A Small Detail With Big Implications

Eliza Colbert

I had always thought that Virgil was a supporter of Augustus. But then Dr. Downs mentioned in class that some people believe he was a secret critic of Augustus’ empire. I hadn’t thought much about that since it was mentioned; I still thought Virgil was the same fan of Augustus that I always thought he was. That all changed with this week’s reading. It was a small detail that brought this into question. I probably would have missed it had I not been reading that page out-loud because of the demanding one-year-old on my lap. When describing the Latin city ruled by King Latinus, Virgil describes the senate. He writes “They had their senate house, a holy place / A hall for ritual feasts” (201). This detail is what caught my attention.

I realize that Virgil describes the senate house as holy because it doubles as the meeting hall for religious festivals, but the order he put these descriptions in is fascinating. He doesn’t say that t"hey had their senate house, a hall for ritual feasts, a holy place." Instead, Virgil purposefully places describes it as holy first and then explains that it is because of the ritual feasts. Clearly, this was intentional. The question is why. Why did Virgil describe the Latin senate in this particular order? In placing the descriptor “holy” first, the reader’s immediate thought is that Virgil thinks the senate is holy. Is that the case? Does Virgil really view the senate that highly? Does he put up a front of Augustan support, excusing his “holy” descriptor with a brief explanation, while in actuality he still loves the senate? Is he secretly trying to point the reader back to the days of Republic and the old senate? Is Virgil a loyal supporter of Augustus or is he a secret lover of the Republic?

P.S. I commented on Moriah’s and AnnaKate’s posts.