Martial

• Marcus Valerius Martialis (1 Mar 40-c.104 CE), also known as Martial, was a Roman Satirist, born and educated in Hispania (Spain), and lived and worked in Rome.
• Martial was the Master of Satire. He is acknowledged as the creator of the modern Epigram, developing them as Satirical Poems with a joke in the last line.

Writing Style

• The Elegiac Couplet:
  • These are paired verses copied by the Romans from the Greek lyric Poets.
  • The first line has a Dactylic Hexameter verse. This consists of six ‘Feet’ or ‘Dactyls’:
    • Each ‘Foot’ or ‘Dactyl’ is made of a long and a short syllable, or two short syllables, or one long Syllable, or two long syllables, or one long and two short syllables.
  • The second line has a Dactylic Pentameter verse.
    • This contains five ‘Feet’ or ‘Dactyls’.

Works

• ‘The Epigrams’
  • In 12 Books, about Life in Rome and published between 86-103 CE.