Virgil
Roman poet of the epic Aeneid, a major influence on Western literature for centuries Show bio
Bio
Virgil considered a career in law and public speaking before turning to poetry. He came from a village in northern Italy, according to ancient accounts of his life.
Virgil first wrote the Eclogues, poems set in the world of shepherds. He used two of them to show the brutal seizure of northern Italian farms for soldiers. Virgil went on to write the epic Aeneid, which a fellow poet later helped finish.
He soon replaced older poets as the standard author taught in schools. Virgil became Dante's guide through Hell and Purgatory in the Divine Comedy.