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MMW 12 Critical Analysis 1
Critical Analysis 1: The Cleopatra Ode
Reading poetry is tricky business. There’s a density of language that can make a poem
hard to untangle. But that makes it a great first writing assignment for your time in
MMW 12. Horace’s Cleopatra Ode celebrates the end of the Civil War and Augustus’
victory at the Battle of Actium. At first, it reads as a simple celebration of victory and of
Augustus. But, the poem is interesting because it quickly complicates that opening
premise. And in addition, it offers a very “revisionist” account of the war between
Antony and Augustus.
Prompt: In your Critical Analysis, identify one way in which Horace complicates, blurs,
undercuts, or otherwise “messes with” the simple celebration of Augustus’ victory that is
the theme promised by the opening lines (“Now drink!”).
There are several lines of inquiry you could take (choose one, don’t cover them all):
a) How does our view of Cleopatra change over the course of the poem?
b) When is Augustus present in the poem, and when is he not present? Is this poem
really “about” Augustus at all?
c) The poem starts with “celebratory drinking.” How do drinking and its
connotations change as the poem proceeds?
d) What are the similes and metaphors used in the poem, and how do they color a
template in which Augustus = good, and Cleopatra = bad?
e) The poem celebrates the end of civil war between Antony and Augustus. Where is
Antony in this poem? What kind of “war” is Horace imagining?
Nuts and Bolts: Essays should be c. 500-750 words, and are due by the Wednesday of
Week 3, end of day. Submit them via the “CA 1” assignment on your section page. My
lecture on Augustus will be helpful, so please watch it before diving into this assignment.
Most importantly, make sure to use quotations and close reading to substantiate your
argument! That’s absolutely essential to be successful in the assignment. In addition,
make sure to develop a specific, concrete argument in answer to these questions. Don’t
just summarize and recapitulate the prompts.