The Executed Philosopher | Boethius & Lady Fortuna 

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Boethius was renowned in the Middle Ages as a translator of Aristotle, and the author of the Consolation of Philosophy.
This he wrote while wrongfully imprisoned for accounts of treason and magic. He was an orator, poet, musician, and senator. Once the sole Consul for Theodoric, the Ostrogoth King over Italy at the time (493-526 CE)
Boethius sought to reconcile Aristotle and Plato from a Christian faith. In the Consolation, he makes no reference to major Christian themes. Rather he relies on Platonic and other Greek traditions to present his path to peace prior to impending execution.
Boethius did write at least three Christian-oriented tractates, unifying the Trinity and writing theological arguments. These are extant.
Boethius begins with a mystical vision of Lady Philosophy who sits at the edge of his couch. A series of dialogues begins between a despairing Boethius and Lady Philosophia, written with interspersed poetic verses.
Fortune (Fortuna, a Roman Goddess) and its unpredictable wheel become one of the themes in the Consolation.
Boethius was executed in 524, either by the swords of Theodoric’s soldiers or by the club of an executioner. He later received honors equal to Martyrs. His remains are entombed in San Pietro in Ciel d'Oro, in Pavia, Italy.
This video approaches a few of the themes found in Boethius' last year of literature.
Sources & Bibliography:
[ALL QUOTES DERIVED FROM] The Consolation of Philosophy, Boethius, translated into English Prose and Verse by H.R. JAMES, M.A., 1897. *public domain
The Consolation of Philosophy, Boethius, translated by S. J. Tester (LOEB CLASSICAL LIBRARY)
The Death of Boethius and the 'Consolation of Philosophy’, Danuta Shanzer, Hermes, 112. Bd., H. 3 (3rd Qtr., 1984), pp. 352-366
Boethius, Last of the Romans, John Magee, Carmina Philosophiae, Vol. 16, (2007).
Boethius in the Endless Mountains, Sally Ventura, CEA Critic, Vol. 72, No. 1, A Special Issue on the Fiction and Criticism of John Gardner
NOTICE: Most of the poems presented are not in their full form. No AI was used in any fashion to produce or provide images.
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“Indeed, the condition of human nature is just this; man towers above the rest of creation so long as he realizes his own nature, and when he forgets it, he sinks lower than the beasts. For other living things to be ignorant of themselves, is natural; but for man it is a defect.” - Boethius (d. 524 CE)