Scansion

Question 1

Italiam petiere, luant peccata neque illos 32

Answer 1

Weak third foot caesura dominates the strong fourth foot caesura, unusual in Latin epic hexameters and more natural in Greek

Question 2

est Amathus, est celsa mihi Paphus atque Cythera 51

Answer 2

The a in atque is not elided, which is rare and this gives it a harsh sound

Question 3

atque solum quo Troia fuit? Xanthum et Simoenta 60

Answer 3

Quadrisyllabic ending as well as the form of the accusative Simoenta gives a Greek form to the phrase

Question 4

haud iustis adsurgis et inrita iurgia iactas 95

Answer 4

No strong caesura in either third or fourth foot, depicting Juno’s excitement
Diaeresis after each foot from third to fifth

Question 5

Turnum, qui volucri curru medium secat agmen 440

Answer 5

archaic line ending of two disyllables without a preceding monosyllable
Use of qui is abrupt

Question 6

solus ego in Pallanta feror, soli mihi Pallas 442

Answer 6

rare triple disyllable at line end

Question 7

comminus; utque leo, specula cum vidit ab alta 454

Answer 7

dramatic pause after the first dactyl in enjambment, an emphatic stop before a simile.

Question 8

viribus imparibus, magnumque ita ad aethera fatur 459

Answer 8

Elision of pyrrhic ita here is rare

Question 9

in Pallanta diu librans iacit atque ita fatur 480

Answer 9

Clear energy of rhythm, word accent conflicting with ictus, conflict echoes in the fifth foot with ita. Second ‘i’ in iacit should be long but is made short

Question 10

sic ait, atque oculos Rutulorum reicit arvis 473

Answer 10

Rugged unelided atque

Re is long in reicit

Question 11

una eademque via sanguis animusque sequuntur 487

Answer 11

synizesis of eadem
sanguis in line 487 has a long second syllable even though the -guis​​​​​​​ would naturally be short because of the lengthening in arsis​​​​​​​. Arsis​​​​​​​ is another word for ictus, which is when the meter forces a stress to occur somewhere where in normal pronunciation it would not. Two syllable words, for example, always in​​​ ‘normal’​​​​ pronunciation have stress on the first syllable - but Virgil at times chooses to lengthen such a syllable for effect. Such happens in line 487 - the -guis​​​​​​​ becomes a long syllable despite it being short by nature.

Question 12

exanimem rapiens immania pondera baltei 496

Answer 12

baltei is a spondee by synizesis

Question 13

intactum Pallanta, et cum spolia ista diemque 504

Answer 13

Elision of monosyllable cum

Question 14

oderit. at socii multo gemitu lacrimisque 505

Answer 14

Quadrisyllabic ending is unusual and intended to suggest discordant sounds

Question 15

haec te prima dies bello dedit, haec eadem aufert, 508

Answer 15

Elision after the fifth foot is rare

Question 16

cum pedes incedit medii per maxima Nerei 764

Answer 16

synizesis makes this word a spondee, last two syllables pronounced as one

Question 17

talis se vastis infert Mezentius armis 768

Answer 17

heavily spondaic line with first foot diaeresis emphasising talis

Question 18

atque oculis spatium emensus quantum satis hastae 772

Answer 18

rare line ending of 3 disyllables

Question 19

sternitur infelix alieno vulnere, caelumque 781

Answer 19

hypermetric ellision of que

Question 20

inguine, sed viris haud pertulit. ocius ensem

Answer 20

Bucolic diaeresis (word ending and pause after the fourth dactyl)

Question 21

morte tua vivens? heu, nunc misero mihi demum 849

Answer 21

Rare pattern of double disyllable at line end preceded by anapaestic word (dactyl but reversed)

Question 22

viximus. aut hodie victor spolia illa crueti 862

Answer 22

Line ending of three consecutive -a endings in agreement, one softened by ellision

Question 23

desine, nam venio moriturus et haec tibi porto 881

Answer 23

Two disyllables at the end and there is an unusual pause after the fourth trochee

Question 24

clamore incendunt caelum troesque Latinique 895

Answer 24

Hypermetric elision of final que

Question 25

hostis amare, quid increpitas mortemque minaris? 900

Answer 25

Unusually large number of trochaic breaks (1st foot, 2nd, 5th)

Question 26

nec tecum meus haec pepigit mihi foedera Lausus 902

Answer 26

Intricate word order of the line, series of enclosing pairs (tecum…pepigit, meus…Lausus, haec…foedera)

Question 27

corpus humo patiare tegi. scio acerba meorum 904

Answer 27

Rare elison of scio