Major themes in the Aeneid

Piety quotes

B1- "i am Aeneas, know for my devotion"

B1- Illioneus- "he has no equal for his piety and his care for justice"

B4- even in her madness, Dido "renewing her offerings all day long"

B6- those who "hated their brothers and beatch their fathers" are punished on shore of Styx, whilst Anchises who upholds peace resides in paradise

B9- "he prayed first to Jupiter" (ascanius knows order of duties)

B11- "as eager as Aeneas was to bury his comrades"

B11- "this is not what i promised evander for his son" he feels duty and thus responsibility and guilt

B11- Aeneas' duty is extended to opponents. "Good Aeneas could not refuse this petition. He honoured the envoys

B11- "he set it up on a mound as a trophy to the great god of war and clothed it in the shining armour he had stripped from mezentius" (his spoils are devoted to gods)

War/Furor

B1- Aeneas- "he has no equal in the field of battle"

B2- we see a sign of Aeneas' furor taking over him. He has be reduced back to his dutiful self from "raging passion" by Venus and Creusa!

B6- Deiphobus presented with gruesome descriptions of his "hands in shreds" and "ears ripped from head" - physical costs of war!

- "Trojan Aeneas famous for devotion and feats of arms" (placed on equal footing?)

B7- "criminal madness, and above all anger" "wicked war" - sin of sins

- Ascanius is "burning with a passionate love of glory" (kleos doesn't apply to post-Homeric/roman standards

B9- "so through sham and anger, they obeyed orders"

- "Euryalus was overcome, pierced to the heart with great love of glory"

- "

- effects of furor: "their strength was broken (Trojan army)

- "Turnus instantly abandoned the work he has and rushed in a savage rage" (sacrifices pietas for furor)

- "that would have been the end of the war, but instead his (T) mad lust for blood drive him upon his enemies" (errors)

War/Furor- continued

B9- "there he lay like a flower cut but the thumbnail of a young girl, a soft violet of drooping lily" (Nisus' death)

B9- "its glittering betrayed them" and "held back by their booty" g=furor leads to greed and self sabotage

B10: gruesome and physical costs "fingers twitched, still half alive"

B10: Pallas; death is explicit and attributes to heroes, as well as enemies, emphasise the real effect and costs of it

B11: "the women of Troy...beating their breasts..." (lamentation)

B11: (positive/honourable): A to E "but you will not see a wound on him, Evander, of which you need to be ashamed"

B11: ambiguity: Aeneas says "fill your minds with the hope of war" but also says "the same grim destiny of war"

Examples of Pietas and Furor in conflict

B2- Aeneas in Troy

“Fury inflamed my mind. A burning desire came over me to avenge my fallen country.”

- Ambiguity: His furor is justified as patriotism, but Venus redirects him to his greater duty (pietas)—founding a new Troy.

B9- Nisus and Euryalus

motivated by loyalty (pietas), embark on a night raid but get carried away by greed (furor) and are killed

Nisus to Euryalus; “Is it the gods who put this fire in our minds, or does each man’s fierce desire become his own god?”

B10- Aeneas’ uncontrollable slaughters

After Pallas is killed by Turnus, Aeneas goes on a killing spree, executing prisoners who surrende

His furor contradicts the Roman ideal of measured leadership, raising questions about his role as a hero.

B12- Aeneas kills turnus

“Fury blazed in his heart… Aeneas buried his sword in Turnus’s chest.”

- Ambiguity: both an execution of justice (pietas for Pallas) and an act of uncontrolled rage (furor). His hesitation before striking suggests inner conflict.

Reputation

= not about past but about future and heritage

- B4- "i see my son Ascanius and the wrong im doing him, cheating him of his kingdom

- B4 (D)- "oh if only you had given me a child before you abandoned me!"

- B6- "the love for glory that is to come"(Anchises to Aeneas)

- B6- "the wars he would have to fight in due course" (A to A)

- B6- "love of his country will prevail him and his limitless desire for glory" (is pietas about glory??)

- B9- Virgil gives N&E gloriful death "fortune has favoured you both...the day will never come when time will erase you from memory of man" and "he cut off the breath of his enemy"

FATE /destiny and the gods' role in fate

B1- we hear about the 'doomed dido' whilst gods are 'devising new plans' and 'secret scrolls of fate'

B1- Aeneas set out to be at receiving end of Juno's anger

B7- " the gods forbade it", despite Turnus being a good match for Lavinia, ultimately her fate with Aeneas is sealed

B7- Juno is even limited by fate "I have used every resource and what use?"

B7- "all things were taking their course according to the nod of savage Juno"... leads King Latinus to "give up reigns of power"

B10: "all powerful Olympus" contrasted with :I had forbidden Italy to clash with the Trojans" (to what extent can Jupiter control fate?)

B10: Jupiter withdraws from fate: "let each man face his own future and set his course"

B10: Juno questions laws of fate "is it an impiety if we have given some helps to the Rutulians?"

B12: Latinus warns T not to fight as he is fated not to win

B12: Juno abandons her wrath as aware destiny is inevitable.

Free will/resisting fate

- characters can, and do resist fate, but ultimately it is futile

Eg:

- Juno can delay Aeneas reaching Latinum for a while, but not forever

- Dido can get Aeneas to stay in Carthage for a while, but not forever

- Turnus can fight Aeneas off temporarily, but not forever

- fate is inevitable and characters who resist fate, have tragic consequences:

- Eg: Turnus (resistance through war): fate decrees that Aeneas will found new Trojan-Latin race through marriage to Lavinia, but T fights this outcome (eg: even when others tell him that fate is against him, he refuses to yield)

- Eg: Dido (resistance through love): she asks Aeneas to defy his destiny and live for love, not duty. She ultimately killed herself, refusing to accept her role in Aeneas' fate.

Other religious obligations

1. Burial rites

- B4: Didio ensures she is "veiled with a sacred ribbon

- B6: Misenus "they will raise a burial"

Family

- father-son pairs: Anchises-Aeneas, Aeneas-Ascanius, Mezentius-Lausus, Evander-Pallas; Aeneas-Pallas (surrogate relationship)

-> connected with political, male-dominated society. being dutiful to your father -> preserving the past and allowing the past to continue into the future (setting a good example for your son)

-sibling relationships (Anna (Dido) and Jaturna (Turnus))

- B2: Sinon pleads for sympathy 'my beloved family'

Polites is killed in front of his parents 'vomited his life's blood before their eyes'

- B6: (Anchises): "Have you at last come, has that loyalty your father counted on conquered the journey?

- B7: "Latinus' queen pressed for their (Lavinia and Turnus) union, Desiring him with passion for a son." (Women shepherded into marriage my the paterfamilias)

- B11: 'the noise of grief was at its loudest' 'mothers and the heart-broken wives of the dead' 'loving sisters beating their breasts' 'children who had lost their fathers'

Love

Love as destructive:

- B4: Dido and Aeneas: opposed fate

- Turnus and Lavinia: opposes fate

- B12: Amata and Turnus: drives her to despair and suicide

Love as motivator:

- B2: Aeneas' love for his father/son reinforces pietas

- Venus and Aeneas (maternal love helps fulfill fate)

- Aeneas feels genuine love for Dido- adds emotional complexity to his character

- B10: Aeneas and Pallas (surrogate son love): motivates Aeneas' final rage and vengeance

Love for city/duty (pietas)> romantic love:

- B4: Aeneas abandond Dido

Prophecies/omens

B2- flame on Ascanius' forehead

B7- "look we are even eating our tables" (link to book 3)

Success of Roman history is explicitly tied with divine sanctions/omens.

B8- Tiber appearing to Aeneas in dream "this is the home decreed for the gods of your household"

City-building/ future of Rome

B1- "on them i impose no limits of time or place...an empire that will know no end" (in context of Virgil's audience Rome has reached pinnacle state)

B2- image of Aeneas carrying Anchises and so Ascanius

B4- Aeneas seen "laying foundations of a citadel", contrasted with image of city-depletion "ceasing to rise" (Dido)

B6 (Aeneas' katabasis): he envisions Rome's future and understands the weight of his mission

B11: "we shall delight to raise the massive walls fate has decreed for you" (said by Drances, the enemy/flattery)

Political purpose

- grounded in legitimising Augustine's divine lineage and direct link to famed city of Troy/Illium

- Virgil is therefore playing a tribute to him

- links in book include

- explicit praise by name and achievements referenced

- implicit references which could be veiled praise of Augustus

- passages promoting Augustan values such as Piet as

- some believe Aeneas is based on Augustus

Political purpose evidence

B1- Jupiter' speech talking abt future of Rome

B2- image of Aeneas carrying father and leading son (symbolic of pietas)

B6- reference to number of names, connection made from past to present as a way to legitmaise Augustus. (From familiar, ancient mythological names to personal/present (Misenus) to parade of future Romans (Pompey)

B7- eg: flattery of Turnus and Latins, shows Augustus as unifying figure

- "Dardanus was born in these fields"- extended ancestral cataloguing

B8- Tiber: "this is the home decreed for the gods of your household"

- Evander and Aeneas discussing their linkage through Dardanus

- "what Roman power now raised to the heights of the sky"

- ekphrasis of shield that Vulcan has made for Aeneas, Augustus; "leading the men of Italy into battle alongside the senate and people of Rome"

- "without knowing what they were, Aeneas lifted on to his shoulder the fame and fate of his descendants"

B12- Juno’s surrender marks the god’s final acceptance of Rome’ foundati

More on the political aspect/augustun propaganda

B12: (David West): Aeneas' merciless anger at the end does not reduce his connection to Augustus. Symbolised Augustus and his dealing with the conspirators/assasins of Caesar.

Fate and political purpose

1. Helps link the story of Aeneas with Augustus Caesar (legitamises him)

Aeneas' destiny is to begin the civilisation that will become Rome, and to begin the line of kings that will result in Augustus

Women/madness

Role of women:

B4- without love/children, Dido will "waste away" (Anna). She also needs a husband for political reasons, considering refugees status ("shall i beg a husband from the Numindians?"

Madness:

B4- "what use are prayers and shrine to a passionate flame"-> D's "fiery love" is reflected onto women as whole

B4- "the flame that was eating her"

B4- Mercury: "women are unstable creatures always changing"

B4- "she was not dying by decree of fate but by a sudden blaze of madness"

B7- "Womanly anger" Amata infected by Allecto, "greater impieties and greater madness" (true sin)

B10: "Juno burst out wild with rage" (not limited to women)

B12: Amata's downfall is her irrational love/ suicide

Dido- sympathy or alienation

Sympathy

- "wounded doe"

- "death of my poor husband Syuchaeus"

- the hope given by Anna

Alienation

- "flame was eating soft marrow..."

- "buildings ceased to rise"

- "salve of lust"

Divine intervention

B1- Juno incites the storm to wreck Aeneas’ fleet; she is the main divine antagonist and Neptune restores the order

B2- Aeneas relies on Venus and Creusa bringing him down from his state of furor. He was willing to sacrifice pietas for vengacy.

B2- hectors tells him to escape and establish a new city

B4- "the fates forbade it and God blocked his ears"

- When Aeneas lingers in Carthage, Mercury, sent by Jupiter, reminds him of his duty; “If you will not strive for your own honour, think of Ascanius, your own heir.”

B8- Venus persuades Vulcan to make Aeneas special armour, including a shield depicting Rome’s future glory

B12- Juno finally accepts fate and ceases her opposition to Aeneas after bargaining for the Latins’ identity; “I yield and leave this loathed war unwillingly.”

B12- V ensures that “all the pain left Aeneas’ body” and J “addressed the goddess who was the sister of Turnus” (Jaturna) and said “go quickly and if you can find a way, snatch your brother from death”

Aeneas and Venus

B1 "why do you so often mock your own son by taking on these disguises"

B1- she gives "beauty to his hair and..."

B2- "do not disobey me" A is subordinate to her

B8- shield

Heroism context

- more defined by civic duty, rather than glory-seeking

- more concerned with future descendants than past ancestors

- reluctance to fight and no excessive anger

Aeneas' Heroism

1. Aeneas arguable the only post-Homeric hero

B10: whilst Pallas received cataloguing, epithets etc, his speech to comrades evokes old, Homeric values of glory "i beg y by your pride, by your bravery"

compared to Aeneas who puts focus on doing for family: "each of you must think of his own wide and own home and..."

Contrast of Turnus throughout. Turnus embodies an old style of heroism and thus cannot survive in the new roman world.

2.His heroism is defined by duty and sacrifice and this overrides glory

Eg: “i am Aene as, know for my devotion”

B10: Aeneas is framed as a warrior who is just in his slaughters/balanced by his pietas: "Aeneas; great stride...when they heard his fearsome roar, they panicked and bolted"

3. Shows traditional heroism too

His aristeia (moment of martial excellence) in Book 10, where he kills many foes.

- His duel with Turnus (Book 12) – decisive, but not motivated by personal revenge until the very end.

But- it is never a pursuit, always a necessity

Aeneas' humanity

1. Aeneas's Harsh Response to Dido

B4: "I sail for Italy not of my own free will."

his lack of emotion makes him seem heartless, intensifying Dido's pain.

2. His hesitation before killing turnus

"Aeneas stood, fierce in his armor, his eyes flickered and his hand hesitated." Vs "Blazing with rage... Aeneas buried his sword in Turnus' chest."

Homeric influence

- evoking muse

- a hero

- epithets, parallel scenes, similes, characters

- major difference: purposes of poem

Negative portrayal of enemies

- B7: "cruel Mezentius"

- B7: "

Positive portrayal of enemies

B7- flattery of Latins (especially Turnus) "Turnus the handsomest of all", "the stalwart latins"- they are heroes in own right and also makes Augustus a unifying figure

B10- both sides are made "equally" honourable in war "in spirit and in strength" and "in their leaders"

B10" Virgil pays tribute to Aeneas' own enemies- "you too Cydon..."

B12 "The shining glory of the deed" - Wounding the protagonist is a sure glory- the text does not ignore the "other" side landing a blow in him- it is a glorious and honourable act.

Aeneas- distinct nature

B1- ability to see through divine disguise

B2- abscence-> war breaks out

B6- Priestess gets himself to physically "stand apart"

B6- he knows the birds belong to mother, able to sieve branch

B6- he is assertive and understands what fate owes him "no more than what is owed me by the fates"

B7- absent-> war breaks out

B8- he is marked out as divine through shield and thundery pathetic fallacy

B10: Aeneas is just in his slaughters; they are grounded in justice rather than Ethan furor and are strategical- only out of necessity

B11: when Aeneas takes spoils (Mezentius' armour), its not for personal glory but for justified ritual purposes "he set it up on a mound as a trophy"

The Trojans without Aeneas

b2- "fools" "blinded" without their leader

B7- things go wrong when Aeneas is not present again

B9- "Aeneas has left his city"

- "they were not to dare trust themselves on the plain"

- called "Phyrigian women" (effeminate slur)

- "no thought for your fatherland...or for great Aeneas?" (It is the reference to their leader that re-ignites the Trojans)

Ascanius

B7- "burning with a passionate love for glory"

B9- "my father will give you twelve chosen matrons and twelve..." (naive/wrong)

- "he prayed first to Jupiter"-> he knows the order of duties (pietas first).

B10: he developed, but liminal. First he is cared by Venus "above all others" and was like a "gem sparkling". But then he is brought back down to being a mere "boy, trapped behind a wall"

Turnus- positive

B1 - "a second Achilles"

B7- "Turnus the fairest of them all"

B7- "do not invent these fears for me (to Allecto)

Allecto infects him with a "lust for war"

B9- Juno lends Turnus "strength and spirit"

B10- "Turnus riding in glory, swollen with the success of his arms"

B10- "but the bold confidence of Turnus

B10- "equal in their leaders"

B12- "his blood or mine shall deduce this war" (T honourably accepts the 2 outcomes of war and how Lavinia will be the prize to the rightful victor)

B12- "victorious Turnus"

B12- "stretched out his right hand in supplication."; Turnus has a moment of anagnorisis (self-realization) and accepts his defeat.

Turnus- negative

B9- T misinterprets omen that the seas are 'barred to Trojans' and his 'confidence never wavered'

B9- "Turnus instantly abandoned the work he has and rushed in a savage rage" (sacrifices pietas for furor)

B9- "that would have been the end of the war, but instead his (T) mad lust for blood drive him upon his enemies" (errors)

B10- "violent passions of Turnus"

B10: taking of Pallas' baldric

B10: both T and Mezentius' killings are excessive in furor. They r less strategical and not out of necessity, but pure lust for war.

B11: "Drances, who had always hated the young warrior"

B11: T is explicitly blamed for not just war, but suffering of all people "Turnus, you are the single cause of all these suffering of Latinum..."

So that Turnus can get himself a royal bride, our loves are cheap"

B12:"these words had no effect on Turnus. The violence of his fury mounted"

Similarities between Aeneas and Turnus

- both accept outcomes of war/ possibility of defeat

- both are consumed by furor

- both compared to savage animals

- both equally strong leaders

- neither is favoured by the narrative voice

- both receive divine assistance

Main differences between Aeneas and Turnus

1. Furor as calculated vs irrational:

Turnus' furor is constant and much more wild ("these words had no effect on Turnus. The violence of his fury mounted"), whereas Aeneas' furor is more calculated and has a driving force (eg: his family/son): "he then reassured his allied and comforted the fears and anxieties of Iulus"

Turnus has excessive furor; Aeneas does only the necessary

2. Pietas consideration

Aeneas' furor is presented in harmony with/ justified by his pietas. He "honours his promises" and moments later "burned with implacable rage" (both noble and wild at the same time)

3. Awareness of fate

only Aeneas is aware and part of his fate and he is the only one destined to leave victorious. We see a future perspective of Aeneas as "the founder of the Roman race", whilst Turnus is only spoken of in past and present terms (descendants rather than ancestors), emphasise his foreshadowing death.

Dido

1. Dido as empathetic and respected leader

B1: welcoming Aeneas and the Trojans: "I, too, have suffered greatly, like you, from fortune's blows, till at last I have been allowed to rest."

2. Dido's Inner Conflict Between Love and Duty mirrors Aeneas' conflict between furor and duty:

B4: initially resists her feelings for Aeneas out of loyalty to Sychaeus. But ultimately succumbs to passion, leading to her downfall.

3. Madness/obsession

B4: "Dido burns with love and wanders all through the city in her misery, like a wounded doe." (Vulnerable animal/prey)

4. Tragic death

B4: "Let me die...I gladly go down to the shades"

Her death is both a final act of defiance as well as a tragic surrender to fate

She has no fate; she is "doomed Dido"

Venus

1. Venus as human-like mother

B1: Venus is angry about A's suffering despite his destined future. She sets out the tension between fate and will of gods.

B1: When Juno summons a storm on the sea to drown Aeneas and his men, Venus pleads with Neptune to ensure the safety of the crew

B2: "why this raging passion?" (She grounds him from furor)

B8: she secures the armour from Vulcan using persuasion and seduction

2. Venus as scheming goddess

- she, alongside Juno, is responsible for making Dido fall in love with Aeneas ("whereby one woman's trapped by the tricks of two gods"), even though her motives remain ambiguous

Juno

- deep hatred of Trojans due to actions of Paris and Carthage prophecy?

- stirs up violent storm on sea

- involved in Dido scheme

- she recognises the fate of Aeneas as fixed (b7- "I have used every resource and what use?")

Creusa

- "my wife Creusa was torn from me by the cruelty of fate"

-"Do not fail in love for our sone"- her last words motivate Aeneas to fulfil his fate as father of Rome (he was in a frenzy of furor/ she ground him)-> may be the ultimate determining factor

- tragic and epic moment at end "three times i tried to put my arms around her neck"

The Sybil/ priestess

- book 6- important turning point/ sets out future of Rome and deals with important themes regarding piety, warfare and political purpose

- prophesies the 'second Achilles'

-

Camilla

- She is treated both unfairly and also treated with great respect by Virgil

- her downfall is her pride/less cunning, "but he was...far superior in cunning" and "these words stung Camilla to a burning fury of resentment"

- "One woman has turned this whole army"

- "Burning with all a woman's passion for spoil and plunder"- slightly unfair. Only instances of spoils have always been attributed to males (eg: Turnus taking Pallas' baldric and Nisus/euryalus)

- she evokes great fear "...stood stock still in sudden terror at the sight"

- hero in her own right:

1. epithets like "Camilla, glory of Italy",

2. a "formidable warrior maiden"

3. has a divine backstory (Diana), great loyalty "dear as she is to me above all others" etc.

- very gloriful death in a speech and this death has an impact even after. "The true love of their native land shows them the way and Camilla was their example" and "the death of yours will not be forgotten" (unlike Arruns' cowardly death)

Latinus

Latinus' impiety and his faulty flaw is explicitly recognised

"For me it would have been wrong to unite my daughter..." (his love for Turnus blinded him)

His weakness is his lack of courage and regret, he himself recognises this.

Latinus' prayer has no logical structure- he chooses a random assortment of gods, ending with Jupiter rather than beginning with him (eg:Janus)

Narrative voice perspective

B10- "in another part of the battle"-> Virgil's perspective is wide ranging, including minor characters/events

B10- "equal in spirit and in strength and leaders"- unbias

B10: Virgil does not present pietas and furor in opposition; Aeneas remains "great" and "devout" during his mass slaughters