Greece And Rome Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Greece And Rome - Essay Example 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: â€Å"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 u s 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 ca pacity 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, â€Å"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 h uman 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, â€Å"Which of the gods now shall the people summon/ To prop Rome’