The Eclogues · Theme
Love and Desire
How The Eclogues develops Love and Desire.
Unrequited love and passionate longing dominate several eclogues, such as Corydon's hopeless pursuit of Alexis in Pastoral II and Gallus's despair over Lycoris in Pastoral X, often expressed through pastoral imagery and lament.
Where it surfaces
- Pastoral II: Alexis
Corydon's intense but unreciprocated love for Alexis drives the entire eclogue, exploring the pain and futility of desire.
- Pastoral III: Palaemon
Both singers express longing for their beloveds—Damoetas for Phyllis, Menalcas for Amyntas—and describe the pains and pleasures of love.
- Pastoral VII: Meliboeus
Both Corydon and Thyrsis sing of their beloveds—Galatea, Alexis, Phyllis, Lycidas—tying desire to the natural world.
- Pastoral VIII: Pharmaceutria
Both songs explore the extremes of love: Damon's despair at rejection and the enchantress's desperate use of magic to reclaim her beloved.
- Pastoral X: Gallus
Gallus's unrequited love for Lycoris drives the entire poem, exploring the pain and obsession of desire.