book 11- camilla

what is the overall summary of book 11?

-both sides bury their dead, and pallas' body is taken back to evander

-drances proposes that turnus should face aeneas alone, in single combat, but the battle continues

-camilla joins the fighting, but is killed

how is pallas' body described?

"like a flower cut by the thumbnail of a young girl, a soft violet or drooping lily"

-tragic simile, links to nisus and euryalus, power of the sacrifice made because of love and for the greater good, relates to dying young, missed life and opportunities, eulogises him

-connotes youth and yulnerability

how is aeneas heroic in the opening of book 11?

-configures burials and funerals for fallen comrades, tells his men to bury their friends as "that is the only honour a man has in the underworld" and that "they have shed their blood to win this land for us" - acknowledges both the loss and gain of war, sacrifices needed for the greater good of founding rome, pious, shows he was deeply affected by his trip to the underworld and the fates of unburied souls

-shows respect to he gods by offerring mars mezentius' armour as spoils of war, shows he is not greedy, displays restraint, more involved with personal affairs than glory or fame

-after returning pallas' body to evander, tarchon and aeneas built funeral pyres and "carried there the bodies of their dead, each after the fashion of their fathers"- shows pietas, commitment and depth of father son bond

how does aeneas go about pallas' funeral?

-first he weeps over pallas' body in anguish, surrounded by mourning trojans and women beating their breasts

-he sent a thousand men to carry his body back to evander, he was placed on a hand-woven raised couch of country straws

-aeneas clothed him in robes dido had stitched for him, laced with gold and purple threads showing importance, connoting tragedy and sacrifices needed (do the deaths make aeneas' fate seem selfish? evaluate cost of war vs gain of an empire.

-put laurentine soil onto the pyre

-offers live rutulian captives to be burnt alive as sacrifices (horrifying, not often practiced, shows extent of crisis, transcends roman moral law- impious?

what happens after the funeral procession?

messengers from latium arrive, bearing olive branches and asking for a truce and for the bodies of their comrades to be returned so that they can bury them.

-aeneas graciously grants this, claiming that he would have "grant them peace when they were still alive" and embodies the spirit of augustus' clementia through "he could have no quarrel with men who were defeated... he must show mercy"

-blames king latinus for favouring turnus instead of aeneas, and that turnus is solely responsible and should face aeneas along instead of allowing mass collateral damage

what does drances argue after aeneas agrees to return their bodies

-turnus is to blame, they will help aeneas fulfil his fate and reconcile him with the king, leaving turnus to make his own treaties and fend for himself

-"swore that turnus was the only man who's name was being called"

-they decided on twelve days of truce, where they gathered resources together in peace, isolated turnus

how is evander characterised as pallas' body is returned to him?

-distraught, speechless,

-"no power on earth could restrain" him, he "clung" to the body and couldn't speak from grief, desperate, the city was surrounded with mourners and "ablaze with their cries" - furor-like mourning, all-consuming, naturally occurring

what does evander say when faced with pallas' body?

"this is not what you promised your father!" -had not prepared, betrayed by death

"these are bitter first fruits for a young man"-shows the tragedy of dying young

"a father should not survive his son" -pathos, tragedy his loss, depth of father son bond

claims that turnus would also be dead if pallas was equal in age and strength, unfair battle, sense of injustice

"i seek no joy in life"- asks aeneas to avenge his son and kill turnus (the only way he will be able to survive, have any hope left)

what is the impact of evander's speech after seeing his son's body?

evander says that his life lies in aeneas' balance, asks him to kill turnus on behalf of him and his son who was wrongly murdered to bring about justice

-brings an emotional element driving the narrative, aeneas is motivated by pathos, guilt and sadness (enhanced by his love for his father and son, and his fate)

-another cause for the fighting, emotional ammunition instead of blind rage, furor, or divinely inspired fate which he obeys blindly

how was diomedes characterised in the iliad and book 8 of the aeneid?

valiant warrior, continually committed to the greek cause, accustomed to fighting

how is diomedes characterised in book 11?

refuses to fight alongside turnus, despite previous alliance, shows the extent of turnus' cruelty and arrogance, the pityful reality of war as miserable and deathly, shows that the deep greek-trojan hatred is less significant when compared to the cruelty of war and turnus' actions

-removes a powerful ally from turnus, positions victory in trojan direction, reinforces that the trojans have suffered enough and they deserve peace and fate

how are funerals/ burning of the dead displayed?

-acts of piety and devotion to fathers and gods: Aeneas and Tarchon "carried there the bodies of their dead, each after the fashion of their fathers"

-they were surrounded by sacrifices to the gods

-spoils of war and friends possessions were thrown on the pyre

-tended to the fire and didn't leave until it was morning- mourned all through the night

-latins also built pyres for their dead- shows the equality of war in loss, lack of bias in war, the outcome of war is often defined by those who follow or oppose fate

- mourned for three days, on the third they buried the ashes

-shows the emotional impact on women and children, all cursing turnus, "the mothers and heart-broken wives of the dead... beating their breasts"

what does latinus suggest after hearing diomedes' refusal to fight?

-claims that the war went against fate and should end, outlines the many challenges the latins have faced

-praises aeneas, comparing him to hector "both men noble in their courage, noble in their skill in arms, but aeneas the greater in piety"

-agrees to peace between latins and trojans

-claims they are fighting a "misguided war" against "unconquerable heroes"!!

-"courage has done all that courage can do"

-selects a piece of land to belong to the trojans if they wish to become allies, or if they want to leave he vows to build them 20 ships

-he calls for 100 men to bring gifts of peace to the trojans

what is the significance of latinus' speech declaring peace?

-positions aeneas as the highest warrior, who is an "unconquerable hero", reinforces that fate is on his side,

-shows that reason and peace can overcome war and sufferring, majority of the latins see reason and promote peace as they weren't enchanted by allecto, shows rationality

-reinforces that latinus is a good father in law figure for aeneas, respects him and doesn't want to fight

key latinus quote which outlines rationality and recognises the power of fate:

"courage has done all that courage could do"

-shows the inevitability of fate, tragedy of helplessness against all-powerful fate, makes turnus seem powerless and helpless

-rational, pious, wants to protect his people from further fatalities, rejects furor and emotion-driven actions, power of reason, advocate for peace and rationality

how does drances respond to latinus' speech?

-despite being a latin himself, he hates turnus and makes a passionate speech demanding that latinus promises lavinia to aeneas and that turnus should either surrender or meet aeneas in a single combat

-very persuasive, positions turnus as an impious irrational warrior, "if you have any of the fighting spirit of fathers, stand up to your challenger and look him in the face"

-countering the culture of patriotic pride and personal glory being won in war by outlying the true tragedies and reality of fighting, would connect to contemporary audiences who have lived through civil wars

how does turnus respond to latinus and drances?

-makes an impassioned speech with lots of exclamations and rhetorical questions, shows desperation, emotional drive

-claims that war is patriotic, it is dishonourable and cowardly to refuse fighting

-claims that words are useless against fighting

"where is your martial spirit?" (fighting)

-compares himself to achilles, shows he is inflicted by pride and arrogance

-argues that war has the goal of glory or death, shows weaknesses and contradictions of reasons for war

how is turnus described arming himself to meet camilla?

-simile: "like a stallion that has broken his tether and burst from his stall; free at last"

-described as "ardent and exulting"

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how is camilla characterised in her first appearance / speech?

independant, ambitious, a strong female leader (similar to dido, headstrong queen who commands her people-dido also had resonance with diana as virgil compared them two), respected by her army (they all "followed her example"), unlike turnus, she wasn't enchanted, holds battle prowess through skill and being favoured by a goddess, traits of a hero, positions her higher than turnus- wasn't inflicted by allecto in order to be powerful

-authoritative, commanding (uses imperatives: "give me leave", tells turnus she should meet the trojans while he stays and guards the city)

what is camilla's life story? (as told by diana-significant, favoured and important to goddess)

- diana's father was metabus (the tyrannical king driven from his kingdom) and took camilla with him, raising her in exile through wars and battles

-when he had to cross a dangerous river to escape his enemies, he didn't know how to carry camilla, so he attached her to a spear and threw her across with a prayer to diana, dedicating camilla as her suppliant

-from then on, camilla was raised as a virgin warrior, completely dedicated to diana and uninterested in marriage and the 'duty of women', virgil states that many people tried to set her up for marriage and children, but "all she cared for was diana"

what is camilla's relationship with diana

-she was pledged as an infant to be her suppliant

-lived her life in worship of diana, worshiped her through her virginity, commitment to battle tactics, disengagement with marriage/ conventions

-diana gave her a golden bow

-camilla is beloved to diana and she vows that whoever kills her must also die

-her virginity suggests a streamlined mindset only in worship to diana and her fighting skills

who does virgil compare camilla to?

Penthesilea-> leader of the amazons

-fought on behalf of troy in trojan war, fights bravely and impressively on the battlefield but is ultimately killed by achilles

-foreshadows her tragic end, reinforces the theme of fate through intertextual links and similarities

-link to book 1, penthesilea and the amazon warriors were depicted on dido's temple to juno -> "ablaze with the passion for war" (shows the mix of tragic undertones and heroism)

-also compared to Hippolyte (queen of the amazons), whose belt which belonged to her father was the object of hercules' 9th labour where she was killed by him and stripped of her belt (link to dying young, pallas, and father-son bonds)

who were the amazon warriors?

-race of female warriors and hunters, known for their

-independent from male-dominated society, matriarchal, raised only daughters, only had relationships with men to continue their race, presents the complexity of women as being brave and strong aswell as nurturing, having masculine and feminine traits

-they challenge traditional gender roles, serving as a symbol of female autonomy and strength, directly contrasts the traditional perception of women in ancient rome / greece where their roles were limited to housewivery and subservience- embodied both fear of female independance and autonomy and fascination with gender for the 'other' and subversion of gender roles for audiences (amazons were enemies of the greek)

-have historical links to tribes in the black sea such as scythians

characteristics of amazon warriors:

-strong, and capable of great feats of strength and bravery, known for their physical agility, strength, archery, riding skills, and the arts of combat

-they were depicted as skilled archers and horse riders, being able to use many weapons effectively often engaging in battle with formidable prowess

-as women they hold positions of ultimate authority and power over their people (matriarchal)

-portrayed similarly to goddess diana and various myths include cutting off their breasts to enhance their archery skills

what does camilla fight with?

-the golden bow and arrows of diana

-a double axe

-spears

-shows how she is multifaceted and skilled in multiple spheres, divinely celebrated agility and skill

how does turnus perceive camilla?

-as an equal warrior (if not stronger)

-entrusts the fate of latium in her troops, argues they will be the rallying force against the trojans, entrusts his armies under her sole leadership

-asks to "share" with him the "heat of the battle"- perhaps they are equal in lust for war, shares the masculine trait of furor / rage, unique for her gender, bends gender roles

-turnus observes that "that spirit of yours knows no limits"

how is camilla described on the battlefield?

-in her element: "in the middle of all this bloodshed, exulting in it, was the Amazon Camilla"

-extremely successful, kills a number of trojan warriors, "for every dart that flew from her hand, a trojan hero fell"

-taunts her victims (Tarchon the Tuscan king who tried to kill her) by asserting her femininity, aware of her uniqueness and uses it to her advantage to undermine the male warriors with her fascinating and fearful other-ness

examples of camilla's successes in battle:

-kills Orsilochus and Butes- the "tallest of the trojans"

significance of camilla being a bellatrix? (female warrior)

-she is more powerful than many of the men warriors, defeats numerous trojan heroes, she terrifies and threatens the men as her gender is unique

-she is intoduced near the end of the epic as the last rallying force for the latins, powerful stand-in for turnus who suspends the tension

-her battle-power is equal to turnus / aeneas, just as blood-thirsty

how does aunus' warrior son attempt to kill camilla? (one trojan hero, names aren't that important)

-tells her she depends on the courage of her horse, doesn't deserve her glory

-enrages camilla into a "burning fury of resentment" and she dismounted, standing "without a trace of fear"

-he then seizes the reins and gallops off of the horse

-camilla runs, "as swift as fire" (burning imagery of rage / furor) and runs down on foot Chloreus fleeing on horseback—a superhuman feat reserved for great heroes, kills him brutally

-virgil uses a simile to compare her to "as easily as a sacred falcon" who pursues a dove, savagely "rips out its entrails", leaving blood and feathers floating from the sky- echoes Homer's simile in The Iliad describing Hector fleeing Achilles, putting her on a level with those great warriors

How does Tarchon (etruscan leader fighting for trojans) motivate his army?

-uses camillas' strength as a woman as an insult to masculine fighting: "one woman has turned this whole army" - shows her impact

-emasculates his army by outlining their committment to lovemaking and bacchus practices instead of battle, calls them "rank cowardice"

-positions war as should be their highest priority: "this is what you love. this is what you care about"

-he then "flew like fire" enraged into battle, and successfully kills a man "just as when a tawny eagle has seized a snake" - powerful simile, link to jupiter, savage and heroic

how does arruns tale advantage of camilla?

-virgil states that while camilla is very fast and skilled with the spear, arruns is "far superior in cunning" and also skilled with spears

-he notices camilla's distraction by chloreus' armour and while she was blindly pursuing him, he struck her from behind

what does virgil describe as camilla's hamartia?

-her greed and desire for chloreus' armour as spoils of war, objects of lust and personal passion (similar to dido who was overcome by her passion and lust for aeneas)

-virgil states she was "burning with all a woman's passion for spoil and plunder" who was "blind to all else and unthinking"

how is camilla's death described?

-she is struck while oblivious, the spear lodging beneath her naked breast and "drinking deep of her virgin blood" -emphesises youth, vulnerability, innocence and tragedy of dying young.

-the latins "rushed in panic to support their falling queen" (well-valued, similar to dido)

-in her dying moments she confided in her her most faithful companion Acca, who she calls her "sister", telling her turnus must take her place (foreshadows his coming death, the equality of warriors, draws parallels to Dido who dies with her sister, confiding in her, shows strength and importance of sisterhood

-her "neck drooped" - similar to pallas/ nisus and euryalus, contribute to dying young theme, tragedy, cut off before allowing to fully flourish

how is arruns characterised?

-sheepish and cowardly, attacks camilla whilst she was distracted- shows lack of morality and virtues

-takes advantage of her, unfair, not respectable

-after throwing his spear at camilla, he runs away cowardly, UNHEROIC, only kills her through cheating, described by virgil as like "when a wolf has killed a shepherd" (authority figure, animalistic savagery vs owner), disappeared in "wild confusion"

how was camilla's death avenged?

-opis (diana's sentinel) was sent down by diana to kill her murderer auruns

-opis proclaims that "this death of yours will not be forgotten among the people of this earth, and no one shall say that you have died unavenged", declares that her murderer will "pay just penalty with his life" - immortalises her similar to pallas, nisus etc, sense of justice and pietas, her life is just as valuable as powerful male trojan warriors and she demands justice

-"even a man can die by the weapons of diana" - shoots arruns with diana's golden bow, sacred to camilla- avenges her, stands in her place

how are the latins described after camilla's death?

-"the battle raged like never before"- new found ammunition for revenge and justice, emphesises camilla's importance and the loss she creates

-all of the troops fled, realising they were lost without their queen and powerless against the "deadly onset of the trojans"

-the women were watching in anguish and beating their breasts

-the trojans entered the gates of lavinium immediately slaughtering the retreating latin troops

-EVEN THE WOMEN went to joing the ranks and defend their city through "love of their native land" (pietas) and they "strove their upmost", virgil outlines that "CAMILLA WAS THEIR EXAMPLE"- changed the course of war as being a male dominated, empowered women, great leader

how does book 11 end?

-turnus has to retreat from his hiding spot where he would ambush aeneas out of piety for his defeated comrades and to fulfil camilla's wish of him taking her place (told by her companion acca) - his acts of piety are out of obedience and respect of camillas orders, aswell as devotion to his troops

-turnus leaves his spot "in a frenzy" and spots aeneas pursuing the latins, but they set up camp as night has come.

what is an epyllion?

-a mini epic, a short descriptive narrative poem containing mythological and romantic elements, made as a response to long epics to condense them into emotionally charged, engaging and lively episodes

what are the characteristics of the epyllion form according to Maria Alessio?

1) focuses on the heroine rather than the hero

2) dramatic form, contains at least one long speech, emotionally charged

3) depicts heroes who behave in a human way

4) contains a digression (story within a story) which is framed by the main character

5) contains epic language and allusion

how is the epyllion form which focuses on heroine and human characteristics emphesised in book 11?

-camilla's gender is emphesised as the radical driving force for the latin troops, isn't limited by her gender, emphesises power which is enriched by the uniquity of her gender

-she is human as she acknowledges how others percieve her gender as a weakness, has human flaws of pride and is limited by fate and mortality like any other hero

how does camilla's story contribute to the larger narrative?

-sets up parallels between aeneas/ turnus and camilla, equally affected by furor, human flaws, battle skills, shown to be an equal warrior worthy of the heroic status of the protagonists, contributes to themes of dying young, the inevitability of fate and the unfairness of battle as it favours some over others

examples of epic language in book 11:

-simile comparing camilla to a falcon

what is an allusion?

an expression designed to call something to mind without mentioning it explicitly; an indirect or passing reference.

allusion example in book 11:

allusion to the amazon warriors in regards to camilla

what is an intertextual reference?

when a text refers to another important text (subtly or directly)

what is an intratextual reference?

when a text refers to another passage in the same text (subtle or direct)

how were women expected to behave within an epic society?

-submissive and subservient to men, servants

-homemakers interested only in childrearing and domesticity

-powerless vessels, extensions of the man's status and voice, not powerful, authoritative, not capable of using their voice

parallels between dido and camilla:

-they both defy traditional gender roles, empowering women

-dido is likened to diana (camilla's patron)

-the "royal splendour" of camilla's purple veiling and gold clasp is reminiscent of dido's appearance (especially during the bacchant-like hunt of women)

-mirrors the female focused, emotionally-charged episode of dido, parallels it and concludes it in a more satisfying / just way, reinforces the sufferring of women in war-like settings as victims to male opression and the favouring of their fates

what does maria alessio say about camilla?

"her vulnerability when the lethal weapon lodges in her ribs recalls the wounding of another virgillian regina (queen) dido, who wandered around desperately like a wounded stage, the arrow of death, carelessly implanted by the hunter aeneas" -shows vulnerability of women, victimhood, pawns in the narrative of men

what does Wilhelm say about camilla?

"the figure of camilla also serves to amplify dido's character, for she too is the combination of diana and venus"

how does camilla contribute to the theme of dying young?

-she dies because she is attracted to the exotic gold and purple finery of the priest chloreus (link to nisius and euryalus, flawed by the stereotypes around her gender presuming a relentless lust for vanity and excessive beauty

-the purple/ gold clothing links to dido's, subtle foreshadowing / fated towards a violent end marked by passion, tragedy and emotion

how is camilla's death interpreted in a contemporary audience?

-extravagant wealth and greed has no place in roman society, those who pursue it will be punished

-shows how women who defer from social norms will ultimately be reduced to outcasts, marginalised, and weakened

-virgil reduces camilla's impressive fighting prowess as limited by her "woman's passion" - derogatory, generalised

how does camilla contribute to the theme of heroism and violence?

-she is nature oriented, belongs to both the natural world with her "lycian quiver and shepherds staff of myrtle wood" as well as being made for the warrior world where her power is parallel to turnus and her skills were divinely oriented/ chosen by diana, sacred to the warrior world

what does r.d williams say about camilla?

-she is a "strange mix of the beauty of an idyllic pastoral world, and the heroic world of violence and cruelty"

more parallels between dido and camilla:

-both of their deaths are full of pathos and advocate for an immortalisation, justice

-they both die with a trusted / mourning female companion by their side

links between camilla and turnus:

-camilla in her dying words asks for turnus to take her place, proposing she is a warrior of equal ability

-virgils description of her death where her life "left her with a groan" and "fled in anger down to the shades" is repeated describing turnus' death and are the last lines of the epic, reminds us of her legacy and impact of her character, reverts turnus' death to the sacrifices of women in war / fate / justice, equalises them in furor, battle ability, the value of their life (through their loss)