How to evaluate Virgil, an ancient Roman poet

Publius vergilius maro (Latin: publius vergilius maro, often translated from English Virgil or Virgil into Virgil) was an ancient Roman poet in Augustus' time.

His works include three masterpieces: Pastoral, King George and Aeneas. Among them, the 12-volume Aeneas is the masterpiece representing the highest achievement of Roman Empire literature. Therefore, he was also regarded as a national poet by the Romans, and was widely regarded as the greatest poet in ancient Rome and even one of the greatest writers in the history of world literature by contemporary and later generations.

Virgil's masterpiece Aeneas is an epic based on Homer. This work of Virgil has had a wide and far-reaching influence on later generations. Writers influenced by Virgil include but are not limited to: Roman poets Horace and Ovid; Italian poet Dante; British writers Spencer, Milton, Pope, Shakespeare, Keats; American writer Thoreau, etc.

In the middle ages, Virgil was regarded as a saint by Christianity; His Aeneas was regarded as a sacred prophecy book in the Middle Ages, and Virgil's prophecy was derived from this book. Virgil's most famous influence in the history of literature is Dante's Divine Comedy, in which he appears as Dante's protector and teacher.

Virgil changed the form of Latin poetry forever and greatly influenced later poets and scholars. Virgil's three works, especially Aeneas's, have always been Chinese textbooks in ancient Rome and are widely known by educated Romans. Quintilian, a Roman poet, thinks that Latin teaching in all schools in Rome should be based on reading Virgil's works. In later generations, many writers created their own poems by quoting, transforming and imitating Virgil's poems. Ovid, a contemporary Roman poet, imitated the opening of Aeneas in his work Amos. Famous imitations appeared in chapters 13 and 14 of Metamorphosis, in which Ovid told the story of Aeneas, so chapter 14 was also called "Little Aeneas". Similarly, Horace also imitated Aeneas in Song of the Century, which reflected the great influence of Virgil's masterpiece in many places, both in theme and content. The Roman poet Stadius also clearly expounded the influence of Egypt in his book Thebaid, and wrote in the postscript: "This book is not to compete with the great Aeneas, but to follow its footsteps and express its awe."

Because of the fourth poem in the pastoral poetry collection, Virgil will be regarded by Christians as a saint before the birth of Jesus (like Socrates) in the near future.