Real

Rome

Rome is recalled by Virgil as the city in which he lived during the reign of Augustus, thus defining his historical identity as a poet born in Mantua.

Description

In the first canto of the Inferno, Virgil presents himself to Dante, specifying that he lived in Rome under good Augustus, delimiting with names and dates his own historical reality as a poet. This indication connects the figure of Virgil to the providential mission of Rome, a central theme of the poem, and establishes a parallel between Augustan Rome and the Italy of Dante's time, in need of imperial renewal. The mention of Rome thus intertwines with the political prophecies of the canto, where the reforming action of the future liberator is conceived as a continuation of the historical function of the Roman Empire.

In the text

Linked verses

18 verses