Odes 1.37 Cleopatra- Horace

When was the poem written?

23BC

Significance?

focuses on Cleopatra's role in and after the battle of Actium

Who is the poem addressed to?

the reader, encouraging them to prepare for a feast

What is Horace's focus here?

not on Octavian and his leadership, but on Cleopatra. For the majority of the poem he demonizes her, emphasizing the danger that she posed to Rome and her lack of dignified self control

"now's the time for drinking"

Begins after the victory at the Battle of Actium, a celebration after Octavian's defeat of Mark Antony and Cleopatra.

- starts with peace, luxury and abundance

"maddened queen"

"plotting the capitols and the empire's ruin"

Horace Portrays Cleopatra as the enemy here- "plotting" the demise of Rome and it's citizens.= Horace reiterates the danger that she poses

- Cleopatra is denigrated here through the use of "maddened" making her actions appear unjustified and morally wrong.

- She is not named here- Horace refusal to name the individual is indicative of a lack of respect, she is reduced to a "crazy" woman

"her crowd of deeply-corrupted creatures"

animalistic imagery: denigrates her subjects and presents them as insane for being loyal to her

- "corrupted"- been metephorically ruined by her "plots"

- "creatures"- as though they're not human, cannot think for themselves? Horace criticises their following of the "maddened queen"

"turpitude"

depraved or wicked character or behaviour

"intoxicated by fortunes favour"

Horace suggests here that everything that Cleopatra has achieved is by luck. She's become over confident, "intoxicated" by her victories.

- Debases her victories reducing them to mere luck- no strategy no talent.

"Scarcely a single ship escaped the flames"

Reiterates Octavian's success whilst placing emphasis on Cleopatras immense defeat.

- complete destruction

- escaped: Connotations of fleeing in fear.

" pursuing her close as she fled Rome"

- depicting the battle of Actium as bigger than it was in reality thus Augustus' victory/achievement is demonstrated as being considerably larger.

- "fled" connotations of escaping in fear. Cleopatra Is epitomised as being victim to Octavian- weak in comparison

Enjambement

the continuation of a sentence without a pause beyond the end of a line, couplet, or stanza.

- the use of enjambement within the poem extends the lines beyond stanzas, reflecting the ongoing plight of cleopatra/her attempt at escape- futility.

- lack of control: Cleo lacks control over the situation, powerless in comparison to that of Octavian= reflected by the structure.

"To true fear"

Octavian's military prowess is so Great that it instils fear in cleopatra, reducing her over confidence/ "intoxicated by fortunes favour" - to genuine fear.

- elevates Octavian's reputation: enough to frighten Cleopatra despite Horace later presenting her as powerful: reiterates the achievement in defeating her.

- she wasn't scared of death (suicide) but is scared by Octavian

"Capture that deadly monster"

Metaphor for Cleopatra

- denigrates her through comparison to a monster- whilst also presenting her as a formidable opponent that posed a genuine threat to Rome

- blame for civil war diverted onto Cleo

- makes Octavian's achievement appear greater

"As the sparrow-hawk follows the gentle dove"

"Swift Hunter chases the hare"

- even a "deadly" monster is simply a "gentle dove" To Octavian

- problematic simile- serves to emphasise Octavian's superior military strength, but at the same time it presents Cleopatra as vulnerable and helpless. Such gentility is in stark contrast with her portrayal earlier in the poem. Possible that Horace chose a dove for this simile due to its association with Venus, the Roman goddess of love. Doves were sacred to Venus, and Horace could be alluding to Cleopatras doomed love affair with Antony

"Showed no sign of womanish fear at the sword"

Horace here shows the more impressive side to Cleopatra.

- suicide was not seen as shameful in Ancient Rome. Horace presents a version of Cleopatra who is stoic and in control of her actions and of her fate.

"Calm face"

"With courage"

Why is Cleopatra presented as powerful?

Poem highlights the many sides of Cleopatra. She seems mad and dangerous, but also vulnerable and scared. At the end, she seems noble. Horace presents Cleopatra as a formidable enemy brought down by the superior force of Octavian, and thus he implicitly praises Octavian for having defeated such a foe.

"No ordinary woman, yet queen no longer, be led along in proud triumph"

Reference to Octavian's triumph.

- in a triumph, Cleopatra would have been used as a spoil, humiliated in front of her prior subjects. Instead of this she killed herself thus evading the cruel fate she would've been subjected to.

- presents her as in control of her fate, but incapable of destroying Octavian