Question

Comment on the epigraph of the poem London by Samuel Johnson .(English Honours )​

Answer 1

Answer:

Dr. Samuel Johnson wrote 'London' in 1738 in response to Juvenal's Third Satire. Umbricius flees Rome in Juvenal due to corruption and hypocrisy. Thales is leaving London in Johnson's poem because of the vices and follies of the people who live there. There are 263 lines in this poem. The narrator or Johnson speaks the first 34 lines of the poem. Thales is the only other speaker.

Explanation:

"———Quis ineptæ

Tam patiens Urbis, tam ferreus ut teneat se?"

The epigraph comes from Juvenal's satire. It can be translated as "Who can bear this monstrous city, who has such iron will?" The first two lines establish the tone and mood of the piece. These lines portray city life as pointless. Those who live there can no longer be satisfied with the situation. These lines, in some ways, hint at what Samuel Johnson was going to write in his poem 'London.' They also show what the narrator is thinking about Thales and his friend. These lines portray city life as pointless. Those who live there can no longer be satisfied with the situation. These lines, in some ways, hint at what Samuel Johnson was going to write in his poem 'London.' They also show what the narrator is thinking about Thales and his friend.

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