Aeneid style notes

Lines 290

304-319- Dido attacks Aeneas, then begs him to stay

‘tandem’ (at last)- anger built up

‘compellat’ (address)- agressive choice of vocab ‘attacks’

‘ultro’ (without waiting for him) - anger compels her to quickly speak first

‘dissimulare’ (to hide) - strong accusation/ underhand behaviour on Aeneas part

‘etiam’ (really) - emphatic ‘etiam’ creates a sarcastic tone

‘perfide’ (traitor)- strong vocab conveys her anger and sense of betrayal

‘tantum..nefas’ (such a great betrayal) - “nefas’ strong word and means crime against gods- magnitude of betrayal she feels emphasised by ‘tantum’, ‘nefas’ is also irony to the reader

‘tacitusque’ (and silently)- adds to sense of betrayal

sibilance throughout 305 and 306 to convey anger

‘t’ sounds are quite harsh

beginning of first ‘nec’ - tone changes to sense of hurt, reproaches him, bitterness

‘nec..nec..nec’ -neither, nor- tricolon, anaphora, ascending tricolon of rhetorical questions (result of his leaving)

‘dextera’ - right hand - binding promise

moritura- about to die- Dido inducing guilt, showing him the extreme consequences if he leaves

quin etiam…et mediis- Dido trying to make Aeneas regret his decision and guilt

moliris (work on) - shows that Aeneas is putting effort into getting ready to go

‘hiberno..sidere’ (winter star), mediis..Aquilonibus (in the middle of the north wind), per altum (through the deep sea)- Dido is emphasising that it is winter and it is wrong and dangerous to leave

prosperas (hasten) - reproach, showing Aeneas is really desperate to get away

quin…crudelis?- (Do you,, you cruel one) - Rhetorical question, emphatic positioning and enjambment, coonveying his impact on her/ betrayal

‘arva aliena’ - (foreign fields)- assonance

‘arva aliena’,‘domosque ignotas’ (and unknown homes)- reminding him of danger he’s facing by travelling

‘undosum’ - another reminder of the danger of the sea in winter

(In the line of undosum) Another rhetorical question

Lines 320-332

‘Libycae(Libyans), Nomadumque, Tyrii - Tricolon of threats, showing immense danger

‘infensi Tyrii’(Tyrians are hostile)- no verb -short + impactful phrase, build up to most significant

‘odere’(hate)- very strong language

‘te’ (you)- direct and emphasises that Aeneas is the cause of this

‘eundem’ - emphasises this is also because of him

‘sola refers to fama’ and her reputation as a chaste woman who is loyal to her husband.

‘sola sidera’ sibilance, emphasising that was the only thing which would make her famous

‘fama’ - EP importance, contrast with her previous self

‘cui’ - irony, its the gods + Rome

‘hospes’ (guest)- disdainful- isolated at the end of the line, spondee dwells on it

‘me moribundam’(soon to die)- dramatic and foreshadowing her death, alliteration with the ‘m’ to emphasise it

‘deseris’ (abandon) - strong word, also makes us think of other abandoned women eg Ariadne. ‘For whom do you abandon me’, conveying a lot of anger

‘de coniuge’ - contrast with previous relationship + reminder of former relationship

‘quid moror’ (Why do I carry on) Rhetorical question, Dido is trying to get Aeneas’ sympathy, foreshadowing her own death

2 options open to dido and both are terrible which envokes pathos ‘Pygmalion and Iarbas’

‘frater’ - Dido is isolated, even her brother is against her

‘captam’- idea of being captive is humiliating + change of fortune -pathos

‘destruat.. ducat’ - alliteration, drawing attention to the 2 impactful verbs

‘fugam’ (fleeing) - her sense of betrayal

‘si qua’ ‘si quis’ - anaphora ‘if any’ emphasising that its not real which is again adding to the pathos

‘parvulus’ -child imagining this little baby, reminder that she has no heir, insecurity

‘omnino’ - completely- emphatic

‘capta ac deserta’ (captured and deserted)- 2 perfect passive participles emphasises her as a victim - Aeneas is the one defeating/abandoning her

‘Dixerat’ (she had spoken)- emphatic + final

‘ille’ - switch of focus to Aeneas

‘Iovis monitis’ - at the start of the sentence and is juxtaposed with ille- reminder of the seriousness of his warnings.

‘tenebat’ - he was holding his gaze fixed- suggests the effort to not react as he knows not to.

‘obnixus’ (struggling)- fighting to hold his feelings in control

‘premebat’ `(crushing) - violent word

‘sub pectore’ (under his heart) - burying it and pushing it down

‘curam..corde’ - c alliteration to emphasise that.

Aeneas is showing that he is stoic in his effort to keep emotions under control

He is also showing pietas by leaving Dido as he is showing duty to Iulus his people and the gods. However there is a cost to this roman mission by leaving his desires and betraying Dido

Lines 333- 347

‘tandem’ (at last) - thinking hard before he speaks

‘pauca’ (a few words)- trying to control his feelings

‘ego te’ (I, you) - juxtaposition showing the closeness that existed between them

‘regina’ (queen)- respectful but also creates distancing?

Aeneas using complementary language - hyperbolic ‘plurima fando’ - respect

‘numquam’ - intensifier and double nagative with ‘negabo’ (I will never deny) intensifies what he is saying

‘n’ alliteration makes his point more emphatic

Jumbled word order implies its hard for Aeneas to get his words out. for example ‘regina’ is on the second line and the clasue finishes with an infintive.

‘promeritam’ - Emphatic positioning emphasises she deserves this.

‘pigebit’ - He will be remembering her, implying that she is in the past

‘Elissae’(Elissa) - contrasts ‘hospes’ and shows the closeness that once existed

Aeneas is never going to forget her and showing his respect for her

Anaphora ‘dum’ and asyndeton - emphasising his memory of her will always be there

Formal tone- using legal terminology, important to him, or fearing dido he is attempting to be polite,

‘pro re’ - short and direct and the tone changes, from now on he is defending himself and begins to sound like a legal speech

‘don’t imagine it’ (ne finge)- forceful? and perhaps concern in the tone

‘f’ alliteration which adds to the forcefulness of what he is saying, Refuting her accusation he wanted to leave secretly

‘umquam’ (ever) emphatic as it exaggerates the fact that he never offered the marriage torch

‘such agreements’ - legal language

‘pratendi …venit’ - chiasmus - draws attention to the fact that they were never married, a spondaic line which makes it very clear and solemn

Content- A first choice would be to rebuild troy and with his own hand showing his dedication.

Aeneas pietas - his duty to troy and his homeland, However he comes across quite heartless to Dido. Even if the fates allowed him he would not be with dido, absence of mention to Dido

‘fata’ (fates)- emphasising that the fates are in charge and it is the subject of the verb

‘urbem Troianam primum’ (builds up to city of Troy) surprise that he says this.

Tetracolon of things he would have done, if he could have

Yet again showing pietas as he would look after his people

‘plosive p alliteration reinforcing the things he would have done if he had the choice.

‘dulcisque’ - shows the survivors as sweet or dear which shows his affection for the Trojans

‘hic amor, haec patria est’ - convincing himself and maybe talking himself into this, could be his dedication?

‘hic.. haec’ - anaphora and asyndeton

Repetition of ‘Italiam’ - Dedication or trying to convince himself

‘Apollo’- ordering him in two differnt ways to go to Italy ‘Grynaean Apollo and Lycian oracles’ reference to the great future of Rome

Feels a sense of duty to troy, doesn’t mention being with dido even if he had free will

dedication ‘with his own hands’

duty towards the people of troy

alluding to the troubled past of troy

Trying to convince himself