Book 2 Flashcards
What is book 2? (2)
A flashback
An embedded narrative
‘No man could speak of such things and not weep’
Allusions to the Odyssey
‘Fates of Troy were already moving towards that end’
Troy’s fall is fated, it is not the fault of the Trojans
How does Virgil spin the Fall of Troy to have the Trojans come out not seen as losers?
By portraying them as victims of fate and their piety while the Greeks were liars and deceitful.
The Trojans didn’t fall due to a lack of military might but the will of fate
Were the Trojans all in agreement about how to handle the Horse?
No - they were uncertain and their passions were divided
What is the name of the Greek who lets himself be captured by the Trojans?
Sinon
What is the name of the Trojan who threw a spear at the Horse?
Laocoon
Who does Sinon claim the Greeks had consulted?
The oracle of Phoebus Apollo - Pythia
‘I have no hope now of seeing the land which was once my home, or my beloved children, or my father whom I have so often longed for’
All important to Romans and would have resonated with a contemporary audience - Importance of Pater families
‘The people should receive it with their traditional piety’
Pietas
What is the fate of Laocoon?
He and his two sons are killed by two serpents
What do the Trojans assume the reason for Laocoon’s death to be vs What is the actual reason?
Trojans - The result of him violating the Horse (offering to Minerva), Divine punishment
Actual - Pallas (side of the Greeks) caused it to make it appear Sinon was telling the truth
‘The last day of a doomed people and we spent it adorning the shrines of the gods all through the city with festal garlands’
Fate moving forwards but even when doomed the Trojans remain dutifully pious
What kind of Hero is Aeneas depicted as in the first half of this book?
Homeric
What kind of Hero is Aeneas depicted as in the second half of this book?
Virgilian