Season 8 · Episode 655
S8 Ep655: 2. The Craft of Translating Virgil into Iambic Pentameter Guest Authors: Scott McGill and Susanna Wright (3) The translators explain their pivotal decision to render Virgil’s dactylic hexameter into English iambic pentameter. They argue this meter serves
The John Batchelor Show · John Batchelor
March 29, 20267m 42s
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Show Notes
2. The Craft of Translating Virgil into Iambic Pentameter Guest Authors: Scott McGill and Susanna Wright (3)
The translators explain their pivotal decision to render Virgil’s dactylic hexameter into English iambic pentameter. They argue this meter serves as a cultural equivalent to heroic verse in English, providing a structured yet accessible feel for modern readers. The discussion highlights technical challenges, such as replicating Virgil’s use of alliteration, assonance, and purposeful repetition to maintain the poem's musicality and thematic links. A key example is their translation of "fortune defends the daring," chosen through collaborative debate to capture the specific military and thematic nuances surrounding the character Turnus in a Roman context. (4)
1450 VIRGIL READING THE AENEID TO AUGUSTUS
The translators explain their pivotal decision to render Virgil’s dactylic hexameter into English iambic pentameter. They argue this meter serves as a cultural equivalent to heroic verse in English, providing a structured yet accessible feel for modern readers. The discussion highlights technical challenges, such as replicating Virgil’s use of alliteration, assonance, and purposeful repetition to maintain the poem's musicality and thematic links. A key example is their translation of "fortune defends the daring," chosen through collaborative debate to capture the specific military and thematic nuances surrounding the character Turnus in a Roman context. (4)
1450 VIRGIL READING THE AENEID TO AUGUSTUS