Month: September 2016

Continue reading “The Aeneid’s Ending”

Dido’s experience affects our perception of the work as a whole because it emphasizes the importance of Aeneas’ journey to found Rome. Although Aeneas is temporarily distracted from his duties, when Mercury reminds him of them he immediately goes back to them without hesitation. Dido is a victim of fate. The romance only began because of Venus and Juno protecting their own wishes. Aeneas has to put aside his emotions to carry out his duty. He also mentions to Dido that they were never actually married which seemed as if he was saying if they were he would not leave her. Aeneas did not mistreat Dido, he had to carry out his fate.

I believe that Aeneas is a hero, in the same way that Odysseus is. His men where his top priority and he tried hard to keep them safe though their home land was destroyed. After their ships were  destroyed by  Juno and they were shipwrecked he hunted enough food for his “surviving” men and still mourned the lost of comrades he thought he had lost. He is the kind of hero that even though he pushes through for his men, he still shows respect to the ones that no longer were with them. Aeneas seems like a proud man that is wears his trials and tribulations like a badge and still continues keep hope. Like Odysseus he too is protected by the gods even though it seems as if the protection is  off and on. Being that his mom is a god you would think that he had a sense of entitlement but he seems to think of himself in the same manor of his men. Which is something I think that Virgil wanted to depict.

What is the role of prophecies/fate in The Aeneid?

The theme of fate is central in the epic. The story is driven by the prophecy that the Trojans will complete their journey to a new city. Several symbols pop up throughout to allude to this (images on the shield, Romans in the underworld). Fate however is flexible in Virgil’s story, especially when the Gods are affecting the plot. How destiny is fulfilled is a mystery, and Juno makes does not make it straight-forward. It is interesting to see how Aeneas fulfills his destiny however, as he points out that he feels compelled to do it.

Q: Is The Aeneid an epic in the same way The Odyssey is? If it contains an elegiac quality that The Odyssey doesn’t, how does this affect your perception or understanding of the work?

A: There are many differences between The Aeneid and The Odyssey, however, there are prominent similarities in both epics. Both epics are told by the heroes themselves by using flashbacks. In The Aeneid, Aeneas’ journey is continuously hindered by Juno, the Queen of Gods. Much like The Aeneid, In the Odyssey, Odysseus’ journey is constantly troubled by Poseidon, the God of the Sea. In both epics, the heroes are aided unconditionally by one person. In The Aeneid, Aeneas is aided by Venus, his mother; In The Odyssey, Odysseus is aided by Athena, the goddess of Wisdom. Both epics contains elegiac quality. As both heroes tell their stories, they express emotions of sorrow as they mourn over their comrades that have fallen.

Question: Consider the role that various gods and their moods and actions play in The Aeneid. It might make sense to focus especially on Juno and Venus.

Being that The Aeneid involves Greek mythology, the book would not be considered one without the gods and goddesses within the book. Each of the Gods and Goddesses plays their own role and are identified with their own focus, such as Juno who is the Queen of Gods and Venus, who is the Goddess of love. Gods and Goddesses have an impact on mortals within the book in which their fate is decided by them.

In The Aeneid, the main goal for Aeneas was to fight for the Trojans in which he has promised them a new city. Juno, the Queen of Gods despises the Trojans and does her best to make sure that Aeneas is destroyed and that he is not able to fulfill his goals. On the other hand, being that Juno’s primary goal is to make sure that Aeneas and the Trojans are destroyed, his mother, Venus does her best to make sure that nothing is done to him. She tries to protect him throughout the entire book each time a conflict is thrown upon Aeneas throughout his journey. As Juno keeps an eye on Aeneas’s every move, so does his mother to make sure nothing happens to him. Gods and Goddesses role within the book are either to destroy you if they have something against you or your people or they try to help you with the help of the other Gods and Goddesses that are willing to. Juno and Venus both play an important role in the book and shows a number of powers and affect that each one of these Gods/Goddesses has upon mortals along with the power of love and evil.

I believe that Aeneas is a hero. He has been an encourager to the people throughout the readings. He has given them hope to carry out at various time in their journey. for example in the beginners stage,  Book 1 line 270-280, where he comforted his friends and companions, to be more tenacious. He had compassion for the sufferings. I believe Virgil might have portrayed Aeneas as a hero because the people were set out for a new start and at some point in time will need a hero to help them develop fortitude from a warrior to one with a purpose.  As like Odysseus both men were fighters and very determine to make it to their destiny. Both have experienced stormy weather, trials and tribulations, and were able to  conqueror it all. Moreover, Aeneas’s story embark on a new start of life while Odysseus was returning home.

Dido’s experience is meant to show the reader that the experience and feelings of humans falls short in the will and power of the gods and prophesy. The reader is meant to feel sympathy for her because they can understand how she feels when she is in love with Aeneas and how betrayed she is when he leaves her, which leads to her death. However, it is clear that she is a victim of fate, and that there is little that she or Aeneas could have done to continue their relationship. Even the relationship itself started due to interference from the gods. In all, Dido shows us that the prophesy of the founding of Rome and the gods is stronger than any human emotion or wants.

What is the role of prophecies and/or fate in The Aeneid?

Prophecies and fate have a central role in the Aeneid. Throughout the story Aeneas’s journey is paved by different prophecies that he needs to fulfill. What is even more interesting is that not even Juno, the Queen of the gods, can manipulate fate and the prophecies. The frustration from knowing this is probably what drives her to punish Aeneas and send many trials his way.

To fulfill his fate Aeneas has to walk away from the mother of his children and leave many other lovers behind, some end up dead and some take their lives. No matter what he finds along the way he must continue on this predetermined path to execute the prophecies.