Biography
More commonly referred to as Virgil or Vergil, Publius Vergilius Maro illustrates great talent and dedication to his craft, becoming a patriotic symbol for Rome.
YOUTH
Born on the Ides of October, or October 15th, in the year 70 BC, Virgil started life in a small town called Andes in Rome (Mackail 29). However, his beginnings are somewhat unclear, from his Roman citizenship at birth (no matter what, he ended up a Roman citizen because of Caesar) to the political and economic standings of his parents, other than that they were country people (Wasson). Virgil showed a passion for the countryside and rustic living throughout his poems, and it carried throughout his entire life. His appreciation for his birthplace contributes heavily to his patriotic themes, helping both his reputation and the reputation of the Roman Empire.
While his parents economic situation is blurry, it is clear that they had sufficient funds because Virgil was sent to Cremona at 12 years old, then later to Milan, in order to study (Nardi 27). After he turned 18 in 52 BC., he traveled to Rome to study further. He arrived during a somewhat decisive moment in Rome's history, where the dust of Caesar's war with the Gallic's was settling (Nardi 29). This certainly impacted Virgil's views of both Caesar and Rome, shaping him into the almost propaganda-like writer that he seems to be in the Aeneid.
What can be considered Virgil's youth is majority spent learning, and his time in Rome is poorly documented, despite the fact that this stretch lasted about ten years. However, sources indicate brief information about his poetry groups where he contributed to the origin of new poetical movements (Mackail 34). Virgil also took time in his youth to study philosophy under Siro, expanding his worldly knowledge (Nardi 35). He left Rome to continue this passion in Naples, where he found another community within the stretch of the empire: an Epicurean community (Wasson). This information shows Virgil's involvement in his community during his young Rome years and the possible reasons for his adoration of the empire.
THE JOURNEY TO FAME
"Virgil is, above all, a poet," (Nardi 38).
Virgil's true transition into an inspirational symbol of Rome began in 37 BC when he published his Eclogues, or Selected Poems, and immediately gained traction. These poems are pastoral and emphasize his country life, showing his love for nature. Through meeting many other poets and influential people, Virgil eventually became friends with the Emperor, now Augustus (Wasson). This introduction aided his future emphasis on the Empire and its greatness because he now had many important Romans with goals of making Rome appear fantastic. Augustus believed that Rome suffered "moral decay," so of course he needed to support writers that could alter the ethos of the empire (Wasson).
The next seven years (38 BC to 30 BC) were spent working on his next piece: the Georgics. In this time, Virgil traveled throughout Italy, from Naples to Sicily (Mackail 38). The poet could see the beauty of Italy, and it strongly contributed to the way that he talked about Italy in his works as he focused on central Italy in many sections. He still kept to his roots, however, speaking on farm life and winter chores, but also greatly of the Emperor (Encyclopedia of World Biography). This contributed to the propaganda that Rome tried to enforce because it comforted and acknowledged the feelings of common Romans. Augustus wanted to restore small farms to lower the population of Rome and help his agricultural goals, which is why he supported and nudged Virgil along on his journey to write the Georgics (Encyclopedia of World Biography).
THE AENEID and DEATH
Virgil's final work, The Aeneid, is often cited as something along the lines of "one of the most complex and subtle works ever written," (Encyclopedia of World Biography). The epic tells the story of a Trojan hero named Aeneas during the final moments of the Trojan War. As the Georgics, The Aeneid was urged by Roman courts and Augustus (Mackail 38). Already being a very shy and withdrawn person, Virgil began to remove himself from the public notice much more during his writing (Mackail 39). It seems borderline obsessive, which makes sense considering the population and the Roman governments expectations for it to be, according to fellow poet Propertius, "Something greater than the Iliad" (qtd. Mackail 40).
Virgil worked on this epic from 30 BC until his death on the September 21st in 19 BC. Actually, it was not even finished at his death and he begged to have the manuscript burned during his final moments because of this (Mackail 42). Despite his efforts, Augustus loved his work, beleving it to be Rome's destiny, and decided to publish it (Wasson). Virgil expresses the same feelings about destiny within The Aeneid, showing that it "was Rome's fate to forgive the conquered and defeat the proud in war," (Wasson).