Aeneid Book 4 quotes

Question 1

Two quotes highlighting graphic imagery

Answer 1

‘But the queen had long since been suffering from love’s deadly wound, feeding it with her blood and being consumed by its hidden fire.’

‘The flame was eating the soft marrow of her bones’

Question 2

Epic simile

Answer 2

‘He was like Apollo… with equal radiance and grace.’ (about Aeneas in the hunting party, showing his glory and what a worthy man he is)

‘Like a bird skimming the sea… fathered his own mother, Maia’ (about Mercury’s flight to go find Aeneas and remind him of his destiny)

Question 3

Foreshadowing

Answer 3

‘The arrow that will bring her death’ (about Didio’s love bringing her eventual destruction)

Question 4

Godly intervention

Answer 4

‘hounded by the Fates’ (about Aeneas) - Dido

‘That will be my task’ - Juno (referring to talking to Jupiter about Aeneas’ fate and whether or not it is prudent to join Dido and Aeneas in marriage)

‘One woman has been overthrown by the arts of two gods!’ - Juno to Venus (about Cupid and Venus making Dido fall in love with Aeneas and effectively destroying her)

‘Mercury prepared to obey the command of his mighty father’ (about Jupiter commanding Mercury to go remind Aeneas of his fate and tell him to leave Dido)

Question 5

Metaphor

Question 6

Love

Answer 6

‘The depths of her affliction’

Question 7

The primacy of fate

Answer 7

‘I am at the mercy of the Fates’ - Venus

Question 8

Personification

Answer 8

‘Rumour is the swiftest. She thrives on movement,’

‘Atlas whose rocky head props up the sky’

Question 9

Pietas

Answer 9

‘To cover her guilt’ (about Dido’s taking of the event as marriage to make herself feel less guilty, she is being impious)

‘before I go against my conscience and rescind its laws.’ (Dido talking about the terrible things she would endure before she breaks her vow to her dead husband, shows her pietas)

‘without a thought for the cities granted him by the Fates’ - Jupiter (about Aeneas, who is not thinking about his destiny and is staying with Dido longer than he should)

‘this Iulus who is your heir. You owe him’ - Mercury (Mercury is lambasting Aeneas for forsaking his destiny and not paying his duty to Iulus. Duty to family is a major part of pietas)

Question 10

Rome

Answer 10

‘an Italy pregnant with empire and clamouring with war’ (the idea of Rome not having come to fruition but just about to be birthed, and foreshadowing the war to come)

‘subduing the whole world under his laws’ (future glory, power, and influence of Rome)

‘You owe him the land of Rome and the kingdom of Italy.’ - Mercury (about Iulus being owed Rome. This is also a reference to Augustus, because Augustus is of the Iulian line)

Question 11

Kleos

Answer 11

‘If the glory of such a destiny does not fire his heart, if he does not strive to win fame for himself,’ - Jupiter (about Aeneas and the desire for kleos that he should have but is not presently exhibiting, the heroic ideal)