VIRGIL - Dido prepares to curse Aeneas

Question 1

what is the metre of the text?

Answer 1

dactyllic hexameter

Question 2

pyra penetrali…sede sub

Line 1: at regina, pyra penetrali in sede sub auras

Answer 2

the pyra has a double meaning: she intends to burn items in a ritual but it will double as a pyre for herself and her suicide

Question 3

pyra penetrali…sede sub

Line 1: at regina, pyra penetrali in sede sub auras

Answer 3

The plosive (p) and sibilant (s) alliteration, and elided -i on penetrali draw attention to these words, as well as giving an impression of a disordered and panicked mind

The separation of erecta on to the next line adds to this

(she is the queen and the heart of her palace is being used for magic - this is a sinister use of her position of power)

Question 4

sub auras

Line 1: at regina, pyra penetrali in sede sub auras

Answer 4

when used with the accusative, sub implies ‘under and up to’

Question 5

fronde… funerea

Lines 3-4: intenditque locum sertis et fronde coronat funerea

Answer 5

this would have been cypresses, pitch trees and yews. The enjambment again adds to the impression of a disordered mind

Question 6

exuvias ensemque relictum

Line 4: super exuvias ensemque relictum

Answer 6

• an item belonging to the individual to be cursed is a common feature of this type of spell.
• there is an alliterative, polysyndetic (lots of conjunctions) tricolon of items to be ritually destroyed (exuvias ensem… effigiem)

Question 7

effigiem

Line 5: effigiemque toro locat haud ignara futuri

Answer 7

an image of the person being cursed in this type of ritual would be typically made from wax (so they could ‘melt with love’) or wood (so that they would be consumed by death)

Question 8

crines effusa

Line 6: stant arae circum et crines effusa sacerdos

Answer 8

• translates as ‘having been loosened in respect of her hair’
• this line has a heavy metre (spondaic) creating a sinister tone

The Massylian priestess (sorceress) Dido has hired has her hair unbound which not only creates a dramatic image but is common in ancient depictions of witches

Question 9

ter centum tonat ore deos

Line 7

Answer 9

• ‘one hundred gods’ is the standard invocation. The addition of ‘three’ makes it seem even more magical
• the vivid vocabulary choice of tonat gives the sense that she ‘bellows out’

Question 10

Erebumque Chaosque

Line 7

Answer 10

Erebus was the personification of Darkness who lived in the underworld. Chaos was the personification of a void: the first thing to exist and the mother of Erebus

Question 11

tergeminamque Hecaten, tria virginis ora Dianae

Line 8

Answer 11

• the magical number 3 is repeated twice more, creating a tricolon and thus magnifiying the power of three
• Hecate, the goddess of witchcraft, was depicted as having three bodies
• the goddess Diana was believed to have three ‘faces’
• Diana was also known as the goddess of crossroads, the crossroad was a place of mystical power and where spirits were supposed to gather

Question 12

falcibus… aenis, messae… herbae, nigri… veneni

Line 10: falcibus et messae ad lunam quaeruntur aënis pubentes herbae nigri cum lacte veneni

Answer 12

The separation of the words that agree (falcibus… aenis, messae… herbae, nigri… veneni) in these lines suggests the wildness of the scene

Question 13

falcibus et messae ad lunam quaeruntur aënis

Line 10

Answer 13

• bronze was used for metal items which were used in magic and divination
• iron was used when you wished to dispel magic

Question 14

pubentes herbae nigri cum lacte veneni

Line 11

Answer 14

• is spondaic, creating a menacing tone
• the juxtaposition of nigri and lacte extends the idea of everything being wrong

Question 15

ad lunam

Line 10

Answer 15

traditionally the most magically potent time

(by moonlight)

Question 16

veneni

Line 11

Answer 16

delayed at the end of the line, confirms our building suspicion that these herbs cannot be good

Question 17

what is the amor?

Answer 17

• a fleshy growth that supposedly grew on the forehead of foals whilst they were in the womb
• if a person stole it before the mare herself could rip it from her foal then that person could use its magical properties but the horse would reject her baby

Question 18

unum exuta pedem vinclis

line 15

Answer 18

• in order to work magically effectively, a person had to free themselves from knots which might impede the power flowing flowing through them
• this would involve undoing hair, untying belts, and undoing fastenings elsewhere
• the fact she leaves one shoe bound is linked to the curse she is casting: she will be free, Aeneas will be ‘bound’ to her will

Question 19

conscia fati sidera

Line 16

Answer 19

the stars are commonly depicted as being witnesses to all

Question 20

non aequo foedere

Line 17

Answer 20

• she does not specify a god, only asks for whoever is sympathetic to listen to her prayer
• this is a common plea when asking for divine assistance