35 pages • 1 hour read
VirgilThe Eclogues
Fiction | Novel | AdultA modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Symbols & Motifs
Leisure
One of the most important forces in Virgil’s Eclogues is not an action at all, but rather a lack of action. Virgil’s shepherds share a love of leisure. Virgil depicts them not hard at work driving goats or tilling fields, but rather in in-between moments, lounging in the shade or enjoying the rustling of leaves as they create songs and enjoy time with their lovers.
In Latin, this concept is called otium, which literally means “leisure time” but also has connotations of a more general peace—freedom from war and violence, the constraints of money and time. This freedom to be “lazy” is a crucial enabler of Arcadia’s lifestyle; the shepherds are only free to compose their songs because they are unimpeded by earthly restraints. It is, in fact, a sign that something is seriously wrong when one of Virgil’s shepherds insists on work over otium. In Eclogue 9, Virgil emphasizes Moeris’s world-weariness with his desire to refrain from singing (Lines 66-67).
This love of leisure had philosophical and personal implications for Virgil and his Roman audience. One prominent philosophical school of the time, Epicureanism (which Virgil himself subscribed to as a youth), emphasized freedom from pain and prioritization of pleasure. Epicureans were not necessarily hedonistic; rather, this state of relaxation was seen as crucial for keeping one’s mind balanced and productive for the creation of art and securing happiness in life. Virgil enjoyed otium as a sponsored poet. With his patrons covering his basic expenses, Virgil had the freedom—otium—to dedicate his life to the creation of art. It should come as of no surprise, then, that his shepherds treasure their leisure too.
Singing Competitions
The most frequent motif in the Eclogues is the singing competition. Five of the ten eclogues feature a singing exchange (Eclogues 3, 5, 7, 8, and 9). In ancient Greece and its cultural inheritor, Rome, this sort of competition was a favorite across disciplines. Artists and warriors alike enjoyed participating in a one-on-one fight, an agon (Greek for “competition”), usually with a prize on the line (like the cups in Eclogue 3).
For poets like Theocritus and Virgil, singing competitions offered a chance to showcase their skills. The poets had to write distinct characters with distinct voices who were both believably skilled enough to engage in a battle of wits. The singing competitions in Theocritus’s Idylls likely stemmed from country song battles, though the exercise had become mostly literary by Virgil’s time. Virgil is less interested in showcasing the skill of his combatants (which might feel jarring to the reader, given the shepherds’ apparent lack of sophistication) and instead highlights their interpersonal relationships. In Eclogue 5, Virgil focuses on the caring nature of Menalcas and Mopsus’s relationship rather than their singing.
Locus amoenus (Loci amoeni)
In Latin, the phrase locus amoenus translates to “pleasant place.” In literary studies, a locus amoenus comprises a poet detailing a lovely nature scene as their setting. Most loci amoeni include three features: trees, grass, and water. Their secluded nature makes them safe from the dangers of the outside world, from bodily violence to the heat of day. Loci amoeni are perfect places for rest, artistic expression, and love-making; they provide the leisure and security creatives need to perfect their work.
Virgil features many loci amoeni in his Eclogues. He sometimes uses the trope to highlight negative traits. For example, in Eclogue 1, Meliboeus describes Tityrus’s farm as a locus amoenus, only to emphasize that he no longer has access to such a beautiful place due to his exile (Lines 47-59).
Another important part of the locus amoenus, especially in pastoral poetry, is the detailed cataloguing of various plants—especially flowers and beautiful foliage. (An example of this can be found in Eclogue 2, Lines 46-51.) Poets tend to use cataloguing as an opportunity to emphasize their vast knowledge of the natural world. This is an inheritance from Hellenistic writers, who liked to showcase such knowledge in their works. Virgil is not immune to this tendency; his poetic catalogues of plants in loci amoeni are often just as learned as they are lovely.
