Knowledge and self-government in Horace’s Satire 2, 7
Abstract
In Satire 2, 7, the roles are reversed, since the satirist is not the poet Horace, but his slave Davus, who tells his master that he can be blamed for all the vices he had pointed out in the previous poems as part of society. We believe that by giving to his character a voice to mock his own flaws, the poet demonstrates his self-criticism, which would enable him to judge others. On the other hand, considering the political context of Rome in 30 BC, when the second book of Satires was published, we propose the interpretation that this poem may be subtly directed at the powerful ones of that time, such as Octavian and Maecenas, whom Horace would be advising that, before governing the city, they should know and govern themselves.
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