Virgil's Aeneid: Lines 1-11 Notes Flashcards
How does Virgil show that Rome was not founded by chance?
‘Fato’ goes more appropriately with ‘venit’ instead of ‘profugus’ to show it was Aeneas’ fate to found Rome, not to be an exile. He was chosen to leave Troy and go to Italy
Which word is pleonastic in line 3?
‘Ille’
What does the pleonasm in line 3 show?
Draws attention to the person spoken of. The delay in knowing their name builds tension
What sort of device is pleonasm?
Rhetorical device
Who actually are the ‘deos’ of Troy?
The household Gods which the royal family of each city was in charge of protecting
Why was Aeneas chosen to make the journey from Troy?
He was the second cousin of Priam - king of Troy so the best hope for the future of Troy. The household Gods needed a new home and so did the people of Troy
How do we know that all this is true about Aeneas?
We don’t. These are all theories. Virgil decided to write about Aeneas
Why is ‘unde’ a deliberately vague word?
So it can refer to Aeneas and all his followers
What do we have to insert into a Latin translation because they miss it out?
‘From whom the latin people came’
Why does Virgil not include certain, unnesscary words?
To fit with the meter of the line
What is the meter of the lines in the Aeneid?
6 feet per line, maximum 17 syllables a line
Where is ‘Romae’ placed? Why?
At the end of the line and sentence. That is emphatic as that is what the audience will remember (beginning and end)
Where is there a contrast in these lines?
Between the lexical field to describe Juno’s malevolence and the lexical field describing Aeneas’ suffering to make his journey more admirable
Give some words in the lexical field of Juno’s malevolence
Dolens, irae, memorem, laeso
Give some words in the lexical field of Aeneas’ suffering
Impulerit, volvere casus, labores
Why did Virgil choose the word ‘volvere’ to show Aeneas’ suffering?
To imply a cycle of disasters as ‘volvere’ means ‘to turn’
What is the Roman concept of piety?
Dutiful conduct to those who have a natural claim upon us
What is the order in who we should be pious to?
Gods first, then country, then family
What does Aeneas represent? Who does Aeneas have strong associations with? So who are we supposed to think of when we see him?
An ideal Roman. Augustus. Augustus
What did Augustus try and instill into Roman culture?
Romans were taught to be selfless
What is the reason for infinitives like ‘adire’ in poetry?
Suggests a completed action in fewer syllables than normally required in prose
‘Profugus’ means ‘fugitive’ so what is it derived from?
‘Fugio’ meaning ‘to flee’
Who was Lavinia?
Aeneas’ new wife. The daughter of the king Aeneas conquered trying to take over his city to build a new one
Give two examples of poetic language here
‘Alto’ - ‘the deep’ but actually represents the sea; ‘superum’ - ‘the great ones’ but actually represents the Gods
How do we know by the latin that Aeneas was going towards Italy?
‘Italiam’ is the accusative so means ‘going towards’
Who is the anagonist in this extract?
Juno
What is Virgil trying to make us think about the different characters?
Juno is unkind and we are supposed to dislike her from the start while Aeneas should be liked
What does Alba Longa have to do with Aeneas?
Aeneas had a son called Ascanius who made his own city called Alba Longa
Instead of ‘high walls of Rome’, it is ‘walls of high Rome’. What does this say about Rome?
It is high and renowned
What sort of word is ‘memora’?
Imperative
What is an enclitic word? Give two examples in the text
A word that is attached to another. ‘Quidve’ and ‘tantaene’
What is the effect of the enjambment of ‘impulerit’?
Abnormal structure draws attention to the word to highlight Aeneas’ suffering
