Virgil Flashcards
1
Q
Biography of Virgil
A
- very importwnt Roman poet- similar to Shakespeare for England
- born in Italy to a wealthy family and began to publish poetry on the country side
- like Horace he was welcomed into maecenas circle of poets to support Octavians character/ rule through poetry
- augustus commissioned him to make rome look a National poem, on his deathbed he asked for the anead to be burned but augustus refused
2
Q
Context of the literature that inspired anead
A
- set in the Trojan war so HEAVILY influenced by the Greeks
- rome had no literature traditions initially as it was a farming community- they only began this when they came into contact with Greece and took inspiration from there
- symbolically they took the Greek word poet and also began to merge their gods with the Greeks (Athena/minerva etc)
- romans saw the illyad and the odessy as claasics and the character of aneas is seen to be dated as a ruler and a survivor in the future. Romans became very interested in the idea that aneas was brought to Italy and founded the romans
3
Q
Significance of aneas as central character contextually
A
- places rome as created in a heroic age and links them to noble fighters
- links to the divine in genus
- the greeks only won the war due to low level deceit in the horse, therefore they were descended from fair and strong fighters.
- aneas was on an act of destiny and fated to rule a city, this was good as Virgil would portray as rome
- Romulus is said to be descended from Italy and Troy- aneas marries the daughter of an Italian king
4
Q
Structure and importance of anead
A
- emulates the two greek epics
- written in hexameter like homers- implying he is creating a Roman epic poem
- he imitates the Greeks in his yse of epiphets, similes and the role of the gods as taking sides in war.
- this was written to be read visually not orally
- divided into twelve books
5
Q
Use of proleptic imagery in anead
A
- aimed to speak to people under the command of augustus
- Jupiter says rome will be ruled well and peacefully by Augustus
- aneas is seen to be shown a vision of Augustus leading a parade
- aneas is given a shield depicting scenes in future rome including Actium
- creusa tells aneas of tiber and rome
6
Q
Suffering in the anead
A
- aneas has huge losses such as his wife and dido
- alludes to how in rome there is great sacrifice and implies maybe Virgil was critical of the amount of tragedy in the empire
- creates great pathos for a variety of characters- shows no Victor in war, can be interpreted a lot
- hector and Priam show the huge tragedies even for very influential figures in war
- priams death by pyrrhus is tragic; polities- his son- is killed in front of him, the king is too old to fight, he is killed on an altar, he is a victim of the savagery of the Greeks
7
Q
Heroism in the anead
A
- not defined by battle but by character in all situations
- pietàs is what a Roman hero should have
- often requires personal sacrifice as it is not about perosnal achievements- for example aneas leaves dido for the gods and to show pietas he does so
- equally very admirable- gods tell aneas to leave the city and he takes his father who holds the imagery of the gods. This shows duty to all three aspects of pietas
8
Q
Pietas
A
- Roman idea of heroism
- duty to your family, city and gods
- duty is not about perosnal achievemnts
9
Q
Division of the anead
A
- 12 books
- first six are on the sack of troy and his wandering
- second six are on his battles to establish his people once arrived in Italy
10
Q
Events pre perscribed source in the anead
A
- book 1; thé Trojan’s arive in didos land in her new city after a shipwreck by the goddess Juno- who does not like Trojans or want a rival city in Italy to didos. Dido invited them as guests and dido falls in love with aneas and asks him to speak of the trojan war
- book 2; aneas tells the tale picking up when the illyad ends. Shows how a horse arrives on the shore and the Greeks dissapear, the horse is brought in and a priest warns it is a trap but a Greek spy says it to be a peace offering. The priest is attacked by snakes so the Trojan’s assume it must be a gift- they celebrate, sleep and then the Greeks emerge and open the gates of Troy
11
Q
Three people aneas sees and general significance
A
- hector
- Venus
- creusa
- despite being a refugee, he shows that aneas left the city due to the inevitable fate predicted by others and is doing pietas to the gods and his family
12
Q
Hector vision importance
A
- he is mauled and unnerving via Achilles
- he cries for both his city and his own fate
- aneas tragic irony welcomes him as ‘hope’ and ‘light’ but hector can offer no aid
- hector provides a clear heroic message and pietas that aneas needs to take the religious icons and the people to establish a new city.
- handing over of leadership
13
Q
Venus vision importance
A
- he ignores hectors pietas advice and goes to battle based on perosnal rage. This is noble but very unheroic
- aneas sees himself as doing piety for his city
- his mother appears post death of priam when he thinks to kill Helen- acting out of anger. Venus tells him to control himself and think of his family and their destiny
- reinforces hectors message and shows the gods backing of his destiny to start a new city
- she alters his vision to see how the gods are acting in the conflict to show the lost cause
14
Q
Creusa vision
A
- at home his father refuses to leave the city and aneas shows pietas I’m telling them all to leave
- the gods send flames and then a comet to show it is the entire families duty to leave the city for the gods and their loved ones
- when the family leave the city he realises his wife has dropped behind and is missing so aneas runs back
- her ghost comes to him; she explains her death is dated and he must love on
- she uses proleptic imagery to predict the Tiber and rome- aneas begins to undertsand his path of destiny.
15
Q
Imagery in the anead
A
- aneas watching the city burn is like a SHEAPARD watching his crops burn- helpless
- aneas and freinds going to battle is like WOLVES so hungry and desparate- primal
- when a Greek is attacked by Persians he recoils like a SNAKE, and when the Greek phryus arrives to kill Priam he is a SNAKE. Shows speed, slyness and also idea of trickery
- heccuba and fsmily seeking refuge is like a DOVE symbol of peace
- sack of Troy is like cutting down a groaning and honourable ASH TREE