PODCAST · education
Epics of Rome
by Dr Rhiannon Evans
This subject explores Ancient Roman epic poetry, the literary genre which deals with grand mythical narratives involving heroes, gods, war, and love affairs. Epic was the most prestigious literary form in the ancient world. Roman poets adapted and developed Greek epic, particularly influenced by the Homeric Iliad and Odyssey. Roman epics similarly deal with divine and heroic material, but Roman poets also weave contemporary and topical themes into the mythical subject matter. The primary text for this subject is Ovid's Metamorphoses, which tells many comic tales of the gods in love and encounters between heroes and monsters through a series of transformations. Epics which influenced Ovid will also be studied, such as the Greek epics of Homer, the early Roman epics of Naevius and Ennius, and Virgil's Aeneid, which was the most significant influence on Ovid. We shall also consider Ovid as a major influence upon Western artists and writers, from Shakespeare to David Malouf.
Episodes
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Afterlife II: The Novel
The Aeneid and Metamorphoses have continued to be rediscovered and reinterpreted throughout the 20th and 21st centuries. The two world wars which defined the first half of the 20th century forced a reconsideration of all war poetry, particularly the Aeneid, which began to be recognised as a work…
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Afterlife I: Late Latin and Renaissance
Virgil and Ovid were both incredibly influential upon later poetry and culture, and in this lecture we look at some of the texts which look back to their epics in the late antique period through to the Renaissance, in particular Claudian's Rape of Proserpina and Shakespeare's poetry and drama, as...
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'I shall live': Immortality
Ovid ends his work with a series of deifications: Julius Caesar becomes a god; Augustus will become a god. This most allusive and transformative of texts apparently ends with a pat celebration of the Julian family. However, this is not the end at all, for Ovid actually completes his work with his...
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Aeneid again? Troy and Rome
In books 11-14 of the Metamorphoses Ovid takes on the stories of Troy's fall and Rome's origin - have we finally reached the point of 'real epic'? In fact, Ovid's approach is very different from Virgil's in the Aeneid, and tends to focus on characters tangential to the canonical Virgilian and...
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Art and Song: Orpheus and Pygmalion
This lecture focusses on the two most prominent lovers in Metamorphoses 9-11, Orpheus and Pygmalion. Both also happen to be artists. We first examine Orpheus, paying particular attention to the ways in which Ovid reworks the Virgilian account in Georgics 4, and then Pygmalion, concentrating on…
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Changing Nature: Genre in the Metamorphoses
It is often said that Ovid's is a 'Callimachean epic', in other words an episodic and aetiological poem which eschews big scale narratives. As we are now tow thirds of the way through this poem, it is worth considering the degree to which the Metamorphoses 'plays by the rules' of epic poetry. In...
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Gods and Mortals: Vengeance
Epic poetry often features a hostile and punitive god, who forms a barrier to the hero’s journey, but the Metamorphoses takes the theme of vengeful gods to the extreme, as the divinities are paraded as cruel and petty. In addition, when the poem ventures into the world of mortals, tales of...
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Ovid Metamorphoses: Gods and Nymphs
On the surface Ovid’s Metamorphoses appears to question traditional gender norms, in particular those held about elite Roman men. Even women are given the opportunity to tell their own stories in the poem. Yet, the Metamorphoses is full of stories about violent rapes that effectively silence the...
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Introducing Ovid’s Metamorphoses
When Virgil died in 19 BCE, the Aeneid became an instant classic, and even before his death references had been made to it in the works of other authors. In some ways it may have seemed impossible to write epic now – how could you follow up Virgil? The up and coming poet, Publius Ovidius Naso was...
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Virgil’s Iliad? Epic Intertextuality
Virgil was undoubtedly very well-read: he had a deep knowledge of the epics of Homer and Ennius, as well as a myriad of other Greek and Roman poets. In this lecture, we shall look at the way that Virgil refers back to the literary tradition and what the effect of this is. In particular, we shall...
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Epic and Augustus: Poetry and Politics
Virgil’s Aeneid is the first complete Latin epic which remains to us, and it is arguably the most important literary work we have from ancient Rome. Virgil lived at a time of enormous political and social upheaval: this lecture will address the ways in which Virgil’s poetry refers to contemporary...
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Early Roman Epic, Part II
Where did Roman epic poetry come from? In the third century BCE Latin literature emerged in the form of drama and epic. Ancient Greek literature was influential, and Rome’s first epic was a kind of Greek-Roman hybrid, appropriately by an author with a Latin and a Greek name; it was a Greek tale,...
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Early Roman Epic, Part I
Where did Roman epic poetry come from? In the third century BCE Latin literature emerged in the form of drama and epic. Ancient Greek literature was influential, and Rome’s first epic was a kind of Greek-Roman hybrid, appropriately by an author with a Latin and a Greek name; it was a Greek tale,...
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
This subject explores Ancient Roman epic poetry, the literary genre which deals with grand mythical narratives involving heroes, gods, war, and love affairs. Epic was the most prestigious literary form in the ancient world. Roman poets adapted and developed Greek epic, particularly influenced by the Homeric Iliad and Odyssey. Roman epics similarly deal with divine and heroic material, but Roman poets also weave contemporary and topical themes into the mythical subject matter. The primary text for this subject is Ovid's Metamorphoses, which tells many comic tales of the gods in love and encounters between heroes and monsters through a series of transformations. Epics which influenced Ovid will also be studied, such as the Greek epics of Homer, the early Roman epics of Naevius and Ennius, and Virgil's Aeneid, which was the most significant influence on Ovid. We shall also consider Ovid as a major influence upon Western artists and writers, from Shakespeare to David Malouf.
HOSTED BY
Dr Rhiannon Evans
CATEGORIES
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Epics of Rome have?
Epics of Rome currently has 23 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Epics of Rome about?
This subject explores Ancient Roman epic poetry, the literary genre which deals with grand mythical narratives involving heroes, gods, war, and love affairs. Epic was the most prestigious literary form in the ancient world. Roman poets adapted and developed Greek epic, particularly influenced by...
How often does Epics of Rome release new episodes?
Epics of Rome has 23 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to Epics of Rome?
You can listen to Epics of Rome on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Epics of Rome?
Epics of Rome is created and hosted by Dr Rhiannon Evans.
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