Virgil's Eclogues: Analysis and Summary of the Ten Pastoral Poems

Virgil's Eclogues: Pastoral Poetry and Themes

This is a series of songs inspired by the Greek Idylls of Theocritus, praising rural life and alternating narrative with dialogues between shepherds. Their discussions are often too sophisticated to come from men of the field, but this style is befitting a work intended for a demanding audience.

It is important to note that this model would be continued by authors of the Renaissance and Baroque periods to recreate the pastoral genre, featuring writers such as Garcilaso de la Vega and Cervantes himself. The genre also popularized the pose of the lover and the ungrateful beloved sufferer, themes so dear to court poets.

In 39 B.C., Virgil selected ten initial fragments and titled them the Eclogues. The work frequently features competitions between the shepherds, resolved through poetry, where verses achieve sublime ends. The following is a summary of the ten compositions.

Summary of the Ten Eclogues

1. Eclogue 1: Tityrus and Meliboeus

   The poem opens with a dialogue between two shepherds, Tityrus and Meliboeus. They reflect on the nostalgia of the homeland, exemplifying the conflict that emerged in the countryside following the redistribution of estates that took place with every change of government.

2. Eclogue 2: Coridon and Alexis

   Coridon laments his unrequited love for Alexis through a poetic and sentimental discourse. Halfway through the poem, he inherits the flute of Dametas. This inheritance has a metaphoric value and is an allusion to the work of Theocritus, changing the context.

3. Eclogue 3: Menalcas and Dametas

   A poetic competition between Menalcas and Dametas, who use rhetoric with such mastery and insight that even the appointed arbitrator cannot decide who is the victor.

4. Eclogue 4: The Prophetic Child

   The fourth Eclogue announces the birth of a child under whose rule a new Golden Age will begin. This has often been interpreted as a semi-prophetic allusion to the Christian Messiah, Jesus Christ, although Virgil actually referred to the son of Antony and Octavia, whose union, by the will of Octavian, was part of the Covenant of Brundisium (40 B.C.).

5. Eclogue 5: Mopsus and Menalcas

   A new contest among poets, this time Mopsus and Menalcas vie in praise for the death of Daphnis, another singer. The meaning of this composition is to honor the memory of the dead, but under a festive and benevolent complexion.

6. Eclogue 6: Silenus and Cornelius Gallus

   A tacit tribute to Varus. The poem tells a story in which two children tie up the sleeping Silenus, who, to gain his freedom, sings an eerie tune. In this style, we can identify recognition of Cornelius Gallus as one of the great poets of his time.

7. Eclogue 7: Thyrsis and Coridon

   Meliboeus lyrically tells of a third competition, this time more violent, in which Thyrsis was beaten by Coridon.

8. Eclogue 8: Damon and Alfesibeo

   Dedication to Pollio. Damon sings of unrequited love, and Alfesibeo tells a story where the conflict is resolved by a love spell.

9. Eclogue 9: Lycidas and Moeris

   A dialogue between the shepherds Lycidas and Moeris, making a critique of the excellence of Menalcas' compositions. This critique acquires significance as a measure of poetic merit over time.

10. Eclogue 10: Homage to Gallus

    Homage to Cornelius Gallus (whose influence is felt throughout the whole work) and the union of the erotic genre, love, and poetry.