Lucan was one of the most influential writers of
the Pax Romana, or Roman Peace. A nephew of the
writer and philosopher SENECA, Lucan was born in
Córdoba, Spain, and educated in Athens, where he
became interested in the philosophy of Stoicism.
He later moved to Rome to serve in the government
of Emperor Nero.When accused of plotting
against Nero, he committed suicide in A.D. 65.
During his brief life, Lucan produced many
poems and became a very popular writer. He was
greatly influenced by earlier Roman writers, especially
LIVY and VIRGIL, and much of his poetry was
written in praise of the Emperor Nero.
Lucan’s most famous and only extant work is
the Pharsalia, also called the Civil War, which poetically
describes the civil war between CAESAR and
Pompey. The 10 books of the Pharsalia begin with
Caesar’s crossing of the Rubicon and end with his
exploits in Egypt. More dramatic than historical,
the work is about 8,000 lines long and was left unfinished
at Lucan’s death. He possibly planned
more books narrating the events leading to Caesar’s
assassination in 46 B.C.
A primary theme of the Pharsalia is the idea
that a republican form of government is better
than a monarchy. The poem portrays Caesar as an
ambitious villain who seeks only personal power.
The hero of the poem is the republican figure Cato,
who is portrayed as fighting for Rome’s freedom.
Other themes of the work are horror at the idea of
family members fighting against one another, dismay
at the failure of the Roman Republic to live up
to its potential, and despair at the collapse of cosmic
order.
Though notably inaccurate in its historical details,
the Pharsalia’s dramatic appeal led readers of
the MIDDLE AGES and Renaissance to place Lucan in
the ranks of the classic writers he so admired, including
Virgil, HOMER, and OVID.
An English Version of a Work by Lucan
Lucan: Civil War. Translated by Susan H. Braud. Oxford:
Oxford University Press, 1992.
A Work about Lucan
Ahl, F. Lucan: An Introduction. Ithaca, N.Y.: Cornell
University Press, 1976.