Open AccessLucretius. The Plague of Athens
Author(s) -
Gabriela Radu
Publication year - 2022
Publication title -
analele universităţii de vest din timişoara. seria ştiinţe filologice
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 1224-967X
DOI - 10.35923/autfil.59.07
Subject(s) - plague (disease) , poetry , depiction , literature , history , philosophy , art , ancient history
Lucretius’ On the Nature of Things, a poem that tries to convey the philosophy of Epicurus in verse, was published sometime in the 50s BCE. In the final book of his poem (Book VI), Lucretius describes the same plague in Athens as in Thucydides’ History. This work aims to analyze how Lucretius describes the anxiety and the fear accompanying the physical symptoms of the plague and, by establishing this connection, how he offers a dramatic depiction of a devastating epidemic.