P5+Virgil+of+Mantua

Audience – Connor Griffin

Virgil of Mantua, a roman poet in the Augustan era, wrote many poems and stories all the while, distributing them themed to two specific audiences in Rome and Naples. These audiences are two whom one wouldn’t normally find in the same category of intended audiences, but Virgil, in fact, wrote to these two diverse societies anyways. The first and most prominent intended audience was the powerful members of society and higher-class members. It was his most prominent audience because “ Virgil was a court poet, whose well-being depended on pleasing powerful members of the ruling class” (Jallc). Therefore most of his poetic articles were sent towards higher class due to Virgil’s “dependence” on “pleasing others”. Virgil himself actually directly presented many of these poems to the populace of the higher-class. The reading //The Aenid//, for example, was presented directly to Augustus himself by Virgil upon publishing. By this it is clear that Virgil directed most of his works towards the higher classed audience. However, other parts of Virgil’s literary pieces of writing were directed towards even the lower parts of society, especially farmers “ Virgil composed pastoral poems known as //Ecologues// a didactic work on farming, a townsman's view of the country” (Thompson). In which upon the finishing of the certain stories, he didn’t make it directly for the powerful and upper class, but for the people who were like he was when he was working in the farms as well. For certain works, his intended audience was people that were just like him, such as farmers. As for others, his were for the upper classes, such as Augustus. His wide range of audience made his works just that more enjoyable by many people, and made them crave for more poems by Virgil of Mantua.

Works Cited

Thompson, Diane. “Virgil Study Guide.” //Study Guide.// NVCC. Web. 31 August 2012. Jallc. "Virgil." //Biography and Works.// Web. 31 Aug. 2012.

= Historical - Jillian Nash =



Virgil of Mantua is known to have created many influential works throughout his life, including his most famous epic poem, //Aeneid//. Not only are Virgil’s works taught in school, “Virgil’s influence on English literature has been enormous. He was Edmund Spenser’s constant inspiration for the fanciful beauty of The Faerie Queene” (“Masterpieces of World Literature”). Virgil has been an “inspiration” for many, for example, Edmund Spenser. His “enormous” influence is evident in works throughout history, especially in ones close to after his death. His works helped to “inspire” many poets and writers after him to create masterpieces. Virgil’s works and were celebrated many years after his death and, “Indeed, in the years following his death Virgil acquired a mystical, almost godlike persona; Dante even selected him as the guide through the Underworld in the //Inferno//” (“Biography of Virgil”). Clearly Virgil had an impact on writing because even after his death in 19 B.C., writers were using him as “inspiration” and even including him in their stories and poems. Virgil was also described as having an “almost godlike persona,” which indicates that he was an important historical figure who people respected and used as “inspiration” for their own works.

Works Cited “Biography of Virgil.” //GradeSaver//. GradeSaver LLC, 2012. Web. 31 August 2012. “Masterpieces of World Literature.” //A World History of Art//. All-art.org. Web. 31 August 2012.

Aim - Efren **Barron**



Virgil of Mantua became an icon in Rome because of the way he could express himself and his ideas with the use of writing. Virgil didn’t have it easy all his life he had to work hard to reach his fame. In the article, “The Life of Vergil,” it states, “ PUBLIUS VERGILIUS MARO, a native of Mantua, had parents of humble origin, especially his father, who according to some was a potter” (Arkenberg).At the age of fifteen Virgil took on the commitment of manhood and moved out. As a little boy he attempted to write poetry but at the age of sixteen was when he started to blossom. Writing during the Augustan Age times were superior for the literature world because times were peaceful and this gave it a real chance to expand. Virgil mainly wrote of what was happening around him and of his philosophical ideas. Stated in the article, “Publius Vergilius Maro,” “thereafter worked at the construction of the Aeneid, which he left not quite finished when he died in 19 BC at the age of fifty” (Harris). Living a short life Virgil made his mark in Rome and for centuries to come with topics from, farming to how Rome became a superpower, the use of literature can never be underestimated.

Work Cited

Arkenberg, Jerome S. “The Life of Vergil.” Fordham University, October 2009. Web. 31 August 2012.

Harris, William. “Publius Vergilius Maro.” Middlebury College, 2008. Web. 31 August 2012.

Ashe, Geoffrey. "Virgil." //World History: Ancient and Medieval Eras//. ABC-CLIO, 2012. Web. 31 Aug. 2012

Brittany Wyatt- Cultural



Virgil of Mantua, a man of Roman ethnicity in the Augustan period and a poet that was most well known for his pieces such as the epic, //The////Aeneid//. “Dante was a great fan of the Roman poet Virgil, and he based his idea of the cosmography of hell on Virgil’s pre-Christian description of the underworld as is found in Book 6 of The //Aeneid//.”(“Dante’s Inferno”) This meant that Dante was inspired to write because of Virgil of Mantua. This impacted today’s society because the book is still read and taught to students. The many lessons of the book have influenced many to do better, and have impacted all of the students who have read the text. Believed by many, “The //Aeneid//, Virgil's masterpiece and one of the most influential epic poems in history, accorded him postmortem fame even more considerable than that which he had enjoyed during his lifetime”(“Biography of Virgil”). Not only has Virgil impacted the world by inspiring Dante to write his text of Inferno, but also changed the literary world with his poem The //Aenied,// his influence has spanned thousands of years beyond his lifetime. Both pieces are still used as classic literature for the classroom setting.

Works Cited "Biography of Virgil | List of Works, Study Guides & Essays | GradeSaver." //Study Guides & Essay Editing | GradeSaver//. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 Sept. 2012. .

"Dante." //Dante's Inferno//. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 Aug. 2012. .