The Roman Poet Martial: His Life and Times

Who is Martial?

His Works

• Marcus Valerius Martialis was born on March 1 between 38 and 41 A.D at Bilbilis, Spain. He was a Roman citizen, although of Celtic and Iberian stock, and was given a good literary education by his parents, Fronto and Flaccilla who appear to have died in his youth.
• His home was evidently one of rude comfort and plenty, sufficiently in the country to afford him the amusements of hunting and fishing, which he often recalls with keen pleasure, and sufficiently near the town to afford him the companionship of many comrades.
• After completing his education, he came to Rome at the age of 24. Determined to make his fortune as a verse writer, he soon attached himself under the powerful patronage of his fellow Spaniards Seneca and Lucan, who kept him around for his wit. In AD 65 Piso's conspiracy against Nero was discovered, and Seneca and Lucan were implicated and met their deaths. Their condemnations by Nero and deaths meant he had to find his own way. He won the protection of certain noblemen and the favour of the Emperors Titus and, later, Domitian.
• One aspect to his life that may have been an advantage to his satirical writings was that he had contact with many diverse groups of people, from emperors to slaves, both men and women. .

Questions:

Patronage and Poems

• Over next 15 years he continued to write well-timed poems to gain imperial patronage.
• He was then praised and he flattered Titus and Domitian.

Martial gained a reputation as a talented and entertaining poet, specializing in epigrams (short poems with a witty ending). He is a Roman poet and satirist and he wrote in many different genres.

• Martial is considered as the..?
• How many books are there in his work "Epigrams"?
• What depicts Martial's "Epigrams"?

His Persona

Martial does not hold back in his censure of many people and types. He disapproves of everything from stingy hosts to bores and even criticizes doctors. He also often has the potential of being rather obscene, while at the same time he expresses an appreciation for nature and shows a genuine sensitivity to human character.

Liber Spectaculorum or The Book of Spectacles

• A verse narrative commemorating the opening of the Roman Colosseum in A.D. 80
• Martial describes some of the highlights of the occasion such as -- encounters between professional gladiators, a mock sea battle, and a fight between a rhinoceros and a bull.
• All the descriptions include extravagant praise for the emperor Titus, who built the Colosseum and sponsored its inauguration.

"Epigrams"

• Martial's keen curiosity and power of observation are manifested in his epigrams.
• Though not the first Roman poet to write in an epigrammatic style he is widely considered to have brought the epigram to its acme as a literary genre; thus he is rightly considered the 'Father of the Epigram.'
• The 12 books established the definitive form of the epigram, a brief, satirical, biting poetic form with an unexpected sting in its tail. These poems, natural and sober in expression, reflect Roman society of the time (which he was intimately connected) with irony and realism.

Some of his "best-known epigrams"

• “Live for today; tomorrow is too late.”
• “If fame comes after death, then I’m in no hurry for it.”
• “Why do strong arms fatigue themselves with frivolous dumbbells? To dig a vineyard is worthier exercise for men.”
• “Conceal a flaw, and the world will imagine the worst.”

"Xenia and Apophoreta"

• About five years later, Martial published two collections of mottoes that could be used to accompany gifts: Xenia and Apophoreta; in modern editions, these are generally represented as Books 13 and 14 of Martial's epigrams.
• Xenia comprises 127 pieces—all except three in the form of couplets—appropriate for gifts of food and wine.
• The Apophoreta includes 223 verses, also in distichs; these would serve for a wide array of both cheap and expensive "gifts to take home" after Saturnalia celebrations—including housewares, toiletries, objects d'art, and pets.

The Roman Poet Martial: His Life and Times