Claudian (Claudius Claudianus)

The poetry of Claudian dating from the 4th century and the early years of the 5th century ce, has won admirers from its first reception to the 21st century. The corpus of the poet, a native Greek speaker, is bilingual; however, the majority of his extant works are in Latin, produced after his move to the West. Most of these aim to promote the deeds and ambitions of his patron Stilicho, the power behind the throne of the young emperor Honorius. His talent was recognized by the general following his apparent debut at Rome in 395 ce with a panegyric for the consuls-elect Olybrius and Probinus. Claudian was skillful at turning his pen to best serve the political interests of the court and Stilicho against a fast-moving, complex political backdrop. He was adept at exploiting in an innovative fashion his knowledge of rhetorical theory and classical literature. His oeuvre is marked by variety of style, form, length, and content. It ranges from the obviously political poems, such as consular panegyrics lauding Honorius and Stilicho and the epics prompted by contemporary events, to his three-book mythological epic, the De Raptu Proserpinae.