person
Atilius (tragic poet)
Atilius
also: Atilii, Atilius
An early Roman dramatist who translated Sophocles's Electra into Latin; Lucilius called him a 'ferreus scriptor', an iron writer. Cicero cites him as a rough translator who must nonetheless be read, since one ought not to be ignorant of native Roman literature.
Reading notes
- On the Ends of Good and Evil §1.4 Atilius's poor translation
Atilius was an early Roman dramatist who put Sophocles's Electra into Latin. Lucilius dismissed him as a 'ferreus scriptor', an iron writer, but Cicero insists he should still be read.
- Tusculan Disputations §4.25 the misogynist \textit{[Greek: misogynōi]} of Atilius
Greek misogynos, woman-hater; the reference is to a misogynist character in a play by the Roman tragedian Atilius. The aversion is born of fear, the contrary of the diseases born of desire.