Veni, vidi, vici

Veni, vidi, vici (Classical Latin: [ˈu̯eːniː ˈu̯iːdiː ˈu̯iːkiː], Ecclesiastical Latin: [ˈveni ˈvidi ˈvitʃi]; "I came; I saw; I conquered") is a Latin phrase used to refer to a swift, conclusive victory. The phrase is popularly attributed to Julius Caesar who, according to Appian,[1] used the phrase in a letter to the Roman Senate around 47 BC after he had achieved a quick victory in his short war against Pharnaces II of Pontus at the Battle of Zela (modern-day Zile, Turkey).[2]

A view from the 4,000-year-old historical castle column piece in Zile, Turkey where Julius Caesar said "Veni, vidi, vici".

The phrase is attributed in Plutarch's Life of Caesar and Suetonius's Lives of the Twelve Caesars: Julius. Plutarch writes that Caesar used it in a report to Amantius, a friend of his in Rome.[3] Suetonius states that Caesar displayed the three words as an inscription during his Pontic triumph.[4]

Allusions and references

Variations of the sentence Veni, vidi, vici are often quoted, and also used in music, art, literature, and entertainment.

Since the time of Caesar, the phrase has been used in military contexts. King Jan III of Poland alluded to it after the 17th-century Battle of Vienna, saying Venimus, Vidimus, Deus vicit ("We came, we saw, God conquered").[5] In 2011, then US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton referred to the death of Muammar Gaddafi with a similar phrase, saying "We came, we saw, he died".[6]

The sentence has also been used in music, including several well-known works over the years. The opening of Handel's 1724 opera Giulio Cesare contains the line: Curio, Cesare venne, e vide e vinse ("Curio, Caesar came, saw and conquered"). In popular music, it is expected that the audience will know the original quotation, so modified versions are frequently used. This can range from slight changes in perspective, as in the title song in the musical Mame (You came, you saw, you conquered) or the 1936 song These Foolish Things (Remind Me of You) (You came, you saw, you conquered me) to wordplay, such as in the album title Veni Vidi Vicious by Swedish band The Hives or Pitbull's song "Fireball" (I saw, I came, I conquered Or should I say, I saw I conquered, I came) or Ja Rule's debut album Venni Vetti Vecci.

The phrase appears in a variety of cultural contexts, such as this Philip Morris logo, from a pack of Marlboro cigarettes.

The phrase has also been heavily referenced in literature and film. The title of French poet Victor Hugo's Veni, vidi, vixi ("I came, I saw, I lived"), written after the death of his daughter Leopoldine at age 19 in 1843, uses the allusion with its first verse: J'ai bien assez vécu...("I have lived quite long enough..."). Peter Venkman, one of the protagonists in the 1984 film Ghostbusters, delivers a humorous variation: "We came. We saw. We kicked its ass!" This line was among the 400 nominees for the AFI's 100 Years...100 Movie Quotes.[7]

Grammar

Latin

Veni, vidi, and vici are first person singular perfect indicative active forms of the Latin verbs venire, videre, and vincere, which mean "to come", "to see", and "to conquer", respectively. The sentence's form is classed as a tricolon and a hendiatris.

English

The English phrase "I came, I saw, I conquered" employs what is known as a comma splice. Grammarians generally agree that using a comma to join two independent clauses should be done sparingly.[8] Sometimes, the comma splice is avoided by using a semicolon instead: "I came; I saw; I conquered".[9] Alternatively, "I came, I saw, I conquered" can be justified as an example of asyndeton, where the lack of the expected conjunction emphasizes the suddenness and swiftness of Caesar's victories.

See also
Look up veni, vidi, vici in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.
  • Isocolon
  • List of Latin phrases
  • Ut est rerum omnium magister usus

Notes
  1. Ando, Clifford (2000). Imperial Ideology and Provincial Loyalty in the Roman Empire. Berkeley: University of California Press. p. 389. ISBN 9780520923720. Retrieved 7 January 2016.
  2. "HISTORY OF JULIUS CAESAR". historyworld.net.
  3. Plutarch, Life of Caesar from penelope.uchicago.edu
  4. Suetonius, Lives of the Twelve Caesars: Julius from penelope.uchicago.edu
  5. Bulifon, Antonio (1698). Lettere memorabili, istoriche, politiche, ed erudite. Vol. I. Pozzuoli: Bulifon. p. 177.
  6. Daly, Corbett (20 October 2011). "Clinton on Qaddafi: "We came, we saw, he died"". CBSNEWS. CBS Interactive Inc. Retrieved 7 November 2014.
  7. "AFI's 100 Years...100 Movie Quotes—400 nominated movie quotes" (PDF). American Film Institute. p. 36. Retrieved July 18, 2012.
  8. Merrell, Andrea. Murder of a Manuscript: Writing and Editing Tips to Keep Your Book Out of the Editorial Graveyard, p. 25 (Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas, 2016).
  9. Smith, Christopher. Barron's GED Canada: High School Equivalency Exam, p. 170 (Barron's Educational Series, 2008).
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