Primary Source Paper Analysis on Virgil, Georgics (books 1 and 2)
In the Georgics, Virgil commends farmers and gives them advice on how to
care for the land and a variety of other agricultural directives. Under the
Roman Republic, farms and agriculture significantly impacted how
Romans lived. According to early studies, the Roman Republic had good
soil, thus farmers didn't need a lot of lands to prosper and provide for their
families. The most important crops in the Mediterranean region grown by
the Romans were olives, apples, wheat, barley, and maise. In this essay, I
will highlight and go through both the agricultural data and the lyrical
language utilised in the Georgics.
The very first third of Book 1 is filled with several specific passages; of
particular relevance are verses 160-175, in which Virgil discusses the
plough. The age of Jupiter and its relationship to the golden age and the
current age of man are built with purposeful tension in the succession of
eras, whose model is ultimately Hesiod. The contribution of work to the
success or failure of mankind's activities, agricultural or otherwise, is
crucial.
Virgil appeals to the gods at the beginning of Book one and requests their
assistance
As the play develops, he recounts further gods and goddesses along with
what they may provide for and "favour us" before introducing the
invocation by describing what makes the wheat fields glad (Book I:2–3).
We can infer that the gods and goddesses had an impact on the land or
farming because Virgil mentioned Augustus (the ruler of the Empire at the
time, also known as Octavian) and Minerva (associated with oil and
mentioned in Book 1:18), as well as Pan, the shepherd and hunter god.
The name Augustus, which Virgil uses in his invocations, is unusual
because poets and other authors often only invoke deities and heroes. This
leads us to believe that Virgil probably introduced Augustus to the play
because he was likely going to become a deity after he died. In Book 1
(43–70), the author begins by explaining how farmers used to get ready to
farm in cold weather. As the Book progresses, it delves deeper into how
they analyzed and waited until nature complied with them and they could
choose which parts of the field were ideal for growing particular things.The
Greek deity Tmolus, also known as the mountain god, assisted the farmers
and the chalybes by delivering them goods and products that would enable
them to produce in the spring, as can be seen at the play's conclusion. Since
two Greek gods (Tmolus and Decalius) were referenced and we can
determine that Greek theatre did impact Roman plays and theatre, this
section of the plays may also demonstrate the effect that the Greeks had
over the Romans. The first two sections of the book are also used by Virgil
to provide instructions, which are very detailed and explain how to avoid
wasting resources and being ineffective. The author shows how it is better
to sow a plant beneath a location where you previously collected another
plant. He also emphasises the necessity of rotation for the survival of the
art. We can also see that they pushed people to cover the dry crops with
burning ashes and to flood the barren soil with human waste. The hoewielding, willow-harrow-dragging people will win Ceres, the goddess of
agriculture, over, the author reveals at the play's conclusion. He also
emphasises the benefits of diligent workers who remain and level the
playing field over time. (Book I: 27).
Virgil frequently emphasises the importance of hard labour and how vital it
is to put in effort if one wishes to flourish and, in many cases, be able to
support one's family or oneself. And he mentions Jupiter to back up his
allegation. The god Jupiter was in charge of determining how often and
when farmers should work (BOOK I:355). The constellations and eclipses
may have affected how some events occurred in certain locations, such as
how one region was brighter than another, according to other notes in the
plays (Book 1:231). This, in my opinion, also demonstrates how Romans
believed that everything exceptional that can occur in the nation or the
entire region was brought about by natural occurrences. On Book I, it is
abundantly clear that agriculture, as depicted in Virgil's plays, played a
significant role in the foundation of everything in Rome and that everything
that transpired during the course of the world's creation and development
began with a shovel.Virgil performs for Bacchus to open the first play of
Book 2. Bacchus is invited to join him at this new harvest, where
wonderful wine harvests and many other things are taking place (Book II:18). As the book progresses, Virgil gives instructions to the farmers on how
to grow particular plants in the plays that follow. The need of light for trees
is also mentioned, along with the fact that trees that grow up near lights are
appealing and strong but unproductive since they will lose their forest-like
characteristics. Gaius Maecenas is also mentioned in relation to how they
should work together to complete the author's goal. By studying, for
instance, narrative texts, we can discover how Rome solely cared about
itself and saw everything else as something inferior. That is likely further
supported in this book when Virgil compares Chinese, Ethiopian, and
Indian goods to Italian goods by arguing that they lack taste and have
characteristics like "scaly serpents," so devaluing the former and elevating
the latter (Book 2:154).He oversells and overemphasises the Italian items
as being rich in olives and coming from "Fine Branches" (Book II:81), but
were they really so delicious, despite how highly he speaks of them? Most
likely, given that Rome served as the primary commercial hub of the
ancient world. As we go through the plays, Virgil makes several themes
that may cause us to reflect on how religious the Roman populace was. He
frequently discusses the idea of worship, including how and why
individuals should practise it (Book II: 538-539). The regularity with which
Virgil makes references to religious occasions and locations sheds light on
the importance of religion in everyday Roman life.The gods and goddesses
had a direct influence on people's lives, as we saw in Book I. Bulls are
likewise described as "primed for sacrifice" by Virgil (Book II 539-40).
The Georgics plays are passionate songs of the countryside that offer us
both the frustrations and the benefits of the countryman's year-round
commitment to his crops, vines and olives, large and tiny cattle, and the
complicated society of his bees. It also depicted the newly unified Italy and
taught that the fourth Eclogue's lazy Golden Age was a mirage: unrelenting
effort, imposed by a parental Jupiter to polish men's intellect, produced "the
splendour of the heavenly countryside" (Book I:169) The immense
diversity of modern life serves as recompense. Insofar as it had a political
goal, it fostered the regeneration of a war-ravaged farm, the traditional
Italian ideals, and the concept of Rome expanding its achievements across
Italy and civilising the world .The scenes in the two Books of "The
Georgics" are authentic and realistic, allowing the reader to sense the
sights, sounds, and textures of the ancient Italian environment.