Analysis of the Gods and Their Affect on the Romans as Seen in Horaces Odes - Essay Example

Analysis of the Gods and their Affect on the Romans as seen in Horace’s Odes In Roman times, historians were not as they are today. They were poets who spoke their ideas, opinions and reflections of society in the form of musical lyrics. Their stories were passed through singing rather than material scripture. It was a way to immortalize their culture, teach others and, of course, entertain. One of the main obsessions of the Romans were how their lives revolved around the gods, rendered evident by many of Horace’s odes. The Gods’ presences affected the minds of every individual who lived in Rome among other regions. How is what someone does or does not do pertain to the Gods? Does it affect their lifestyle? Do certain Gods meet specific criteria for the citizens of Rome? All of these questions affect the anxiety of how life is lived based on how each God is viewed. Fortunately, these worries are often put to rest for most people when guidelines are implemented and stories are told that predict the aftermath of worshipping one God vs. another. Quintus Horatius Flaccus, or Horace as current society knows him by, is no exception to helping create and foster the ideas of life in the presence of Gods (Horace, par. 1). Horace describes his occupation as: “Ye worthy trio! we poor sons of song/ Oft find ‘tis fancied right that leads us wrong” (Flaccus, par. 3, ll. 33-34). We poor sons of song refers to other lyrical poets. The next line oft find ‘tis fancied right that leads us wrong means their talent of repeating history, remarking on ideas and sharing them should not be an ego boost. In other words, their ability in performing odes is a good deed if it is done correctly and not interpreted the way the poet believes it should be to gain favoritism. Horace remarks on how poets, or artists, are not gods and that it is vital to remember that in lines 45-46: By sense of art, creates a new defect/ Fix on some casual sculpture; he shall know/ How to give nails their sharpness, hair its flow;/ Yet he shall fail, because he lacks the soul/ To comprehend and reproduce the whole. (Flaccus, par. 3) The key words mentioned first are art and defect because it indicates that citizens need to keep a level head. He lacks the soul furthers Horace’s argument in that soul is defined as the spiritual or immaterial part of a human being or animal, regarded as immortal. Horace is saying that people may understand how worldly things work, but they do not attain the capacity to create it based on the fact that he wrote reproduce the whole. Whole, in this case, meaning containing all its natural constituents, components, or elements states that humans cannot recreate life in its exact entirety the way Gods can when it is paired with the action of reproduction. Therefore, the Gods are viewed as being above the Romans, and they are entities that should be respected and worshipped in order to lead successful lives. Horace’s ode continues to discuss the theme of the Gods and how they impact Roman life. He says, “To Vesta’s temple and King Numa’s palace/… Wild, love-lorn river god! He saw himself as/ Avenger of his long-lamenting llia” (Horace, tr Michie, 5, ll. 15, 17-18). The Gods are a part of Roman life. Here, Vesta is mentioned for she is the goddess of the hearth, and the first goddess to scorn if an outsider trespasses on a home. Also, the river God too, but what is most evident about this passage is that human emotion is personified on the Gods through words like love-lorn, which means being without love; forsaken by one’s lover, and avenger that is defined as to take vengeance on behalf of. The Romans did this in order to relate to the Gods and generate understanding. The Gods were viewed as having extensive influence in shaping the lives of the citizens of Rome. When some thing important happened, especially if it was a turn for the worse, people turned to the Gods. Horace says, “Which of the gods now shall the people summon/ To prop Rome’s reeling sovereignty? What prayer/ Shall the twelve Virgins use to reach the ear of/ Vesta, who grows each day” (Horace, tr Michie, 7, ll. 25-28). Reeling and sovereignty is to be thrown off balance or fall back paired with supreme and unrestricted power means a government that is going out of control, and to fix it, the Romans should summon or pray for the Gods’ help. But Horace goes into more detail than that. He said specifically, which of the gods, indicating that each God attains specific abilities and powers that mortals did not possess. Outraged over Caesar’s assassination, Horace pleads for several different Gods to avenge him. In one passage, he urges, “…Winged boy of gentle Maia/ Put on the mortal shape of a young Roman/ Descend and, well contented to be known as/ Caesar’s avenger, stay” (Horace, tr Michie, 7, ll. 41-44). Roman citizens asked the Gods for multiple things throughout their lifetime, including fairness or success in the growth of crops. In this case, factors of life are prayed to change so that the cruel individuals are punished, or eradicated and the weak lifted to attain what they deserved. Gods were a vital part of prayer, especially in the times of great distress. They were used as a coping mechanism of sorts to move past the crisis. Due to the fact that the Gods are highly revered, Horace touches on their individualized capabilities and how that affects the people. Jupiter is king the Gods and is viewed as all-powerful, and most-respected. He is the last God a Roman would want turned against him or her. Horace touches upon Jupiter’s power when he says, “And still with unabated ire/ Jove hurls his thunderbolts of fire” (Horace, tr Michie, 11, ll. 15-16). Jove is another name for Jupiter to the Romans as was Zeus for the Greeks. Another highly respected God was Jupiter’s brother, Neptune, God-of-the-sea. Horace shows this in his ode when he says, “Sail that glittering sea. Fixed to the temple wall/ My plaque tells of an old sailor who foundered and,/ Half-drowned, hung up his clothes to/ Neptune, lord of the element” (Horace, tr Michie, 13, ll. 13-16). It was crucial for the Romans to attribute every God with his or her own power so they not only acknowledged who to pray to at certain times but so that they could understand why or how factors in their lives occurred. This included a consistent honoring of the Gods to improve aspects of Roman life or maintain quality. Horace says, “Virgin Athene’s city, plucking sprigs of/ Olive from Attica’s history, wreaths to adorn their foreheads;/ And some, to honour Juno’s reputation/ Celebrate Argos…” (Horace, tr Michie, 17, ll. 1-4). Horace had to dedicate his time to explain and expand on all of the concerns the Romans had in regard to matters of life and how the Gods fit into that life. He helped provide answers through stores, but most importantly acted as a mirror to how society perceived itself. It is a natural occurrence that the Romans desired answers and knowledge of their place in the world, and how that pertained to the Gods. Horace encouraged ideas about the influence of the Gods had on the Romans, and how that affected their behavior during life through his talent of lyrical poetry. Arguably one of the best poets of all time, Horace’s odes are consistently read and studied to this day. His odes are a window into how Romans viewed life, dictating their actions through their belief of the Gods. Works Cited Flaccus, Quintus H. "Horace Satires and Epistles." Ancient & Classical History. Ed. John Conington. About.com, n.d. Web. 3 Apr. 2011. . Horace [Quintus Horatius Flaccus]. Odes (carmina), tr James Michie (New York: Modern Library, 2002) . "Horace." The Columbia Encyclopedia. New York: Columbia University Press, 2008. Credo Reference. Web. 03 April 2011. Read More