The Aeneid - Scholars

‘Aeneas was famous for his piety.’

West - Moral Values/Heroism

‘The similarity of Turnus to the Homeric Hero serves to point the contrast with Aeneas.’

Williams - Moral Values/Heroism

‘Furor is mad or irrational behaviour.’

Knights - Moral Values/Heroism

‘Furor dominates the last four books of the Aeneid.’

Grandsen - Moral Values/Heroism

‘What is fated in the Aeneid will happen, but it can be delayed or modified.’

Morwood - Fate and Destiny

‘Fates and the gods are everywhere throughout the poem, seeming to be always in control.’

Ross - Fate and Destiny

‘[Book 2] is perhaps the most intense book of the whole poem… it is a book in which the concept of destiny is at its strongest.’

Williams - Fate and Destiny

‘Aeneas is a fugitive of fate.’

Kearns - Fate and Destiny

‘Virgil is not a man of war.’

Semple - Portrayal of War

‘Virgil records the suffering of the defeated and of the innocent.’

West - Portrayal of War

Civil wars caused ‘deep feelings of guilt’ and ‘Virgil’s handling of his legendary material reflects these feelings.’

Pattie - Portrayal of War

‘War is not compatible with calm rationality.’

Griffin - Portrayal of War

‘The shorter battle scenes are more like gladiator fights, this makes them more appealing to a Roman audience.’

Harrison - Portrayal of War

‘Sinon’s speech is at once an exposé of the decadence of contemporary Greeks in Roman eyes.’

West - Portrayal of Different Nations

‘The contrast between the civilised Trojans and the barbarous Italians dissolves on closer inspection.’

Zetzel - Portrayal of Different Nations

Virgil wanted to show ‘a healing between the Trojans and the Greeks over the course of the Epic.’

Pollio - Portrayal of Different Nations

‘Jupiter is not in charge of Fate. He seems responsible for its execution.’

Morwood - Role of Immortals

‘Juno, the greatest liar in the Aeneid.’

West - Role of Immortals

‘Two goddesses engineer Dido’s destructions for their own ends.’

West - Role of Immortals

‘They are powerful people with no moral standards.’

Harrison - Role of Immortals

‘The gods provide a means for Virgil to move the plot in unexpected ways.’

Knights - Role of Immortals

‘Juturna is an immortal caught between the words of Fate, divine manipulation and love for her mortal family.’

Knights - Family

‘Anna acts with the best intentions, but almost everything she does or says harms the sister she loves.’

Knights - Family (Sisters)

‘Dido is not really deceived by Anna. She is convinced because she wants to be convinced.’

Nelson - Family

‘Aeneas failed Creusa; he has much more care for his son and father.’

Perkell - Family

‘Contrast between tough, more experienced Nisus and the much less experienced Euryalus.’

Harrison - Friendship

‘His story of Nisus and Euryalys is also a delicate portrayal of the passionate love between two young men.’

West - Friendship

‘Friendship was always an institution central to Roman cultural life.’

Meban - Friendship

‘Creusa trusts and understands… this is one of literature’s greatest tributes to married love.’

Jenkyns - Relationships between Men and Women

‘Women are associated with origins, men are associated with ends.’

Oliensis - Relationships between Men and Women

‘Dido is an individual who cares nothing for Rome but simply wishes to win the man she loves.’

Williams - Relationships between Men and Women

‘She [Dido] and Aeneas seem intended to be complimentary reflections of each other.’

Sowerby - Relationships between Men and Women

‘Juno is the driving force behind Aeneas’ troubles.’

Knights - Relationships between Mortals and Immortals

‘Dido is certainly a victim of circumstances and the gods.’

Du Quesnay - Relationships between Mortals and Immortals

‘We get the impression that Juno enjoys causing chaos for her own sake.’

Cowan - Relationships between Mortals and Immortals

‘Aeneas is too often a puppet.’

Duff - Relationships between Mortals and Immortals

‘Venus’ seduction of Vulcan is a demonstration of Venus’ love for her son.’

West - Relationships between Parents and Children

‘The Aeneid is dominated by fathers/father figures.’

Gransden - Relationships between Parents and Children

‘Father-son relationships are central to the plot.’

Cowan - Relationships between Parents and Children

‘The relationship between father and son is the closest bond in the poem.’

Sowerby - Relationships between Parents and Children

‘In spite of her physical distance from Aeneas, Venus is deeply invested in his wellbeing.’

Haynes - Relationships between Parents and Children

‘Lavinia has no personality at all and is a part of the plot rather than a character in her own right.’

Williams - Role of Women

‘Camilla is a strange mixture of the beauty of an idyllic pastoral world and the heroic world of violence and cruelty.’

Williams - Role of Women (Cam)

‘The uncomplicatedly virtuous women of the epic, Creusa and Lavinia, prove their virtue precisely by submitting to the masculine plot of history.’

Oliensis - Role of Women

‘Virgil takes great effort to sideline women.’

Morgan - Role of Women

‘Virgil’s poetry is indeed remarkable for the degree to which it engages seriously with the political realities of his time.’

Tarrant - Historical and Political Context

‘In line with Augustan propaganda, the name of Antony is never mentioned.’

West - Historical and Political Context

‘The pageant of unborn Roman heroes which Anchises describes is the most patriotic message in the whole poem.’

Williams - Historical and Political Context

‘Augustus wanted an epic poem with himself as the hero.’

Quinn - Historical and Political Context

‘Nothing happens by chance.’

Griffin - Prophecies and Omens

‘In all three prophecies, Virgil links the rule of Augustus with the end of external war and internal discord.’

Zetzel - Prophecies and Omens