“The Old Lie” – The Roman Ode that Haunted the Trenches
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“The Old Lie” – The Roman Ode that Haunted the Trenches
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About this listen
This week, Jimmy and Armand dive into the conflicted world of Horace, the Roman poet who famously threw away his own shield, switched sides in a civil war and then wrote stirring verses urging young men to die for Rome’s new leadership.
We explore Horace’s transformation from the carefree party bard many imagine, into a potential imperial propagandist; how Augustus used poetry to shape public feeling; and how this short Latin phrase – once used to promote war – would echo across the centuries, only to be picked up and shattered by Wilfred Owen in his devastating First World War poem.
Also in this episode: a Roman consul who walks willingly to torture, Horace’s surprisingly cheeky thoughts on adultery, and how Yorkshire accents might just be the secret to perfect Latin pronunciation.
Main texts explored:
Horace – Odes, Book 3, Ode 2 (Angustam amice pauperiem pati) Contains the famous line: “Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori.”
Horace – Odes, Book 1, Ode 37 (Cleopatra Ode)
Horace – Odes, Book 3, Odes 1–6 (The “Roman Odes”) Explored generally.
Horace – Odes, Book 3, Ode 7 (Ode on Adultery)
Wilfred Owen – “Dulce et Decorum Est”
Cavafy – “Thermopylae” (modern poem)
Horace – Odes, Book 3, Ode 5 (Regulus Ode)
Presented by Armand D’Angour and Jimmy Mulville
Produced by Diggory Waite
A Hat Trick Production
For more on the charity Classics For All, who support state schools to introduce or develop the teaching of classical subjects sustainably on the curriculum or as an after school activity, visit www.classicsforall.org.uk
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