Virgil's Georgics Lines 494-529 Notes Flashcards
What is a key word in this passage? Why?
‘Furor’ as stands for irrational, primitive, non-Roman behaviour
What gives a lilting, soporific effect?
The absence of caesura in the third and fourth foot on line 496
What is ‘lumina condere’ used often for?
Closing the eyes of a corpse
When does Virgil use the phrase ‘iamque vale’? Where else is it seen?
For the dead and dying
Creusa to Aeneas book 2
Anchises to Aeneas book 5/6?
Camilla to Acca book 11
How are Eurydice’s last words made memorable?
Close wording of ‘heu non tua’ and alliteration of ‘t’ sounds
Where is there assonance?
‘Prensantem… volentem’
Concentrates focus on Orpheus’ futile actions
Where else is assonance to show futile actions seen?
Aeneas with Creusa book 2
Aeneas and Dido book 4
What was a requirement of an epyllion? Where is it seen here?
Deliberative despairing questions on lines 504-5
Where is there a golden line? What is the effect?
Line 506 makes scene particularly poignant and shifts attention suddenly from Orpheus to Eurydice with a sad finality
What does the imperfect ‘nabat’ show on line 506?
Presents the action from Orpheus’ point of view
What is Virgil stressing on line 507?
Duration
What was Strymon?
A river in Thrace
Where is Orpheus’ ability to enchant animals and inanimate objects with his songs seen elsewhere?
Ovid’s metamorphoses book 9
Horace Odes book 1
Where else is the story of Philomela being turned into a nightingale told?
Ovid’s metamorphoses book 6
Odyssey book 16 and book 19
How is the philomela story given more pathos?
Reference to suffering caused by man
What compels our attention in line 513?
An unusual pause after a trochee in the fifth foot
Where is personification here?
‘Venus’ to personify the love she is attributed to
Where was Tanais and where was it’s source?
A river in north Greece (the river Don) with it’s source in the Riphean mountains
The coldness of Orpheus’ area contrasts what?
The heat of Proteus’ environment
Who are the Ciconian women? What happened In Homer’s Odyssey book 9?
A people from Thrace. They pelted Odysseus’ ships with rocks so they almost did not escape
What legend recalls Orpheus’ death?
Legend of Pentheus where he was torn to pieces by bacchants
Where is the legend of Pentheus told?
Ovid’s metamorphoses book 3
Eurpides Bacchae
What was the Hebrus and who was Oegrus?
Hebrus was a river in Thrace
Oegrus was a king of Thrace and father of Orpheus
What image does ‘vox ipsa’ give? What does it suggest?
Haunting image of his disembodied cry for his wife even after his death
What is there repetition of?
‘Eurydicen’ Alexandrian style (late greek)
What is line 527 almost?
A golden line to close the song. Elegant word order here
In Ovid what sort of ending is there to the Orpheus and Eurydice story?
A happy one as they are reunited in the underworld
Is there a happy ending here?
No although they will both be in the underworld. Proteus suddenly vanishes to create an underwater current. What is this supposed to suggest?
