<p>The Eclogues of Virgil, composed during the tumultuous period of the late Roman Republic, epitomizes the pastoral genre, blending lyrical beauty with philosophical inquiry. Through ten poems, Virgil captures the idyllic life of shepherds, serving both as a homage to the simplicity of rural existence and a subtle critique of contemporary societal woes. His imaginative embrace of myth and nature reflects the poetic tradition of Theocritus while ...