Question

Who were the roman satirists and what did they write about?

Answer 1

Two of the most famous Roman satirists were Horace and Juvenal.

Horace wrote about political issues, as well as everyday life of people in the Roman Empire - he used light-hearted humor in order to ridicule or mock the opinions about philosophy, which were usually wrong. His aim was to make people smile, not to anger them any further by mocking some of their flaws - he didn't try to attack anyone personally.

On the other hand, when it comes to Juvenal's satire, it was a lot harsher than Horace's. He viciously attacked anyone he disagreed with in his writing, ridiculing them in order to make fun of them in quite a negative and contemptuous way. He mocked the structure of the society, public officials, because he wanted to change both the society and its politics.