields"- this is a time for plenty, no more famine/ "closed the gates of Janus' temple"- as referenced in the res Gestae/ symbolizes the restoration of peace to Rome

In To Augustus, what reference does Horace make to the Parthian standards?

"brought back the standards, at last, to Jupiter... from those insolent Parthian pillars"- has been very successful militarily/ has been able to do what other have not- a superior leader

In To Augustus, how does Horace present the successes of Augustus' policies?

"freed at last from all war"- highlights the success of Augustus' frontier policy which aimed to create a buffer-zone around Italy to protect from foreign invasion/ "... and tightened the rein on lawlessness"- praises the leges Iuliae in which Augustus aimed to restore morality to Rome

In To Augustus, how does Horace present Augustus as having restored Roman tradition?

"summoned the ancient arts again, by which the name of Rome and Italian power grew great"- he has restored traditional cultural and religious practices, such as the Saecular games of 17BC/ he has brought a return to the mos maiorum which was followed in previous times of Rome's great power- a significant factor in success

In To Augustus, who does Augustus say they will pray to at the end of the poem?

"we'll sing of Troy, Anchises, and the people of Venus"- he is praising the ancestors of Augustus, who he has divine protection from, which he has brought on Rome- they are the reason for his success/ they are also the founders of Rome and must be worshipped for continued success

When and in what context did Horace write Carmen Saeculare?

It was written in 17BC to be performed at the Saecular games by 27 maidens and 27 young boys dressed all in white.

In Carmen Saeculare, what god does Horace continuously address and make reference to?

He makes constant reference to Apollo, the god that Augustus wishes to align himself most closely to, as displayed by the recently completed temple to Apollo on the Palatine, adjacent to Augustus' house.

In Carmen Saeculare, what is the significance of Horace's reference to the goddess Ilithyia?

She is the goddess of childbirth and midwifery which links to images presented in the Ara Pacis of plenty and fertility. It also links in with Augustus' leges Iuliae.

In Carmen Saeculare, what does Horace paint as the significance of the Saecular games?

"the fixed cycle of years, ten times eleven, will bring back the singing again, bring back the games"- a saeculum is meant to be the oldest age a person can live, and marks the period of a totally knew generation/ by holding these Saecular games, Augustus is sticking to Roman tradition, and providing the people with entertainment

In Carmen Saeculare, what reference to Troy and Aeneas does Horace make?

"If Rome is your doing, and if from far Ilium came that band of people who reached the Tuscan shore"- references Troy and Aeneas for the foundation of Rome- both Virgil and Horace agree on praising Aeneas rather than Romulus as Rome's founder/ this was probably to please Augustus, the supposed ancestor of Aeneas, and also because Romulus' succession of power came at a cost of civil violence/ their aligned views could be due to their shared patron Maecenas

In Carmen Saeculare, what does Horace say about the return of morality to Rome?

"faith and peace, honor, and ancient modesty, dare to return once more"- Augustus has restored moral order/ links to the leges Iuliae introduced 18-17BC which aimed to restore morality

In Carmen Saeculare, what characteristics of Apollo does Horace align Augustus with?

"offer relief to a weary body with his healing art"- Augustus has taken on this characteristic of Apollo and used it to heal Rome- both morally, with the leges Iuliae, and politically, by restoring peace following a period of civil conflict/ links to the closure of the gates of Janus Quirinus, as referenced in the res Gestae/ links also to the Pax Augusta