Aeneid 1 and 2

Jim Lohmar - Tur. 3302 (Tues) 1:30-4:45

Virgil the Man

October 15, 70 BCE near Mantua

In the retinue of Augustus (after 38-39 BCE)

Horace, Livy, Maecenas

Dies in Naples in 19 BCE

Virgil the Poet

Eclogues (38-39 BCE) pastoral poetry; dialogues

Earned him a spot in Augustus' retinue

Georgics (20's BCE) more pastoral poetry; more didactic in nature on farming.

Virgil and his AeneidAugustus commissions a

Roman Epic -20’s BCE(Allegedly) Horace asked

first-turns it downVirgil begins workBooks 2, 4, and 6 recited

to Augustus before completion

Incomplete epic?Legend has it Virgil

wanted it burned

The Aeneid's LegacyDante tours Inferno

and Purgatorio with Virgil

Meets Ovid, Homer, and Statius!

Numerous works of art inspired by Virgil's poem

Statius' final words:“Do not try to replace

the Aeneid, merely follow at a distance.

The Aeneid in Art

The AeneidLiterally, “the story of

Aeneas”Pius Aeneas the 'hero'

cf: Thebaid, IliadTwelve books (libri); all

about 700-800 linesFirst half: Odyssey-type

storySecond half: Iliad-like

storyNumerous innovations

ContentTragic Elements

Aeneid 1 and 2

Book 1 begins in medias res with Aeneas and crew slammed by storm

Trojans put in at Libyan shore and go to Carthage

Book 2 narrates the Fall of Troy

Arma virumque cano

These are probably the most important lines in all of Latin literature:Lucan: Bella per

Emathios...Statius: Fraternas

acies...Homer: Menin aeide

thea...

Arma virumque cano, Troiae qui primus ab oris (V.)

Bella per Emathios plus quam civilia campos (L.)

Fraternas acies alternaque regna profanis (S.)

Ordior arma, quibus caelo se gloria tollit / Aeneadum (S.I)

Arma virumque (continued)

Virgil lays out his argument:ll. 1-3: I sing of arms

and a man, a fugitive who came from Troy to Italy.

ll. 3-6: battered around the Mediterranean by Juno

ll. 6-7: He gave rise to the ROMANS

ll. 8-11: invocation of the Muse

Poets must invoke the Muse for inspiration on their “journey”Homer's 3rd word: thea

Also gives background on why Juno is so angry at the Trojansstill angry at the golden

appleknows the future too:

Punic Wars

In Medias Res: Aeneid 1Latin for “in the middle

of things”Line 34: begin the

story of AeneasStorm sent by Juno

via Aeolus (wind-king)

First sighting of Aeneas: weeping for his men and lost friends.Cf: Odyssey 5

The End of the Storm

Neptune feels the quake of the Ocean and calms the stormciting that the seas are

his domain, not the wind's

Exhausted after storm, with only 7 ships remaining, Aeneas and men put in at nearest shore

Happens to be near Carthage

In Libya

Aeneas first kills 7 deer for each of his remaining ships

Exhorts his men:fear not, we're bound

for Latium and New Troy

We've been through worse than this

Remember that whole Fall of Troy thing?

Meanwhile, back at Olympus:Venus asks Jupiter

why her Trojans are doomed to be tormented like this

Jupiter says don't worry:

brief summary of Aeneid and events up to present day (C1 BCE)

To Carthage

Aeneas unable to sleep; wants to know where in the world they are.

In the morning, takes Faithful Achates to scout out the area

Come across someone dressed as a huntress in the woods.

A: Who are you? You look like a Goddess

V: have you seen any of my friends? This is the land of the CarthaginiansBrief history of Dido and

how she came to be Queen of Carthage

Venus cloaks Aeneas and Achates in a cloud so as not to be seen in town (mirabile dictu!).

Meanwhile at Carthage

Dido in the process of building her city

the simile of the bees“dux femina facti”Enter Dido...like an

Amazon leaderGives laws and orders

on what to buildImportance of Juno

temple in the center of city.

Dido Meets AeneasAeneas, still invisible,

enters the city of Carthage

Goes to Juno temple and observes depictions of the Trojan war; weeps

Dido receives other Trojans who were saved by Venus and Jupiter in the storm

Would that Aeneas were here!

Dinner at CarthageAfter being received,

Aeneas and his men dine with the Queen

Venus to Cupid:we must stop Juno before

she can do moretake on the form of

Ascanius (Aeneas' son)...breathe onto Dido at dinner

Dinner commencesDido wants to know what

happened at Troy

Book 2: The Fall of TroyVirgil's account by far the

most compendiousEntirety of Book 2In the mouth of Aeneas;

'eyewitness' accountOne of the most pathetic

scenes in Latin literature.

Numerous depictions in art as well.

Also becomes a topos for imitators later (Lucan)

Scene OneAeneas recounts:

10 long years of siegeGreeks go to TenedosConstruct giant wooden

horse w/ help of MinervaLeave at the doorstep with

one man behind (Sinon)What are we to do with

this? Why is it here?Suddenly, Laocoön comes

running from the arx“EQUO NE CREDITE!”Throws a spears and it

sticks into the side of the horse; noise within

Sinon's Deceit and Laocoön's Death

After Laocoön's javelin, Sinon enters:“I fell out of favor with the

Greeks; they left”“This is atonement for

despoiling the Palladium”Suddenly, 2 serpents come

from the seaTrack Laocoön into temple

where he is sacrificingEntwine him and both

young sons; ultimately go to temple of Minerva.

Michelangelo's Addition

That Night

Trojans bring horse inside city walls

Celebration to commemorate the end of the war

Everybody overcome with wine; very few guards on duty

Sinon unlocks the horse, Greeks begin overtaking the city.

The Sack of Troy

The Sack of Troy

Aeneas asleep; Hector comes to himGo! Take the penates and

lares with you!Wakes suddenly, hears

the tumult of the cityGoes out into city armed;

meets up with fellow Trojans

Fight in Greek armor for a while.

The Death of King Priam

Pyrrhus/Neoptolemos outside royal palace

Break down doors finally

Priam and family huddled around altar in middle of palace

Pyrrhus chases Polites up to this altar

Death of Priam continuedPriam: “You are worse

than your father; in fact, you cannot be his son

Pyrrhus: “Go tell him yourself.”

Pyrrhus drags Priam by the hair up to the altar, stabs him, and cuts off his head

Priam's body left lying on the beach without a head

Escape

Aeneas angry at all that has happened

Sees Helen...blames her for sack of the city

Almost kills her, but Venus intervenesRemember, you have

a wife, father, and son to care for; now get out of here.

Escape Continued

Aeneas runs to his house to save family

Anchises (father) doesn't want to go at first.

Iulus/Ascanius and the star of Caesar

Anchises assents to go, all leave

What happens to Creusa?

The End of the SackAeneas and servants

meet at designated place outside of the city

Forgot Creusa!Aeneas goes backCreusa appears:

Venus detains me, I will not be going with you

You must go and found your city now, though

Aeneas turns and leaves the city, thus ending book 2