Virgil's Aeneid Flashcards
About Virgil
Wrote Aeneid after the civil wars when he had time and was a patron of a client associated with Augustus
42BC - Virgil’s farm is taken and he goes to Rome to get it back- attracting the attention of Maecenas who becomes a writer too
- Works act as propaganda for Caesar and Octavian/Augustus
- Venus = Aenead’s mother = their descendant
- Aenead stands for peace like them
- Affirms traditional values of Roman state
Aeneid Book cycle
12 Books taking place in the Bronze age - epic cycle like Homer
Books 1-6: trying to get "home" Book: 1 - Storm and arrival in Carthage 2- Aeneas tells the Fall of Troy to Dido 3-Aeneas travels (meets cyclops) 4-Love story with Dido 5-Funeral games of Aeneas' dad 6-Visits the underworld and finds out Dido died **1-6 most popular books
Books 7-12: Latium vs. Troy war
12-End of war, personal combat like Achilles and Hector
Aeneas vs. Turnes
Themes in Aeneid
1) Fate (Jupiter)
- Made Aeneas leave Troy, eventually founding the Roman race-Jupiter becoming Roman State god
2) Counter-fate (Juno)
- Unstable marriage, he tried to ruin Jupiter’s plans
3) Communal good
- Aeneas must think of the good for the Roman people and leave Carthage and Dido to found Rome
4) Traditional Roman values
- Pious- religious
- Penates- household gods
5) Seeker of Peace
- Augustus advocated for peace
6) Roman Identity
- Support of the gods and Concordia