Techniques Flashcards
Epic Simile (Homeric Simile)
Virgil frequently uses extended comparisons, often comparing heroic or intense actions to natural phenomena or everyday occurrences. These epic similes add vivid imagery and allow the reader to relate complex emotions to familiar experiences.
Example: In Book 1, Aeneas’s leadership is compared to a calming force, like a statesman calming a riot.
Metaphor
Virgil uses metaphors to convey deeper meanings through symbolic comparisons, often linking natural events with the struggles of Aeneas and his people.
Example: In Book 6, the Sibyl refers to Aeneas’s journey to the underworld as a “harrowing sea,” representing the emotional turmoil he must endure.
Personification
Virgil often gives human qualities to abstract concepts, forces of nature, or the gods, which emphasizes their influence on human events and fate.
Example: Virgil personifies Furor (rage) as a destructive force, chained and controlled by the gods in the future, symbolizing the taming of chaos and violence for Rome’s eventual peace.
Allusion
Virgil alludes to other literary works, particularly Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey, connecting his work to the broader epic tradition. He also references Roman history, linking Aeneas’s journey to the founding of Rome.
Example: The character of Aeneas draws on Homer’s Odysseus (for his journey) and Achilles (for his role as a warrior).
Foreshadowing
Virgil often hints at future events, especially regarding Aeneas’s fate and the future of Rome, to create dramatic tension and emphasize the theme of destiny.
Ecphrasis
A detailed description of a work of art or a visual scene. Virgil uses ekphrasis to add depth and vividness to his narrative, often reflecting themes within the main story.
In Media Res
Virgil begins the Aeneid “in the middle of things,” with Aeneas already having left Troy and sailing toward Italy. This technique immediately immerses the reader in the action.
Epithets
Like Homer, Virgil frequently uses epithets—descriptive phrases used alongside or in place of a character’s name—to emphasize their qualities or roles.
Pathos
Virgil skillfully evokes emotions such as pity, sadness, and empathy in his portrayal of human suffering, particularly through characters like Dido and the Trojans.
Imagery
Virgil’s vivid descriptions of landscapes, battle scenes, and emotional moments create powerful visual images in the reader’s mind, enhancing the sensory experience of the narrative.
Flashback
is a narrative technique where past events are presented to the reader after the main timeline of the story has begun. In The Aeneid, Virgil uses flashback to reveal important backstory and provide character depth, allowing readers to understand the motivations, experiences, and emotional states of the characters.
