Propertian Elegy and Augustan Moral State

Abstract

In considering why Propertius in the fourth book of his elegies renounced to write love poetry, gave up his "love struggle" and began to celebrate the Roman history in his elegiacs, it is possible to ascertain that the political circumstances at his time were not in favour of Roman elegy. Augustus was striving to enforce his restrictive moral legislation which prevented Roman citizens to marry in compliance with their feelings. Roman love elegy was in contradiction with the Augustus' aims to restore the Roman state with the new demographical politics and to revive the old honest mores maiorum. It is obvious that Propertius in his verses was obliged to celebrate the origin of Rome to support the Augustus' moral reform and that Roman love elegy had a short future because of this political constellation.