7. Virgil

Virgil was Rome’s greatest poet. Born in northern Italy in 70 B.C. he started writing during his studies in Rome and Naples. His most famous work was the Aeneid, which was left uncompleted. Based on Homer’s Odyssey and the Iliad, Virgil describes the adventures of the Trojan hero Aeneas, who sailed westwards and founded the city of Rome. In the epic poem, Virgil shows the greatness of Rome and his admiration for its rulers.

In other poems, Virgil wrote about country and peasant life. After his death, Virgil’s influence spread throughout Rome. Roman schools taught their pupils about him and made them read his poems. Writers in the Middle Ages often referred to Virgil in their works.


Words

  • admiration = feeling of respect and liking for
  • based on = to use something as a starting point
  • epic = very long
  • found - founded = create, start
  • greatness = how great and successful something is
  • influence = power
  • Middle Ages = time between the collapse of the Roman Empire and about 1500
  • peasant = poor farmer who owns very little or no land at all
  • poem = piece of writing in rhymes that shows a person's ideas and how they feel
  • poet = someone who writes poems
  • refer to = here: to speak about someone
  • throughout = in all of
  • uncompleted = not finished
  • work = piece of writing