Women Flashcards
Women in the Aeneid
Dido
Anna
Lavinia
Amata
Cruesa
How are women portrayed?
generally problematic while men are portrayed as level-headed
the female characters (specifically Juno and Venus) are the cause of every evil, pain and destruction for all the characters
Impact of women on poem
not as important as men but most have a substantial impact on the plot of the poem
- Juno and Venus w/ Dido and Aeneas
- Dido
- Cruesa tells Aeneas fate
- Lavinia = cause of war
What are women compared to?
beauty
How are women valued?
mainly as wives and mothers (no vote or political position available)
a good Roman women weaves, cares for the home and mourns
Influence of female characters
Camilla and Dido occupy roles normally reserved for men
Virgil compliments the exceptionality of their gender
the influence of female characters acts as a guiding force in Aeneas’ journey
Anna
sympathetic sister
understood Dido like no one else could
deserving of pity (makes her sisters funeral pyre, finds her sister only moments away from dying)
gives hope to Dido about Aeneas “lit a fire of wild love”
“she did not even tell her sister” “she had no inkling” “pretence” does not know what has happened to Dido - sympathy
“you have abandoned me” “it was all to deceive your sister”
Cruesa
Aeneas’ first wife
in charge of delivering Aeneas’ fate to hom “a royal bride”
dies due to Aneas’ fate “Th King of High Olympus does not allow it”
“Cruesa walked behind us” -her importance is much lower due to her position in society as a female
Lavinia
Aeneas’ third wife and his connection to Italy (marries her to become connected to Latinus and that line of descent)
Portent - hair catches on fire
never speaks (paradox when considering her actual importance)
Catalyst for war - T & A fight over who gets to marry her
Amata
Queen of Italy, maried to Latinus
is driven mad by Alecto (Juno) “like a spinning top” - unstable, madness has spun her out of control
wants Turnus to marry Lavinia even before Alecto comes along
“possessed by Bacchus”
she is a women out of control - bad, men can’t control them
Camilla
warrior woman
v unusual for a woman to be depicted in the way she is
another victim of Aeneas’ fate and she dies
gets a backstory - v heroic and she was raised by Diana “Diana’s gift”
brave, kills the “largest of the Trojans”
“like an Amazon” - comapred to Penthesilea etc. (“warrior woman”)
Venus
Aeneas’ mother (goddess)
often appears to Aeneas in disguise
partakes in a lot of DI (shield, Aeneas and Dido, clouding Aeneas)
loving mother although their connection is slightly strained due to her position as a goddess
feud with Juno due to Apple of Discord
causes conflict among the gods (partically with Juno, have to be reprimanded by Jupiter)
Juno
antagonist in the poem and often helps Turnis
uses Alecto to set the 2nd half in motion (plot catalyst)
hates Trojans
portrayed as emotional and enraged “fierce Juno”
medals with A and D alongiside Venus
one of the first things mentioned if “unforgetting anger of Juno” - importance
