User:Rlawless125/Virgil

Middle Ages[edit]
Gregory of Tours read Virgil, whom he quotes in several places, along with some other Latin poets, though he cautions that "we ought not to relate their lying fables, lest we fall under sentence of eternal death". In the Renaissance of the 12th century, Alexander Neckham placed the "divine" Aeneid on his standard arts curriculum, and Dido became the romantic heroine of the age. Monks like Maiolus of Cluny might repudiate what they called "the luxurious eloquence of Virgil", but they could not deny the power of his appeal.

Dante made Virgil his guide in Inferno and the greater part of Purgatorio in the Divine Comedy. In Canto 21 of Purgatorio, the pilgrim and Virgil encounter a shade named Statius, most notably known as the author of the Thebaid. It is here that Statius claims that Virgil, "was my mama and was my nurse in writing poetry," as well as wishing that he could have, "lived back there while Virgil was alive." Virgil does not wish for Statius to know his true identity turning to Dante with, "a look that silently said: 'Be Silent'". However, Dante, "smiled, like one who gives a hint," as to the irony of the situation. Statius misinterprets Dante's laughter for disdain and Virgil comes forth to reveal himself. Upon learning this, Statius moves to embrace Virgil as a fellow poet but he says, "Brother, do not, for you are a shade, and a shade is what you see," as he is a Christian who "exceeds him in the order of grace". In Canto 22 of Purgatorio, Statius claims that not only was Virgil his inspiration but also that, "Through you I became a poet, through you a Christian," after Statius poorly misinterpreted a line that Aeneas makes in the Aeneid and takes it as if Virgil himself spoke such words, "When I understood the place where you cry out, almost angry at human nature, 'Why do you, O holy hunger for gold.'" At the end of this exchange, Statius follows Dante and Virgil up Mt. Purgatory as he has gained access into Paradise and walks with Dante even after Virgil's departure in Canto 27.

Dante also mentions Virgil in De vulgari eloquentia, along with Ovid, Lucan and Statius, as one of the four regulati poetae (ii, vi, 7).