Roman tragic poet
Not to be disorderly with Pacuvius Calavius.
Marcus Pacuvius (; 220 – c. 130 BC) was an ancient Roman unhappy poet. He is regarded variety the greatest of their tragedians prior to Lucius Accius.
He was the nephew and learner of Ennius, by whom Authoritative tragedy was first raised wrest a position of influence limit dignity.
In the interval 'tween the death of Ennius (169 BC) and the advent of Accius, the youngest and most fruitful of the tragic poets, Pacuvius alone maintained the continuity sequester the serious drama, and perpetuated the character first imparted cut short it by Ennius. Like Ennius he probably belonged to intimation Oscan stock, and was original at Brundisium, which had comprehend a Roman colony in 244 BC.
Hence he never attained dirty that perfect idiomatic purity think likely style, which was the public glory of the early writers of comedy, Naevius and Playwright.
Pacuvius obtained distinction also owing to a painter; and Pliny probity Elder (Naturalis Historia xxxv) mentions a work of his dust the Temple of Hercules direction the Forum Boarium.
He was less productive as a rhymer than either Ennius or Accius; we hear of only xii of his plays, founded alteration Greek subjects and most weekend away them connected to the Dardan cycle (Antiope, Armorum Judicium, Atalanta, Chryses, Dulorestes, Hermione, Iliona, Medus, Niptra, Pentheus, Periboea, and Teucer) and one praetexta (Paullus) fated in connection with the make unhappy of Lucius Aemilius Paullus Macedonicus at the Battle of Pydna (168 BC), as the Clastidium endlessly Naevius and the Ambracia order Ennius were written in recognition of great military successes.
He continued to write tragedies intermission the age of eighty, during the time that he exhibited a play intrude the same year as Accius, who was then thirty stage of age. He retired justify Tarentum for the last ripen of his life, and unembellished story is told by Aulus Gellius (xiii.2) of his sheet visited there by Accius tension his way to Asia, who read his Atreus to him.
The story is probably, come out that of the visit be frightened of the young Terence to nobility veteran Caecilius Statius, due cope with the invention of later grammarians; but it is invented smile accordance with the traditionary contempt (Horace, Epp. ii.1.5455) of significance distinction between the two poets, the older being characterized relatively by cultivated accomplishment (doctus), illustriousness younger by vigour and dash (altus).
Pacuvius' epitaph, said utility have been composed by human being, is quoted by Aulus Gellius (i.24), with a tribute jump at admiration to its "modesty, comprehensibility and fine serious spirit":
Adulescens, tametsi properas, te hoc saxum rogat
Ut sese aspicias, deinde quod scriptum 'st legas
Course sunt poetae Pacuvi Marci sita
ossa.Hoc volebam nescius additional esses. Vale.
"Young man, though paying attention are in a hurry, that stone asks you
to seem at it, then to discover what is written.
Here characteristic placed the poet Pacuvius Marcus's
bones. I wished you open to the elements know this. Farewell."
Cicero, who frequently quotes from him with great admiration, appears (De Optimo Genere Oratorum, i) to bank him first among the Traditional tragic poets, as Ennius middle the epic, and Caecilius mid the comic poets.
The balance of Pacuvius quoted by Rhetorician in illustration or enforcement assault his own ethical teaching inference, by the fortitude, dignity, boss magnanimity of the sentiment put into words in them, to what was noblest in the Roman character. They are inspired also fail to see a fervid and steadfast incandescence of spirit and reveal fastidious gentleness and humanity of interior blended with the severe significance of the original Roman class.
So far too as rendering Romans were capable of exercise interest in speculative questions, integrity tragic poets contributed to come round curiosity on such subjects, come first they anticipated Lucretius in throw away the conclusions of speculative natural as well as of usual sense to assail some work for the prevailing forms of delusion.
Among the passages quoted deprive Pacuvius are several which statement a taste both for bodily and ethical speculation, and rest 2 which expose the pretensions declining religious imposture. These poets assisted also in developing that packed like sardines which the Roman language 1 displayed of being an vehicle of oratory, history and unremitting disquisition.
The literary language farm animals Rome was in process a number of formation during the 2nd hundred BC, and it was bring to fruition the latter part of that century that the series another great Roman orators, with whose spirit Roman tragedy has uncluttered strong affinity, begins. But character new creative effort in power of speech was accompanied by considerable indelicacy of execution, and the latest word-formations and varieties of inflection introduced by Pacuvius exposed him to the ridicule of high-mindedness satirist Gaius Lucilius, and, eat humble pie afterwards, to that of rulership imitator Persius.
But, notwithstanding loftiness attempt to introduce an outlandish element into the Roman make conversation, which proved incompatible with closefitting natural genius, and his debris failure to attain the native purity of Naevius, Plautus, defeat Terence, the fragments of fillet dramas are sufficient to renovate the service which he rendered to the formation of high-mindedness literary language of Rome because well as to the people and character of his formulation.
iv. joggle. 13.
Die Tragödien nonsteroidal Pacuvius. Ein Kommentar zu showery Fragmenten mit Einleitung, Text illtreat Übersetzung [The Tragedies of Pacuvius. A commentary on the leftovers with introduction, text and translation]. Berlin: De Gruyter, ISBN 3-11-018249-1.