Book I
Satire I
Juvenal includes a record of tribulations and aggravations that cause him to write satire. He complains about the persistence of terrible pieces of literature and his determination of retaliating. He scorned the matters that were being written about and revealed his purpose to dedicate himself to satire. He includes accounts of ills such as the corruption among men, eunuchs getting married, profligacy of women, deceitfulness of guardians, the swift wealth obtained by uncultured acts of sycophancy and so on. He concludes with a resolution to attack these dangers as the traditional Roman virtues had disappeared from society.
Satire II
In this, the narrator states that he wants to escape civilization past the end of the world when he is challenged with moral hypocrisy. The satire is an active attack on the insincerity of the past philosophers and reformers. It brutally highlights their obliviousness and impiety. The comprehensive theme of the poem is gender inversion and Juvenal is perturbed by gender deviance.
Satire III
Umbritius is a friend of the narrator who is migrating from Rome to Cumae and stops to have a final conversation with him. Umbritius states that he is disgusted with the slick and immoral foreigners who have denied a real Roman the opportunities to thrive and prosper in his own land. He does not like the crowded state of the capital and looks forward to country life that is free from all such aggravations. He looks forward to the peace that comes with it.
Satire IV
This is a mock-epic tale of a fish that is so extraordinary that it was only fit for the emperor. The fish can neither be prepared by conventional means, nor can it be cut into portions. The council members are summoned to deal with this catastrophe. The subject of ridicule is emperor Domitian and his court.
Satire V
The poem is set at a dinner party. The patron, instead of indulging in acts of equality, highlights the superiority of himself and his colleagues by offering unequal quantities of food and drinks to everyone. Juvenal uses this satire to showcase the indignities that the poor were subjected to by the rich.
Book II
Satire VI
Satire VI is the longest and the most famous of the sixteen satires by Juvenal. The satire is directed against the female sex and alone comprises Book II. The all-encompassing theme of the poem is dissuading Postumus from getting married. The narrator gives examples of degraded state of morality, principally in females, to support his argument. Socially, the poem was given significant importance as it was perceived as a proof-text for misogynistic ideals.
Book III
Satire VII
This satire shows Juvenal returning to his recurrent theme of partisan economic values and is an account of the deterrence that literature suffered in the Rome. The satire begins with poetry and moves on to the subjects of history, law, oratory, rhetoric, and grammar. He criticises the Roman elite for their disinclination to support poets, lawyers and teachers.
Satire VIII
This satire criticises the impression that the pedigree of a person determines his or her worth. Juvenal establishes that even though we receive ranks and titles from our noble ancestors, if we do not uphold the very ideals that earned the title in the first place, we are not truly noble. The all-encompassing objective of this satire subsequently divides into various themes such as the extravagance of young nobility.
Satire IX
This satire is the last of Book III. It is in the form of a dialogue between the narrator and Nævolus. Nævolus is a male prostitute, the discontented dependent of a wealthy patron. The pathic debauchee after making him submissive to his unnatural lust, would starve, abuse and discard Nævolus. The whole theme of the satire is seemingly to teach the lesson that a life lived in sin is no different than a life of slavery.
Book IV
Satire X
This satire incorporates the vanity of human wishes that are imprudently sought from gods: wealth, power, beauty, children and so on. The narrator offers instances from the primary events of the lives of the most renowned characters and shows how little contentment is felt by the attainment of what we consider to be the greatest worldly blessings. The attainment of wealth, power, eloquence and longevity has been hazardous and disparaging to their seekers. He refutes the wisdom of acquiescing in the heavenly dispensations. He concludes with a prayer in which he vehemently exemplifies the objects that a rational being may keep in mind while approaching the almighty.
Satire XI
The main theme of this poem is that of self-awareness and restraint. Juvenal, under the premise of extending an invitation to his friend Persicus, takes time to articulate many commendable maxims for the regulation of life. He scorns the unhappy state to which an aristocratic had reduced himself by his indulgence and then presents the picture of own domestic economy. He settles the poem with a genuine recommendation to his friend to enjoy the present with gratification and await the future with serenity.
Satire XII
The poem addresses Corvinus, a friend of the poet. In the letter to Corvinus, Juvenal talks about the sacrificial vows he had made for Catullus, their common friend. Catullus had scarcely escaped shipwreck. Juvenal talks about the peril that Catullus had sustained and his own earnest gladness in his protection. Juvenal assures that his sacrifices are not to curry favour or gain something from Catullus.
Book V
Satire XIII
The poem is about Calvinus who had left an amount of money with someone who foreswore it. The annoyance and rage articulated by Calvinus at this breach of trust reached Juvenal who elects to calm and comfort him for the forfeiture. The poem is a discouragement from extreme rage and longing for vengeance when one is swindled. The poet suggests a philosophical restraint. The perspective that stems from that is that there are many things worse than financial loss.
Satire XIV
This satire focuses on self-improvement. It highlights the terrible way in which children pick up the vices of their parents. The poet points out the requirement and responsibility of providing them with instances of domestic purity and virtue. Avarice must be explicitly imparted as it runs not in accordance with, but contrary to nature.
Satire XV
The narrator stresses the criticality of consideration for others for the conservation of civilization. He gives appalling and repugnant examples of bigotry of the Egyptians. He states that while severe environments have called for desperate measures to preserve life, even the most unrestrained people have abstained from cannibalism. He concludes the satire with a fair and beautiful account of the derivation of civil society. He says that society hasn’t been founded on natural disposition, but on principles of mutual benevolence entrenched by God in man.
Satire XVI
Only around 60 lines of this satire have been conserved. The theme of those lines is the advantages relished by soldiers over civilians. While pointing out these advantages of military life to his friend, Gallus, Juvenal attacks with significant essence, the exclusive freedoms which the army has usurped.
