Forme e funzioni delle citazioni virgiliane nell’epistolario di Simmaco

The quotations from Virgil in his letters display Symmachus’ profound knowledge of the Augustan poet, but closer analysis brings out the freedom with which the quoted text is handled. Virgilian verses are often given new meanings when reused in quite different contexts. They are also sometimes enriched with a metaphorical nuance that brings a semantic transposition into the new literary context. And they are also reworked in order to adapt them to the rhythmic prose of the letters.