35 pages • 1 hour read
VirgilThe Eclogues
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Eclogue 7Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Eclogue 7 Summary
Eclogue 7 reintroduces characters from earlier poems: Corydon, who lamented his unrequited love for Alexis in Eclogue 2, and Meliboeus, who was forced to leave his farm in Eclogue 1. Theirs is a happier scene: Meliboeus presides over another singing contest between Corydon and a new character, Thyrsis. Putting off his afternoon chores, Meliboeus is eager to judge the competition in the scenic beauty of the countryside (Lines 14-17).
Both shepherds begin by offering ritual gifts to various deities to aid them in their songs: The Muses (Lines 21-24), the virgin woodland goddess Artemis (called Delia here, after her birthplace Delos) (Lines 29-30), the fertility god Priapus (Lines 33-36), and Galataea, a sea nymph (Lines 37-40). The men alternate, detailing the loveliness of the forests and meadows in which they pasture their flocks (Lines 41-52) as well as their devotion to their loved ones, Alexis and Phyllis (Lines 53-68). In the end, Meliboeus declares Corydon the winner.
Eclogue 7 Analysis
Eclogue 7 returns to the conventional subject matter of earlier entries, though it shows more poetic sophistication than the similar Eclogue 3. The poem lacks intrusions of historical Roman figures (like Varus in Eclogue 4); the pastoral fantasy is consistent and maintained throughout. But Meliboeus does mention putting off afternoon duties to preside over the contest, suggesting that he and his fellow shepherds do more than just make merry all day.
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