Scribd
Upload
73 views

Classics 45B: The Heroes

1. The document summarizes key passages and themes from Virgil's Aeneid, focusing on Aeneas' journey after the fall of Troy. It discusses Aeneas' character as a pious hero devoted to his obligations and destined to found Rome, as well as his relationships with gods, family, and Dido of Carthage. 2. The summary also covers Aeneas recounting the fall of Troy to the Carthaginians, including the trickery of the Trojan Horse and prophet Laocoon's warning. It then discusses the Trojans' fleeing Troy and attempts to reestablish their city, guided by prophecies to seek their "ancient mother" Italy.

Uploaded by

Vikki Pang
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
73 views

Classics 45B: The Heroes

1. The document summarizes key passages and themes from Virgil's Aeneid, focusing on Aeneas' journey after the fall of Troy. It discusses Aeneas' character as a pious hero devoted to his obligations and destined to found Rome, as well as his relationships with gods, family, and Dido of Carthage. 2. The summary also covers Aeneas recounting the fall of Troy to the Carthaginians, including the trickery of the Trojan Horse and prophet Laocoon's warning. It then discusses the Trojans' fleeing Troy and attempts to reestablish their city, guided by prophecies to seek their "ancient mother" Italy.

Uploaded by

Vikki Pang
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 12

Classics 45B

The
Heroes

Lecture 23: Aeneas after Troy

Review:
Key Questions

What is the relationship between the Aeneid and


Homeric epic?
and Apollonius Rhodius Argonautica?
What is the relationship between the divine and human
orders?
What kind of hero is Aeneas?

Opening Verses
Aeneid
ARMA VIRUMQUE CANO
Wars and the man I sing
Iliad


Of the wrath, goddess, sing
Odyssey

,
Of the man, Muse, sing

The Aeneid and Homeric


Epic

First Half : Voyage


Second Half: War in Italy

The Fall of Troy

Where do we find an account of the fall?


What two epics does this account bridge?
Under what circumstances is it told and by whom?

Book 1: First look at Aeneas

Proem (p. 47):


Tell me, Muse, how it all began. Why was Juno so outraged?
Why did she force a man, so famous for his devotion, to brave
such rounds of hardship, bear such trials? Can such rage inflame
immortal hearts? There was an ancient city
Aeneas is insignis pietate (famous for his pietas); his epithet
is pius
Problem of translating pietas: piety / devotion / sense of duty
Divine / geopolitical antagonists defined:***JUNO AND
CARTHAGE

Pius Aeneas

Aeneid is the great national epic of the Romans


pietas: devotion, sense of duty / obligation
Duty / obligation to:
- gods
- nation
for Aeneas these are
inseparable
- family
Influence of Stoic philosophy, which stressed
being in accord with fatum, and self-control
National / Stoic hero Aeneas must sacrifice
personal happiness to make good his obligations

Book 1: Storm at Sea


Who causes the storm, and why?
Who eventually quells the storm?
Gender Mapping of chaos / order?
Aeneas reaction (p. 53):
At once Aeneas, limbs limp in the chill of fear, groans and cries out Three, four
times blest my comrades lucky to die beneath the soaring walls of Troy before
their parents eyes. If only Id gone under your right hand, Diomedes, strongest
Greek afield, and poured out my life on the battlegrounds of Troy.
what kind of heroic values does Aeneas articulate here?
is this pietas?
Is this a Stoic hero?
what is Virgil telling us about Aeneas at this point?
Do we see evidence of good leadership after the storm?

Book 1: Jupiters Prophecy to Venus


What doubts does Venus express?
How does Jupiter respond?
vaticinium ex eventu
How far does Jupiters prophecy extend?
what are the broader purposes of this scene?
- imperialist (imperium sine fine dedi)
Notion of manifest destiny
[strictly speaking, a 19th-century American term, but
applicable to Aeneid]

ideology of universal conquest, of world civilizing


mission (Pax Romana)
What is the relationship between Jupiter and Fate?
- how does this compare to Homeric Zeus?

Book 1:
Dido and
Aeneas
in Carthage

First impressions of Dido: an effective leader


What gods are involved in inciting her love for Aeneas?
How is this achieved?
What is this modeled on?

Under what circumstances does Aeneas tell his tale? How does he
begin?
what is this modeled on?

Book 2: Fall of Troy


Greek trickery: Trojan Horse + Sinon
Laocoon: timeo Danaos et dona
ferentis
Hectors Dream Visitation (pp. 8485)
How does Aeneas respond?
arma amens capio
out of my wits, I seize my arms it
races through my mind what a noble
thing it is to die in arms
What brings him back to his senses?
What miracle convinces Anchises to
flee?
Crucial father-son relationships
Loss of Creusa (+ ghostly visitation)

Trojans after Troy


Flee to nearby mountains
Build a fleet
Prophecy : seek ancient mother
- first guess (and attempt) : Crete
- second guess : Italy
Who is in charge of the Trojans at
this stage?
- Roman notion of paterfamilias
- Aeneas pietas vis--vis father
Book 3 : various failed attempts to
re-found Troy
- implication: no going backwards
Death of Anchises; implication?

You might also like