Virgil

Question 1

Biography of Virgil

Answer 1

• very importwnt Roman poet- similar to Shakespeare for England
• born in Italy to a wealthy family and began to publish poetry on the country side
• like Horace he was welcomed into maecenas circle of poets to support Octavians character/ rule through poetry
• augustus commissioned him to make rome look a National poem, on his deathbed he asked for the anead to be burned but augustus refused

Question 2

Context of the literature that inspired anead

Answer 2

• set in the Trojan war so HEAVILY influenced by the Greeks
• rome had no literature traditions initially as it was a farming community- they only began this when they came into contact with Greece and took inspiration from there
• symbolically they took the Greek word poet and also began to merge their gods with the Greeks (Athena/minerva etc)
• romans saw the illyad and the odessy as claasics and the character of aneas is seen to be dated as a ruler and a survivor in the future. Romans became very interested in the idea that aneas was brought to Italy and founded the romans

Question 3

Significance of aneas as central character contextually

Answer 3

• places rome as created in a heroic age and links them to noble fighters
• links to the divine in genus
• the greeks only won the war due to low level deceit in the horse, therefore they were descended from fair and strong fighters.
• aneas was on an act of destiny and fated to rule a city, this was good as Virgil would portray as rome
• Romulus is said to be descended from Italy and Troy- aneas marries the daughter of an Italian king

Question 4

Structure and importance of anead

Answer 4

• emulates the two greek epics
• written in hexameter like homers- implying he is creating a Roman epic poem
• he imitates the Greeks in his yse of epiphets, similes and the role of the gods as taking sides in war.
• this was written to be read visually not orally
• divided into twelve books

Question 5

Use of proleptic imagery in anead

Answer 5

• aimed to speak to people under the command of augustus
• Jupiter says rome will be ruled well and peacefully by Augustus
• aneas is seen to be shown a vision of Augustus leading a parade
• aneas is given a shield depicting scenes in future rome including Actium
• creusa tells aneas of tiber and rome

Question 6

Suffering in the anead

Answer 6

• aneas has huge losses such as his wife and dido
• alludes to how in rome there is great sacrifice and implies maybe Virgil was critical of the amount of tragedy in the empire
• creates great pathos for a variety of characters- shows no Victor in war, can be interpreted a lot
• hector and Priam show the huge tragedies even for very influential figures in war
• priams death by pyrrhus is tragic; polities- his son- is killed in front of him, the king is too old to fight, he is killed on an altar, he is a victim of the savagery of the Greeks

Question 7

Heroism in the anead

Answer 7

• not defined by battle but by character in all situations
• pietàs is what a Roman hero should have
• often requires personal sacrifice as it is not about perosnal achievements- for example aneas leaves dido for the gods and to show pietas he does so
• equally very admirable- gods tell aneas to leave the city and he takes his father who holds the imagery of the gods. This shows duty to all three aspects of pietas

Question 8

Pietas

Answer 8

• Roman idea of heroism
• duty to your family, city and gods
• duty is not about perosnal achievemnts

Question 9

Division of the anead

Answer 9

• 12 books
• first six are on the sack of troy and his wandering
• second six are on his battles to establish his people once arrived in Italy

Question 10

Events pre perscribed source in the anead

Answer 10

• book 1; thé Trojan’s arive in didos land in her new city after a shipwreck by the goddess Juno- who does not like Trojans or want a rival city in Italy to didos. Dido invited them as guests and dido falls in love with aneas and asks him to speak of the trojan war
• book 2; aneas tells the tale picking up when the illyad ends. Shows how a horse arrives on the shore and the Greeks dissapear, the horse is brought in and a priest warns it is a trap but a Greek spy says it to be a peace offering. The priest is attacked by snakes so the Trojan’s assume it must be a gift- they celebrate, sleep and then the Greeks emerge and open the gates of Troy

Question 11

Three people aneas sees and general significance

Answer 11

• hector
• Venus
• creusa
• despite being a refugee, he shows that aneas left the city due to the inevitable fate predicted by others and is doing pietas to the gods and his family

Question 12

Hector vision importance

Answer 12

• he is mauled and unnerving via Achilles
• he cries for both his city and his own fate
• aneas tragic irony welcomes him as ‘hope’ and ‘light’ but hector can offer no aid
• hector provides a clear heroic message and pietas that aneas needs to take the religious icons and the people to establish a new city.
• handing over of leadership

Question 13

Venus vision importance

Answer 13

• he ignores hectors pietas advice and goes to battle based on perosnal rage. This is noble but very unheroic
• aneas sees himself as doing piety for his city
• his mother appears post death of priam when he thinks to kill Helen- acting out of anger. Venus tells him to control himself and think of his family and their destiny
• reinforces hectors message and shows the gods backing of his destiny to start a new city
• she alters his vision to see how the gods are acting in the conflict to show the lost cause

Question 14

Creusa vision

Answer 14

• at home his father refuses to leave the city and aneas shows pietas I’m telling them all to leave
• the gods send flames and then a comet to show it is the entire families duty to leave the city for the gods and their loved ones
• when the family leave the city he realises his wife has dropped behind and is missing so aneas runs back
• her ghost comes to him; she explains her death is dated and he must love on
• she uses proleptic imagery to predict the Tiber and rome- aneas begins to undertsand his path of destiny.

Question 15

Imagery in the anead

Answer 15

• aneas watching the city burn is like a SHEAPARD watching his crops burn- helpless
• aneas and freinds going to battle is like WOLVES so hungry and desparate- primal
• when a Greek is attacked by Persians he recoils like a SNAKE, and when the Greek phryus arrives to kill Priam he is a SNAKE. Shows speed, slyness and also idea of trickery
• heccuba and fsmily seeking refuge is like a DOVE symbol of peace
• sack of Troy is like cutting down a groaning and honourable ASH TREE