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The Eclogues · Theme
Displacement and Loss
How The Eclogues develops Displacement and Loss.
The theme of forced exile and loss of homeland is central, especially in Pastoral I and IX, where shepherds like Meliboeus are driven from their ancestral lands by political upheaval and military confiscations, contrasting with the security of Tityrus.
Where it surfaces
- Pastoral I: Tityrus and Meliboeus
Meliboeus's forced exile and the loss of his farm, family, and homeland dominate the poem. His lament for his pastures, goats, and rural life underscores the theme of displacement.
- Pastoral IX: Lycidas and Moeris
Moeris is expelled from his farm by a centurion, symbolizing the violent upheaval of rural life during the land confiscations.
- Pastoral X: Gallus
Gallus is displaced from his pastoral ideal by war and Lycoris's abandonment, longing for a simpler life.