The Mirror\u27s Reflection: Virgil\u27s Aeneid in English Translation

Virgil’s Roman epic the Aeneid is one of the canonical works of Western culture. A classic in its own time, it continues to be used as a mirror to reflect on contemporary culture. I examine the history of the Aeneid in English translation from 1513 to 2005, specifically the translations of Book VI by Gavin Douglas, Thomas Phaer, John Dryden, C. Day Lewis, Robert Fitzgerald, Allen Mandelbaum, and Stanley Lombardo. Throughout, I discuss how each translator saw and emphasized the reflection of his own political, religious, and cultural concerns in the mirror of Virgil’s Aeneid