Horace epode 9- A Toast to Actium

Date written?

Significance?

30 BC

Celebrates Octavian's victory at Actium

What is an epode?

An iambic genre of 'blame poetry', written to shame fellow citizens into a sense of their social obligations.

How is the poem typical of the Augustan (Octavian) propaganda's version of the Battle of Actium?

Presented as a foreign war not a civil one

Egypt presented as strange

Who was Maecenas?

Horace's patron and Octavian's close adviser and 'cultural minister'

How does Horace set the atmosphere of the poem?

He speaks of Octavian's triumph, which is soon to be celebrated in Rome and creates a festival atmosphere.

Why does Horace choose not to name Antony or Cleopatra?

Antony a Roman so Actium was a civil war.

Dehumanises Cleopatra and Antony be not naming them

"shall I delight with you in Caesar's triumph, Drinking Caecuban"

Caecuban - famously Italian wine

Caesar’s triumph - Octavian’s triumph over Antony

Who is the 'Pompey' of the 2nd stanza?

"as lately Pompey", driven from the sea, had fled"

Sextus Pompey- took control of Sicily for himself and was using this stronghold to Blockade Rome's trade routes.

"having threatened the city with shackles he'd taken from those faithless slaves, his friends"

Pompey enlisted slaves into his army- an action which Romans found disgraceful as it threatened their social order.

"a Roman- you'll not credit it, posterity-

sadly, ups sticks and arms himself"

Mark Antony not named to dehumanise him

"For a woman's sake"

Suggests Mark Antony's reasoning behind the civil war was trivial- all for a woman (Cleopatra)

'withered eunuchs'

Antony has lost his masculinity, now serves Cleopatra

"her shameful pavilion"

Cleopatra isn't named but instead referred to as a woman on a "shameful pavilion"

Focuses on scandal of Cleopatra and Antony

"two thousand Gauls chanting Caesar turned their snorting steeds aside"

Gauls abandoning Mark Antony during the battle of Actium

'the golden chariots and the unblemished steers'

Octavian already triumphant so there is no need to delay celebration

mentioning of other wars-

"in the war with Jugurtha...

"Africanus"

Poem ends by comparing the victory of Actium with other Roman victories- epitomises the importance of Octavian' s military achievement

"the enemy beaten on sea and land"

Octavian beats Antony in every way

'Changes his scarlet cloak for black'

Refers to Antony's death - Roman generals wore red, black cloaks for mourning and death

"Let's delight in banishing fear and anxiety'

No more fear now that Octavian has defeated Antony

ring composition

A form of narrative structure, in which a narrative develops to reach its most significant theme, before returning to its starting point

How does Horace portray the wars against Sextus Pompey and Mark Antony as wars against foreign enemies, not civil wars?

Pompey- "having threatened the city" makes him appear as opposition to the safety of Rome.

Mark Antony- "ups his sticks and arms himself" - again makes his appear as though he's against Rome

What are the key themes in this poem?

Celebration; war; luxury and decadence (negative qualities for a Roman)

How does Horace portray Augustus as a great military leader?

IMPERATOR

"Let's delight in banishing fear and anxiety'

"the enemy beaten on sea and land"

"as lately Pompey", driven from the sea, had fled"