THE AENEID
THE AENEID
BY PUBLIUS VIRGILIUS MARO
“VIRGIL”
ROMAN CURRENT EVENTS
• 73 B.C.—SPARTACUS LEADS REVOLT
• 63 B.C.—CATALINE CONSPIRACY
• 44 B.C.—JULIUS CAESAR ASSASSINATED
• 42 B.C.—BATTLE OF PHILIPPI
• 31 B.C.—BATTLE OF ACTIUM
• ROME’S PATTERN OF CONQUEST, THEN
PEACEFUL COOPERATIVE RULE
VIRGIL’S LIFE
• BORN IN MANTUA
70 B.C.
• POOR FAMILY, BUT
WELL-EDUCATED
• SHY AND SICKLY
AS A CHILD
• EPICUREAN, THEN
A STOIC
VIRGIL’S WORKS
• ECLOGUES 42-37 B.C.—TEN
PASTORALS, INCLUDING
“MESSIANIC” PROPHECIES
• GEORGICS 37-30 B.C.—PANEGYRIC
TO THE FARMING LIFE, POLITICAL
PURPOSE
• AENEID 30-19 B.C.—DIED WITH
FIFTY HALF-LINES UNFINISHED,
WANTED IT BURNED
SOURCES OF THE AENEID
• HOMER
– IN RES MEDIA
– HEROIC HEXAMETER
– EXALTED SPEECH
– EXTENDED SIMILES
– TWO-TIER NARRATIVES
– FLASHBACKS
– DESCRIPTION OF ARMOR
– CATALOG OF FORCES
– ATHLETIC GAMES
– VOYAGE TO THE UNDERWORLD
VIRGIL AND HOMER
• AENEID I=ODYSSEY V-VIII
• ANGRY DIVINITY
• SHIPWRECK
• DISGUISES
• GLORIOUS CITY RULED BY
BEAUTIFUL, CAPABLE WOMAN
VIRGIL AND HOMER
• FLASHBACKS OF AENEID II-III AND
ODYSSEY IX-XII
• DIDO AND AJAX TURNING AWAY
• TRAVELS
• AENEID VIII-ILIAD XVIII AND
DESCRIPTION OF NEW ARMOR
• BATTLES OF AENEID IX-XII
VIRGIL AND HOMER
• IMPORTANT DIFFERENCES
• AENEAS NOT ODYSSEUS OR ACHILLES
• AENEAS THE PEACE LOVER
• AENEAS DIPLOMATIC NOT VAIN
• AENEAS HAS POSITIVE GOALS
TROJAN WAR BACKGROUND
• ACTUAL WAR AND CHARACTERS
• HELEN AND MENELAUS
• AGAMEMNON AND CLYTEMNESTRA
• ACHILLES
• ODYSSEUS, DIOMEDES, THE TWO
AJAXES, NESTOR
THE TROJAN WAR BACKGROUND
• THE BEAUTY CONTEST—HERA,
ATHENA, AND APHRODITE
• PARIS (ALEXANDROS)
• PRIAM AND HECABE (HECUBA)
• HECTOR
• FIFTY SONS, FIFTY DAUGHTERS
• AENEAS, THE SON-IN-LAW
SUBJECT AND PURPOSE OF
AENEID
• PRAISE ROME
• PRAISE AUGUSTUS (INDIRECTLY)
• DEVELOP NATIONAL MYTH
• WELL-KNOWN LEGEND
• AENEAS SAVES ANCHISES
• PURPOSE OF OLYMPIAN GODS
• COMING TO ITALY
• SET IN HOMERIC TIME PERIOD
• ENCOMPASS PAST AND FUTURE GREATNESS OF
ROME AND RELATE IT TO HOMERIC MYTH
STRUCTURE OF AENEID
• BOOKS I-VI—JOURNEY TO ITALY=ODYSSEUS
• BOOKS VII-XII—EVENTS AND BATTLES OF
ITALY=ACHILLES
• BOOKS I-IV—AENEAS AND DIDO—QUEST
• BOOKS V-VIII—DESTINY OF ROME—ARRIVAL
• BOOKS IX-XII—TURNUS AND AENEAS—CONQUEST
AND VICTORY
• ALTERNATION OF INTENSITY BETWEEN BOOKS—
MIMICS HEXAMETER STYLE
• NORMALLY THREE SECTIONS PER BOOK,
SOMETIMES TWO
THEMES
• HOMERIC EPICS IN ROMAN SETTING
• EAST VS WEST
• DIVINELY ORDAINED EVENTS—FATE
• HUMAN SUFFERING
• MISSION OF AENEAS
• FOUR PROPHETIC PASSAGES
– JUPITER TO VENUS—BK I
– ROMAN HEROES IN ELYSIUM—BK VI
– HISTORY ON SHIELD—BK VIII
– RECONCILIATION BETWEEN JUPITER AND JUNO—BK XII
THEMES
• WAR AND HEROISM
• ORIGINS OF:
– ITALIAN ABORIGINAL PEOPLES
– ITALIAN LOCATIONS
– GAMES
– ROMAN GENS
THEMES
• ORIGINS OF RELIGIOUS RITES
– CLOAKING HAND IN SACRIFICE
– LUDUS TROIAE
– SIBYLLINE BOOKS
– ARCHES OF JANUS DURING WAR
– HERCULES WORSHIP
– ROMAN STATE FUNERAL RITES
• LOCAL FABLES
WAR SCENES
• CAN THERE BE SUCH ANGER IN THE MINDS OF
GODS?
• WAR IS HELL
• AENEAS HATES WAR BUT FIGHTS SAVAGELY AND
HOMERICALLY
• FALL OF TROY
• NISUS AND EURYALUS
• ENDANGERED CAMP WHILE HERO IS AWAY
• REVENGE FOR FALLEN FRIEND
• TURNUS=ACHILLES AND HECTOR
• AENEAS=ACHILLES AND HECTOR
• ARISTEA
AENEAS AS A CHARACTER
• UNREAL?
• PUPPET?
• UNACCEPTABLE BEHAVIOR
– DIDO
– LAUSUS
– TURNUS
AENEAS THE NEW HERO
• PIETY VS IRE AND FURY
• LIMITED STRENGTH, LIMITED RESOLUTION
• PERSEVERANCE
• BEGINNING DOUBTS, WANTS TO DIE, LEANS ON
ANCHISES
• DISTRACTION OF DIDO
• STOIC AT TIMES, BUT NOT AT END
• LONELY SUFFERING
• RELUCTANT HERO
• ABRAHAM FIGURE
• COMPASSIONATE
• FILIAL
FATHERS AND SONS
• ANCHISES
• ROMAN PATER FAMILIAS
• RUNS SHOW UNTIL DEATH—IS IT
WEAKNESS IN AENEAS?
• OTHER FATHERS
– AENEAS AND IULUS (Ascanius)
– LATINUS AND LAVINIA
– EVANDER AND PALLAS
– PRIAM AND POLITES, ET AL.
DIDO AS CHARACTER
• CALYPSO
• CIRCE
• CLEOPATRA
• YET SYMPATHETIC
• CARTHAGE
• ENERGETIC AND COURAGEOUS
• COULD SHE HAVE RESISTED CUPID?
• MEDEA-LIKE IN HER FURY
• SHE TAKES “MARRIAGE” UNREALISTICALLY
SERIOUS
• DEAR SISTER ANNA
TURNUS AS A CHARACTER
• LOVES BATTLE
• ITALIAN HARDNESS VS EASTERN
SOFTNESS
• TRAGIC BUT SYMPATHETIC
• HUBRIS
• LIKES TO SHOW OFF
• COMPARED TO WILD ANIMALS
• LOSS OF CONFIDENCE AT END
• MYCENEAN
• DEAR SISTER JUTURNA
RELIGION
• CEREMONY
• RITUAL
• PRAYER
• OLYMPIAN DEITIES—BEAUTIFUL,
TERRIBLE, INTERFERING
• PARTISAN, FINALLY IMPARTIAL
• FATE
• JUNO VS VENUS
• APOLLO—TROJANS, COLONIES, JOURNEYS,
SPECIAL PATRON OF AUGUSTUS
CONCLUSION
• IS IT A DERIVATIVE COPY?
• ART FOR POLITICAL PROPAGANDA?
• ARE THE CHARACTERS REAL PEOPLE?
• ARE THERE UNIVERSAL THEMES?
