Summary Latin Didactic: The Golden Age myth in Hesiod, Aratus, Virgil, Lucretius, Ovid
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Course
Latin Didactic Poetry
Institution
University Of Oxford
A discussion of the use of the Golden Age myth in:
- Hesiod's Works and Days
- Aratus' Phaenomena
- Lucretius' De Rerum Natura
- Virgil's Georgics
- Ovid's Ars Amatoria
What kind of oblique commentary do these descriptions provide on the
contemporary age of each poem?
A recurrent motif in didactic poetry (and to a lesser extent in ancient literature in general) is
the myth of a decline of the world from a past “Golden Age” / the time when the “Golden
Generation” of mankind roamed the earth. 1
Golden Age typically doesn’t refer to an age of monetary wealth and luxury but rather to
what Baldry describes as “an imaginary existence different from the hardships of real life—an
existence blessed with Nature’s bounty, untroubled by strife or want.” 2
Didactic poets’ accounts of the myth of a decline from a past Golden Age provide
commentaries on their own respective age
Two fundamental questions about human existence appear to underly these accounts:
why does mankind toil
what can we do about it?
Hesiod:
Hesiod’s message: toil is necessary to prevent injustice, which, in turn, is necessary to prevent
divine punishment which might increase man’s toil again
Heath: extended paraenesis on the two themes of work and justice meant to explain why the first
leads to the latter and both lead to prosperity
work -> prosperity by way of a flourishing farm
prosperity -> justice because one has no time or need for disputes with neighbours
justice -> prosperity by way of divine favour
idleness -> poverty by way of a neglected farm
poverty -> injustice because one has to resort to stealing and quarrelling
injustice -> poverty by way of divine disfavour
Hesiod’s Works and Days is our oldest surviving account of the Myth of the Generations
HOWEVER, whether and the extent to which the Golden Age, at least as it features in most
poetry, is an invention of Hesiod.
later accounts display a profound indebtedness to Hesiod.
The origins of toil
Two myths shed light on the origins of toil, the Works and Days’ primary theme -> the necessity of
toil is presented as a punishment of mankind
1. the Myth of Prometheus and Pandora:
Before Prometheus stole the fire of the gods, mankind lived on earth without any evils,
among which toil (“ἄτερ χαλεποῖο πόνοιο” – Op. 90-2), suggestive of the existence of
the Golden Generation which Hesiod describes soon after.
1
Greek authors, from whom the notion of a Golden Age derived, spoke of a Golden race or (a better fit with the
context) generation (“χρύσεον γένος”) rather than an age. In Latin poetry, the notion of a aurea saecula or
aurea aetas arose (Balrdy, p. 88). Because, as we shall see, the Latin poets’ notion of the Golden Age appeared
to have referred to an existence very reminiscent of the existence of the Golden Race in Greek literature, we
will use the terms interchangeably.
2
Baldry, p. 83.
, Prometheus’ theft -> as a punishment, Zeus ordered the creation of Pandora, carrying
a gift which would induce baneful things onto mankind, introducing toil (Op. 60-102).
2. the Myth of the Generations:
The existence of the first Generation of mankind, 3 the Golden Generation, is a
paradisical period of abundance defined by justice, exempt from all hardships (Op.
112-6).
Silver and Bronze Generations display a lack of justice (in the shape of heedlessness,
hubris, breaching of the divine law, and violence (Op. 134-7; 145-6)) -> introduction of
hardships (Op. 133).
Hesiod’s description of the Golden Age reflects on the contemporary age by providing an
aetiology of the hardships to which mankind, especially the farmer, is necessarily
subjected, a story somewhat reminiscent of the Old Testament’s Fall of Man.
The necessity of toil
The Myths also appear to provide an answer to the question as to why contemporary man has to toil
by the sweat of his brow.
1. The past punishment may be interpreted as a warning against such acts of injustice as
committed by Prometheus and the Silver and Bronze Generations:
Hesiod explicitly warns us that if the current Iron Generation commits to injustice, Zeus will
destroy this generation too (Op. 180-94).
Hesiod acknowledges that good is mixed in with the current Iron Generation:
Whereas Zeus will inflict disaster on those who breach justice (Op. 238-43), Justice
herself will favour those who respect her with (Op. 225-37).
Earthen Generation (preceding our own Iron Generation) 4 -> example of how just
behaviour may be rewarded: They are said to have been “more just” (Op. 158-60) and
were awarded a place of natural abundance to live without cares (Op. 167; 170-3),
somewhat of a return to the existence of the Golden Generation.
Hesiod includes explicit admonitions to revere Justice:
on the individual level to this addressee Perseus (Op. 213-8; 274-5)
on the societal level to the ruler (Op. 258-64)
Justice appears to be closely related to the notion of toil:
At the very start of the poem, Hesiod speaks of two kinds of Eris, an evil one promoting
strife, and a beneficial one rousing people to work (Op. 11-20).
Necessity that steers mankind to the evil kind of Eris (Op. 15-6) -> it poses a threat to
Justice. For necessity drives man to quarrels over life-sustenance (Op. 30-5) -> acts of
injustice.
Envy promotes the Eris which rouses people to work -> some kind of healthy
competitiveness -> preventing necessity (Op. 21-9) -> hard work may prevent
injustice.
Thus, Hesiod’s Myth of the Generations provides an exhortation to the contemporary age: through
hard work, mankind can avert injustice, thus preventing a further decline of the world.
3
Baldry (p. 91) suggests that the reason why this past generation is associated with gold has to do with the
association of different generations of mankind with different metals: “Following the
train of thought suggested by iron and bronze, and seeking a metal which could give its name to the happy
time when men lived like gods, he chose gold”. Silver would naturally come between bronze and gold.
4
Since, this generation consists in mythological figures (Op. 161-6) familiar to Hesiod’s they are appropriate
examples.
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