Transcript Introducing Virgil`s Aeneid

Introducing Virgil’s Aeneid
Aeneas is popularly depicted as
carrying his father from Troy as it is
being destroyed by the Greeks
Virgil (70 BC – 19 BC)
• Publius Vergilius Maro, born in Northern
Italy near Mantua
• Son of a wealthy landowner
Virgil (70 BC – 19 BC)
• Educated in Milan, Rome, and Naples
• Studied mathematics, medicine, and
rhetoric
• Considered himself an “Alexandrian” poet
(influenced by “Alexandrians” of 3rd
century BC Greek writers)
Virgil (70 BC – 19 BC)
• 42 BC Battle of Philippi – Virgil’s and
many other wealthy Romans’
properties and wealth were
confiscated to fund the army
• At this time, Virgil pursued his
writing career, composing pastoral
poems called “Ecologues” (often
considered “rustic poems” which
romanced farm life and the
countryside).
Virgil’s Fame Begins
• Gaius Julius Caesar is killed in
44 BC when Virgil is a young
man. His nephew and adopted
son Octavian becomes Augustus
Caesar.
• Augustus asks Virgil to compose
a poem that would glorify Rome
under his rule. Virgil spends the
last ten years of his life
composing The Aeneid (30 BC –
19 BC). Augustus returns some
of his family’s wealth.
Origins of Aeneas’ Story
• Virgil directly composes his
epic as a “sequel” to Homer’s
epic, The Illiad, almost as a
counter to Homer’s other
follow-up, The Odyssey.
• At the end of The Illiad, Troy
falls to the Greeks under King
Agamemnon. Just as The
Odyssey follows Greek
Odysseus’ journey after the
war, The Aeneid follows Trojan
Aeneas’ journey after his home
is destroyed.
Our hero, Aeneas
• Son of Anchises, a royal
member of Trojan court, and
the goddess Venus
• Lost his first family to the
Trojan war except his son
Ascanius
• Jupiter promises he shall
rule the race of ‘future
Trojans’ in a faraway land
• Along with his common
heroic qualities, he is also
noted for his piety and
familial loyalty
Similarities to Homer’s Epics
• Humankind is directly influenced by two
opposing sides of gods, each with a set of
human flaws and characteristics
• Each epic is centered around a
protagonist warrior with divine parentage
whose heroism embodies the values of
their time
• While considered an “epic poem”, each
composition follows a prose rhythm and
structure
Differences to Homer’s Epics
• Virgil carefully edited and composed his epic,
whereas Homer’s is derived from oral tradition
• Odysseus searches for his homeland, whereas
Aeneas searches for a new land promised to
him by the gods. Odysseus is fated to fail;
Aeneas is fated to succeed.
• Odysseus combats monsters and deities to instill
a fear and wonder in nature and godlike forces;
Aeneas’ struggles are often with people,
especially rulers and warriors, with a greater
focus on dramatic and political ideologies
Our Sections of Focus
Aeneas visits the land of Queen Dido
Aeneas journeys into the Underworld
Aeneas liberates “Latium” from disorder in a
great battle
Pay attention to …
• Virgil’s poetic descriptions of beauty
• How he praises Rome and Caesar in his writing
(and be prepared to see this again in
Shakespeare’s Macbeth)
• The motives and methods of various gods,
especially Juno, Jupiter, and Venus
• The attitudes between opposing armies in battle
and how they feel about each other
• The amount of animal sacrifices and when/why
they do it
• Characters’ flaws and characteristics
• Depiction of women
“Why are we reading this in an
American literature class?”
• How has the Roman empire influenced
Western culture?
• What Roman political influences exist in
American culture?
• How does Aeneas and his journey reflect
the early American hero?
• How has poetry of the ancient world
influenced European and American
writers?