Lines 446-464 Flashcards
Why is Dido described as Sidonian?
Sidon was the founder of Tyre, her city of birth.
aere trabes, foribus cardo stridebat aenis.
jointed with bronze, (and) hinges creaking on bronze doors.
Slight anachronism.
What was made after the Capitol had been betrayed by Tarpeia in a war between Romulus and the Sabines (8th century BC)?
bronze door-sockets to act as an alarm system since their noise on opening would be heard by everyone.
(SERVIUS)
Why would Aeneas be fearful?
because he did not believe Venus.
Because she had said nothing about the ways of the Africans. Because Virgil wanted to show that Aeneas was his own man and not a puppet on his mother’s string.
Hoc primum in luco nova res oblata timorem
leniit, hic primum Aeneas sperare salutem
ausus, et adflictis melius confidere rebus.
(In this grove something new appeared that calmed his fears
for the first time, here for the first time Aeneas dared to hope
for safety, and to put greater trust in his afflicted fortunes.)
- anaphora of ‘premium’ emphasises Aeneas’ change in emotion.
- A lexical field of optimism: ‘nova’, ‘leniit’, ‘sperare’, ‘salutem’, ‘confidere’
- sibilance of ‘sperare salute’ is doubly emphatic at the end of the line.
- Aeneas can now begin to feel more confident in his fate, which up to this point, has felt unobtainable. The explanation of what has created this change follows i.e. the temple frieze showing the Trojan War.
Namque sub ingenti lustrat dum singula templo
For while waiting for the queen, in the vast temple, he looks
Because of the hustle and bustle of the workers? Because he was trying to bring the meeting about? Or was he waiting in the hope of encountering her?
miratur, videt Iliacas ex ordine pugnas
he sees the battles at Troy in their correct order
Ecphrasis
A detailed and extended description of the scenes depicted on the frieze.
bellaque iam fama totum volgata per orbem
the War, now known through its fame to the whole world
The Trojan War is already known across the ancient world. The saying goes that Europe started it, Asia suffered it, Africa depicted it.
Atridas
The sons of Atreus i.e. Agamemnon and Menelaus.
Who was Agamemnon
Agamemnon was the greatest of the Greek kings who fought for power and glory.
Who was Menelaus
Brother of Agamemnon, fought to secure the return of his wife Helen, having been stolen from him by the Trojan Paris.
Who was Paris
a son of Priam, brother to Hector
Why was Achilles angry?
Achilles walked out of the fighting at Troy due to an argument with Agamemnon over who should possess the Trojan princess Briseis – hence his anger with both of them – ‘ambobus’
quae regio in terris nostri non plena laboris?
what region on earth not full of our hardships?
regio’ is an example of Virgil’s capacity to coin original expressive phrases out of extremely simple words. He preferred to create new words rather than use archaic or compound words (a bit like Shakespeare).
en Priamus!
See, Priam!
shows Virgil drawing the audience into the scene, and the scene coming alive in return in front of our eyes. Very cinematic.
