Editing Satires (Juvenal) (section)

===Book I===

''Satire 1'' -- The first satire begins with the words, "semper ego auditor tantum..." (lit. 'always, I am only heard'). Within this satire, [[Juvenal]] says his disgust in the spread of moral corruption has driven him to write [[satire]]. He says, "difficile est saturam non scribere" (lit. 'it is difficult to not write satire'), since there is so much to criticize in Rome. He lists [[Eunuch|eunuchs]] getting married, elite women performing in a beast hunt, and the dregs of society suddenly becoming wealthy by gross acts of [[sycophancy]], all as examples of widespread degeneracy. Overall, he sets the theme for his satires and emphasizes the power of it to expose wrongdoing-- crediting [[Gaius Lucilius|Lucilius]] in doing so.<ref>https://www.thelatinlibrary.com/juvenal/1.shtml</ref> 

''Satire 2'' -- The second satire opens, stating, "I would fain flee to [[Sarmatia]] and the frozen sea when people who ape the [[Curii]] and live like [[Bacchanalia|Bacchanals]] dare talk about morals". This satire largely attacks those who hide their vice beneath fake virtue and it targets [[Homosexuality|homosexuals]] especially. In it, he also defames the emperor [[Otho]] for bringing cosmetics while he was on campaign, states that Gracchus, a noble, married another man, but will remain infertile despite any number of whippings during [[Lupercalia]], and he also says the ghosts of great [[Roman people|Romans]] would feel ill upon seeing such men in the [[Underworld]].<ref>https://www.thelatinlibrary.com/juvenal/2.shtml</ref>

''Satire 3'' -- The third satire describes the decision of Umbricius, Juvenal's friend, to depart from Rome. Narrated by Umbricius, it states that an honest man cannot survive in Rome and complains about how it is impossible to compete with [[Greeks]] and [[Orientals]].<ref>https://www.thelatinlibrary.com/juvenal/3.shtml</ref> Within this satire, Juvenal calls [[Rome]] a, "a chaotic [[metropolis]] where life has become dangerous for honest men" <ref>(Conte, G. B., Fowler, D. P., & Most, G. W. (1999). Latin literature: A history. University of Chicago Press, pg 474 - 475)</ref>

''Satire 4'' -- The fourth satire is a mock heroic [[Epic poetry|epic]], describing a council convened by [[Domitian]]. Starting off with an invocation to the muse of [[epic poetry]], [[Calliope]], it mocks the absurdity of the situation with a fake sense of importance. Within it, [[Juvenal]] is summoned to the council to determine how to cook the gigantic [[turbot]] (''rhombus'') given to [[Domitian]] as a gift. It also discusses various other events, such as Crispinus buying a singular [[Mullet (fish)|mullet]] at the outrageous price of 6,000 [[Sestertius|sesterces]].<ref>https://www.thelatinlibrary.com/juvenal/5.shtml</ref>

''Satire 5'' -- The fifth satire describes the shame experienced by a client when his [[Patronage in ancient Rome|patron]], Virro, finally decided to extend to him an invitation to his dinner party. It criticizes the client, stating that, "a poor man’s stomach is easy to please, yet you suffer insults at a dinner party just for a free meal". It also states that, though they are at the same table, they are being treated completely differently, with the client being given much worse food while Virro eats delicacies. Overall, this satire is a brutal commentary on the social inequality of ancient [[Rome]], where the wealthy give their dependents the bare minimum in exchange for their loyalty.<ref>https://www.thelatinlibrary.com/juvenal/5.shtml</ref>