Nathan Budge | 2026 I.S. Symposium

Name: Nathan Budge
Title: Artistic Liberation in Exile: Ovid’s Bid for Immortality
Major: Classical Studies
Minor: Art History
Advisor: Josephine Shaya

Ovid, one of the Roman Empire’s foremost Latin poets, was abruptly exiled for reasons lost to history. This Independent Study approaches the complex question of what Ovid’s legacy ultimately is. A chronological, comparative analysis of Ovid’s works reveals how the poet reshapes his legacy in response to his exile. Ovid pens an account of his exile in the Tristia (“Sorrows”), a work with lament at the heart of its poetic mastery. By examining parallels in the poet’s works before and after his exile, the Tristia triumphantly emerges as a testament to his talent, which he paradoxically insists is waning. In terms of his meter and allusions to myth in the Tristia, Ovid’s genius and wit are unrivaled, aligning the poet’s song of exile with his prominent Amores and Metamorphoses. The Tristia, therefore, cements Ovid’s status as an immortal poet, for whom exile was an unwanted but newfound source of inspiration. This project interests me because the Tristia is a lesser-known work of Ovid, but it still deserves recognition in undergraduate Classics courses. I am excited to delve deep into these Latin passages and examine their intrinsic value in the poet’s art. Going forward, I would like to potentially expand on Ovid’s crafted response to exile and its implications for the poet’s reception. Through my research, I discovered that the historical facts of Ovid’s exile merit further investigation. Researching Ovid is the perfect marriage of art and history, as one discerns the truth about his life while studying his poetry for its creative genius.

Posted in Symposium 2026 on May 1, 2026.