Term Test 3 - Lecture 6 Flashcards
Who wrote the Aeneid?
Virgil
Who was ruling when Virgil wrote the Aeneid?
Augustus Caesar
Who was Publius Vergilius Maro?
Virgil
When did Virgil live from?
70-19 BCE
What political event did Virgil live through?
Julius Caesar’s death, Augustus Caesar’s overthrowing of Mark Anthony and Cleopatra in 27 BCE - civil war
What was one of the values that was emphasized in Virgil’s writing?
Peace
What three main pieces did Virgil author? Who encouraged them?
- Eclogues: Greek model, but Latin poetry
- Georgics: didactic in dactylic hexameter
- Aeneid
What did Virgil base his poems off of?
Greek models, but with Roman values
-Virgil can do what HESIOD did, only better - ex. Georgics in dactylic hexameter)
What are the major themes of the Aeneid?
- Fugitives
- Rome
- Fathers and sons
- Piety
- Personal sacrifice
- Destructive emotions (PASSION AND RAGE)
- Divine interest in the POLITICAL world
Why are fugitives a main theme in Virgil’s Aeneid?
Because Rome was essentially founded by them. Aeneas himself was essentially a refugee from Troy. Aeneas is the hero, but Rome is even more of a hero!
What is the central virtue of the Aeneid?
Piety
What is piety? How does it differ from Greek values?
A sense of duty to others, greater than oneself. The Romans are pious to Rome. This is the opposite of Greek values: the Greek heroes typically values selfishly
ex. Achilles want to win, and wants revenge on Hector for killing Patroklus
ex. Odysseus wants to win home so he can be reunited with Penelope
What threatens piety?
Emotions. Especially emotions such as passion and rage because they result in selfish acts
Who are the parents of Aeneas?
Anchises and Aphrodite
Who is the offspring of Aeneas and Creusa?
Ascanius (Iulus)
Who is also known as Iulus?
Ascanius
Who is also known as Ilia?
Rhea Silvia
What 4 things are Aeneas pius to?
- Religion (Jupiter especially)
- Ancestors (Achises, his father, evidenced when he carries him out of Troy on his back)
- Descendents (Ascanius)
- Nation (Troy, eventually Lavinium)
He will put any of these things before himself
Who does Aeneas marry? Where is she from?
Creusa, she is a Trojan
What is the epithet for Aeneas?
Pius Aeneas
Where is Arma virumque cano… from?
The first sentence of the Aeneid
What is the first sentence of the Aeneid? What does it refer to?
“Arms and a man, I sang”
Arms (war arms): first
Man: second
What is the significance of “arms and a man, I sang”
Arms: war and anger = the first word of the Iliad
Man: the first word of the Odyssey
How many book are in the Iliad? How many books are in the Odyssey?
How many books are in the Aeneid? What is the significance of this?
Iliad: 24
Odyssey: 24
Aeneid: 12
In the Aeneid, the first 6 books are comparable to the Odyssey, while the last 6 books are comparable to the Iliad
Generally, what happens in books 1-6 of the Aeneid? What happens in books 6-12?
1-6:
- voyage from Troy to Italy (cf. Odyssey)
- persecution by Juno
- Dido (tragedy)
- Underworld
Not to get BACK to his home, but rather to found a new home. A war must be fought before a city can be founded.
6-12:
-War in Italy (cf. Iliad)
How is Aeneas different than the Greeks in terms of fate?
He accepts his fate, rather than trying to reject it and get around it like the Greeks do
Why is Juno (Hera) hostile to Troy, and therefore Aeneas?
- Carthage is dear to Juno
Carthage is the city being built in Phoenicia on the shore of Africa. The Queen of Carthage (Dido) has built a giant temple in honour of Juno. Juno knows that the Romans are fated to defeat Carthage, and therefore she tries to prevent it by targetting Aeneas
- The divine beauty contest
Paris (a Trojan) chose Aphrodite to win the divine beauty contest over Juno, and she is still bitter about that.
Where does Juno oppose Aeneas from?
On the land, and on the sea
Do Juno and Aeneas ever reconcile?
Yes, at the end of the Aeneid
Which god contrasts Jupiter?
Juno
Which god is on Aeneas’ side? Which is not?
Is: Jupiter
Is not: Juno
How does Aeneas become shipwrecked? How does this facilitate Aeneas acting as a leader?
Juno commands Aeolus (wind god) to shipwreck them.
Aeneas acts as a leader by encouraging his men to keep going and trying, despite the fact that he feels hopeless himself
In Odysseus, Athena goes to Zeus to try to get Calypso to stop detaining Odysseus so he can get home to Penelope… who does this for Aeneas? How does Zeus respond?
Venus (Aphrodite), who is his mother
Jupiter tells Venus that it will all work out because Aeneas is FATED to give rise to a long line of kings and a new nation. He predicts the future - Alba Longa, JULIUS CAESAR and his apotheosis, Romulus and Remus etc.
Who is Sychaeus
The deceased husband of Dido, also the wealthiest man in all of Phoenicia
How did Dido go to build her city of Carthage?
Her husband, Sychaeus was murdered by hrt brother. Sychaeus was at one time, the wealthiest man in Phoenicia and he was murdered for his money. Sychaeus comes to Dido in a dream and tells her what happened, to flee the city, and where some treasure could be found. She goes and founds Carthage.
Is Dido a foreign woman?
Yes, she is neither Greek nor Roman, but of Phoenician descent. Dido is a REFUGEE and a QUEEN.
Where is Aeneas shipwrecked?
On the coast of Libya
Does Aeneas ever meet his mother again?
Yes, she appears to him in Book 1 disguised as a young female huntress and she explains the story of Dido, and how she came to be the queen of Carthage.
Who married Sychaeus?
The brother of Dido
When does Aeneus realize that he met his mother?
Right as she is leaving him - he’s sad, he wants to meet her
After shipwrecking on the coast of Libya, how does Aeneas get to Carthage?
His mother Venus shrouds him and his men in a mist, making them invisible to everyone else.
What can the shroud of mist Aphrodite puts Aeneas in be compared to?
What Athena did for Odysseus - when he reached the island of his home in Ithaca
Where is Carthage located?
In North Africa
Who is the ruler of Carthage?
Dido - a woman, a widow, a fugitive, a just and competent ruler
What is a warning sign about Dido?
She is both luxurious and foreign
In Phoenicia, Odysseus is welcomed into Nausicaa’s house, where is hears the bard tell stories about him… what can this be compared to with Aeneas in Carthage?
He sees paintings of Troy (where he fought at) in Dido’s palace. He stops and looks at them for a while because he can - he’s invisible
Who does Aeneas say that Dido looks like?
Diana/Artemis (once again, cf. Odysseus when he first met her)
How good of a host is Dido? Does Aeneas appreciate this?
Dido is a great and welcoming host, Aeneas doesn’t appreciate it because he’s too busy wishing his son Ascanius were there
When Aeneas is at Dido’s palace, wishing for Ascanius, what happens?
Aphrodite sends down her son, Cupid, disguised as Ascanius. Venus makes Dido fall in love with Aeneas!
Why does Venus make Cupid force Dido to fall in love with Aeneas?
So that he will be safe in the house of Dido… to prevent her potential hostility
What is interesting about Cupid (disguised as Ascanius) meeting Aeneus?
They are half brothers!
After Cupid makes Dido fall in love with Aeneas, what does Venus do?
She removes the shroud of mist
When Venus makes Aeneas visible again, what happens? What can this be compared to?
He becomes more beautiful than he is, “glittering like a god”
This is what Athena did to Odysseus when he met Nausicaa, and also when he exposed himself to Penelope after taking a bath
When does Aeneas tell his story to Dido?
When the bard begins to play a song. He asks if he can tell his story. This is the first time the story of the Trojan horse and everything has been told
What kind of literature is the Aeneid?
An epic (Latin, Literary Epic) -not an oral epic song like the Iliad or the Odyssey which could come from any author
How does Dido display destructive emotions?
When Cupid hits her with his love arrow, she is “enflamed” - this results in the destruction of her city, Carthage, and her life by suicide
Why are the paintings in Dido’s temple at Carthage important? How do the Romans characterize the Greeks?
Because this is where Aeneas first sees documentation of himself as a warrior at Troy. Achilles –> savage, mean, horrible… to the Romans he is not a hero like he is to a Greek
Which god urges Dido to be hospitable to Aeneas, after Venus gets Jupiter to “get the ball rolling”?
Mercury (aka Hermes)
What will be the “boundary” of Julius Caesar? Who predicts this? To who?
The ocean, (which is the edge of the universe).
Jupoiter predicts this to Venus.
Where do we get the story that Dido is a ruler and a fugitive?
From Venus, who comes down to Aeneas on his way to Carthage, disguised as a huntress
Flame, poison, wound, sickness - what does this describe?
Love: strong emotion/passion that Dido feels for Aeneas after she is hit by Cupid’s arrow
What does “infeliz” mean when describing Dido?
Unlucky
Where else do we get the story of the Trojan Horse (briefly
The Odyssey (and the Aeneid, obviously)
What does the story of the Trojan horse depict the Greeks as being?
Tricky, deceptive, unworthy of trust
What 2 ghosts come to Aeneas?
- Hector
2. Creusa
What does the ghost of Hector say to Aeneas?
To stop fighting the Greeks, it is not his fate to die at Troy, rather it is his fate to carry the Vestal (Hestia’s hearth fire) to Rome.
What happens when Aeneas meets Helen?
Aeneas is enraged, “a fire is burning in my mind”
He wants to kill Helen
Who stops Aeneas from killing Helen before he leaves Troy?
Venus (his mother) who comes down and tells him. It is the god’s will that Troy is coming down, NOT Helen’s.
After Venus stops Aeneas from killing Helen, what does he do?
He decides to go home - he gets his son, and tries to get Anchises, but Anchises refuses and wants to stay to fight. Aeneas decides to stay with Anchises. He goes back and fights again.
How does Creusa feel about Aeneas going back to war? What happens to Ascanius?
Creusa doesn’t want him to go. Ascanius then has an omen.
His head is surrounded by flames, and Jupiter strikes a thunderbolt so that Anchises can confirm that it really was an omen. This convinces Anchises to go home.
When does Anchises finally relent, and decide to leave Troy?
When Ascanius has an omen - fire around his head, Jupiter strikes a lightning bolt. Anchises allows Aeneas to put him around his neck and carry him out from the battle.
Who leaves Troy with Aeneas?
Ascanius, Anchises, and Creusa, a few steps behind
What happens when Aeneas realizes he has lost Creusa?
He puts Anchises down, releases the hand of Ascanius, and goes back to look for her. He runs back into the city to save her.
He finds her ghost instead. She says, my husband, is there any use to giving way to such fanatic sorrow (she is so sad). Creusa predicts his kingdom and a royal bride, she predicts his future.
When Aeneas encounters Creusa’s ghost, what does he try to do?
Embrace her, 3 separate times, but he cannot (cf. Odysseus and Anticleia).
In what three ways are Aeneas’ adventures “Odyssean”?
- He visits many lands
- Encounter with a Cyclops
- Death of Anchises
What is love destructive to for Dido?
Her state of Carthage - love is a fire that burns her city. Everything in Roman literature was related to the polis.
What is Dido’s Univera?
The fact that she planned to only ever love one man. She loved her first husband Sychaeus so much that she never wants to love another man again
How does Dido betray her Univera?
Because Venus intervened and made Cupid hit her with his love arrow.
How does Dido convince herself that it’s okay for her to fall for Aeneas (even though she really has no say in it anyways)?
By thinking that it will be good for her city to have Aeneas there - everything in Roman literature is rooted in politics. “If you marry him, what a city you will see!”
Who convinces Dido to revoke her Univera?
Her sister, which is like a double for herself
What happens when Dido finally decides that she is going to betray her Univera?
Her city begins to fall. Projects become neglected, she forgets to lead her people
Why does Juno want Aeneas and Dido to fall in love? Why does Venus want this?
Juno: Carthage is dedicated to her… there is a giant temple for her, etc. She knows that Rome is fated to conquer Carthage, and therefore, she doesn’t want Aeneas to go to Italy and found Rome. She thinks that Dido may be able to keep him there.
Venus: wants her son, Aeneas to be safe, Dido will be hospitable to someone she loves
What pact do Juno and Venus make together?
To get Dido and Aeneas to consummate their relationship
How do Dido and Aeneas consummate their relationship? What happens because of this?
A storm (sent by Juno and Venus) drives them into a cave together. They have sex… it is like a “cosmic wedding”
This was the beginning of Dido’s death and ruin.
How is Dido and Aeneas’ relationship similar to Medea’s and Jason’s?
Medea is said to be a “concubine” - she thinks her and Jason are married. In the cave during the storm when Dido and Aeneas consummate their relationship, Dido thinks too much of it.
When Dido and Aeneas consummate their relationship, how is Dido dressed? Who can this be compared to?
Dido is dressed in purple and gold with her hair in gold knots - display of her wealth and luxury. Comparable to Mark Anthony, who was seduced by Cleopatra.
What rumour spreads through Africa after Aeneas and Dido consummate their relationship/get married(?)?
That Dido is no longer univera - the other men feel threatened (they wanted to be with her, she is wealthy).
What is the result of the rumour of the termination of Dido’s univera?
One of the men prays to Jupiter. Jupiter sends Mercury down to Carthage because he realized that Aeneas is being stalled by Dido. Mercury gets him moving along.
How is Mercury coming down to Carthage to get Aeneas moving along similar to something in the Odyssey?
In the Odyssey, Odysseus is being detained by Calypso, so Zeus sends Hermes down to make her release him
How does Mercury convince Aeneas to leave Dido? (ZEUS’ MESSAGE THOUGH)
He tells him that if he doesn’t leave Dido, he will be depriving his son Ascanius of Rome, which is his destiny.
How is Aeneas dressed when Mercury finds him?
In a purple and gold robe that Dido wove for him. She is a foreign woman, and a threat to Aeneas’ destiny.
What is Aeneas’ choice?
He chooses Ascanius and Rome over Dido, and decides to leave her. He leaves her without saying a word.
When Dido confronts Aeneas about why he is leaving, what does he say?
He says that he knows she didn’t deserve it, but it was never a wedding (cf. Jason)
How does Dido react to Aeneas leaving her?
She is so angry (cf. Medea when Jason left her). She can’t accept it.
She watches as Aeneas’ ship sails away from Carthage, and kills herself with his sword.
What does Dido curse Aeneas of when he leaves her?
He curses a war between Carthage and Rome, which eventually happens
How helps Aeneas get to the underworld?
With the help of the prophet Sybil as a guide
Who was Sybil?
A priestess of Apollo
Why do the Greeks typically perform katabasis? Why do the Romans usually perform katabasis?
Greeks: go down for their own selfish reason - ex.to kidnap Cerebus (Herakles), or to kidnap Persephone (Theseus)
Romans: go down for heroic reasons, ex. to consult Anchises
Why does Aeneas perform katabasis?
To consult his father Anchises
How is Aeneas allowed into the underworld?
- He has Sybil who guides him
2. He has a talisman (a gold bough from a tree in a dark forest)
Who helps Aeneas find the golden branch?
Venus - she sends down a pair of doves that leads him to the tree in the dark forest
Who does Aeneas meet first in the underworld?
Chiron (centaur)
What is different about the underworld in the Aeneid compared to the underworld in Greek mystery?
It is very complex, there are areas for people who died in different ways (ex. suicide, suicide for love, etc.)
What happens when Aeneas encounters Dido’s ghost?
Suicide for love subsection of Hades. Dido is being comforted by Sychaeus (first husband), she doesn’t want to speak to Aeneas, even though Aeneas is sad and apologetic.
What is Dido and Aeneas’ encounter in the underworld comparable to?
Ajax’s encounter with Odysseus - he refuses to speak because he is still so angry that Odysseus won Achilles’ armour.
What do the Greek heroes supposedly do when they see Aeneas in the underworld?
Tremble with fear
How is Helen’s treachery indicated to Aeneas in the underworld?
By Deiphobus (her last husband). He talks to Aeneas about how Helen destroyed his household and betrayed him.
What is Aeneas’ encounter with Deiphobus comparable to?
Agamemnon and Odysseus in the underworld.
Agememnon speaks of Clytemnestra’s treachery, Deiphobus speaks of Helen’s treachery.
What sinners does Aeneas meet in the underworld?
Ixion and Tityus
