Human and Divine Agency with respect to Time in the Poetry of Horace and Prudentius

Abstract

This thesis investigates the agency that human beings and divine beings have with respect to time as depicted in the poetry of Horace and Prudentius. The nature of this agency is illuminated through an exploration of each poet’s portrayal of the relationship between time, human beings, and divine beings, and the similarities and differences in these portrayals are analysed with a view to understanding the philosophical progression that took place between the poets’ lifetimes. In order to determine Horace’s and Prudentius’ individual understandings of the subject, relevant passages from each poet’s works are analysed and discussed, with particular attention paid to word choice, word order, and allusions to other Greek and Latin authors. The particular historical, cultural, and religious context of each poet is also considered, and the philosophical implications of the rise of Christianity in the Roman world are addressed.

The case study central to this thesis that compares Horace’s poetry to that of Prudentius constitutes the first in-depth exploration of both the nature and the significance of human and divine agency with respect to time as depicted in each poet’s works. The broad ideological development that took place between Horace’s lifetime and Prudentius’ is evidenced by the differences in their approaches to the same temporal concepts, while their similarities are revelatory of Prudentius’ reception of Horace and the linguistic, conceptual, and cultural threads that link their poetic corpora. While each poet has his own view of the power structure that exists between human beings, divine beings, and time, both conclude that it is through the ethical use of their lives that human beings can gain a form of freedom from time. For Horace, this freedom entails the conscious focus on enjoying the present moment within time, and for Prudentius, eternal existence with God after the end of time.

Date of Award	18 Jun 2024
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	University of Bristol
Supervisor	Karla Pollmann (Supervisor), Esther Eidinow (Supervisor) & Laura Jansen (Supervisor)