Title: An%20Introduction%20to:%20The%20Aeneid%20and%20
1An Introduction toThe Aeneidand Augustus and
the Principate
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Takes most of the period.
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3 Publius Vergilius Maro
- Studied rhetoric, medicine, and astronomy at
early age -
- Abandoned those pursuits to study philosophy
-
- Spellings and variations of names
- a. Virgil
- b. Vergil
- c. Virgilius
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5Livius Codex
6Augustus the Principate
You do not have to copy all of this information.
- Another Level to the Aeneid
- (Some background information)
7A National Poem
- Written at a time of optimism, to represent a new
and exciting time. - It gave the Romans an equivalent to Homer and
explored what they were like, what they should be
like and what they could achieve. - The majority of Virgils life, Rome was in a
period of civil war, or civil war was around the
corner. - The Aeneid combines the Homeric age, with the
Augustan period, merging myth with historical
fact. - IMPORTANT
- Virgil manages to include the past, present, and
future, in a way that we do not see in Homer,
through the use of prophecy, myth, Roman legends,
and finally, Stoic (virtue is sufficient for
happiness) philosophy used by the humans and
gods in the poem
8A Brief History of Rome
- After the founding of Rome, there were seven
kings most were Etruscan - The last king was ousted by Brutus and the
Republic was created in 509 B.C. - The Romans were very proud of the way Rome was
run and feared those who sought absolute power. -
This was the problem with Caesar.
9Social Unrest and RevoltBefore the Death of
Caesar
- Emergence of the
- First Triumvirate
- Julius Caesar, Crassus, Pompey
- Crassus killed by Parthians 53 BCE
- Senate support of Pompey versus Caesar
- Crossing the Rubicon civil war b/t Pompey and
Caesar - Defeat of Pompey
- Caesar made dictator 47 BCE
Julius Caesar
10Julius Caesar Initiates Reforms
- Adopts Egyptian solar calendar Julian Calendar
with 365 days (July) - Libraries, Theatres, Public Works
- Citizenship to people in Gaul and Spain
11Assassination
- Killed by senatorial opponents (led by Brutus and
Cassius hailed as saviours of the Republic) - Instigated by his usurpation of power and their
fear that he would become emperor - Died March 15, 44 BC
- Stabbed by 20 senators
- Brutus and Cassius
12- After Caesar dies
- At this point Octavian (Caesars nephew) returned
to Rome to claim his inheritance - Octavian returns with Marc Antony and fights a
civil war against Brutus and Cassius.
Suetonius wrote Octavian showed no mercy to
his beaten enemies. He sent Brutus head to Rome
to be thrown at the feet of Caesars statue.
Brutus and Cassius are defeated!
13The Second Triumvirate
OCTAVIAN ANTONY LEPIDUS
- There is another possibility of civil war with
Antony over leadership, but Octavian splits the
empire three ways between himself, Antony, and
Lepidus -
14Tension between Octavian and Antony
- Tension rises with Antony and Octavian but Antony
marries Octavians sister - Lepidus and Octavian fall out Octavian now has
complete power over the west, whilst Antony has
the East. - Antony had been living in the East with
Cleopatra, who had an illegitimate son with
Caesar called Caesarion, Antony called him King
of Kings direct attack on Octavians
inheritance. - Octavian used this to portray Antony as a
defector from Rome, who had created an
independent Eastern Empire.
15- When senators loyal to Antony attack Augustus in
the senate, Augustus reacts so strongly that they
flee to Egypt. - Augustus then claimed that they were setting up
their own senate in Egypt. - Octavian then seized Antonys will and published
it within it Antony stated he wanted to be
buried next to Cleopatra in Egypt - Octavian showed this to be a betrayal of Rome and
his sister, and waged war against Cleopatra not
another civil war.
16Battle of Actium
- Cleopatra and Antony were easily defeated in
Egypt. - They both committed suicide and their son and
Caesarion were killed by Octavian. - Octavian had now become the single most powerful
man in the Roman world and had to protect his
position. - Aware of the Romans feelings about dictatorship
Octavian did everything he could to show he did
not want absolute power. - If he was ever bestowed with honours, he made it
appear as though it was the senates idea and
often refused. - He even claimed he would resign at one point, and
the senate fearing another civil war (by those
who sought his position) begged him to stay.
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18Empire
- Octavian restores power to the Senate
- Awarded titles of Augustus and imperator
- Expands into Balkans, Germany
- Establishes Praetorian Guard
Caesar Augustus (Octavian)
19The Customs of the Ancestors
- More power than any other citizen, yet no one
could claim he wanted to be king or dictator. - Augustus - return to the golden age, or
returning to the mos maiorum, customs of the
ancestors. - Long period of civil war, the Romans were
optimistic and believed Augustus could save them. - Augustus promoted piety, marriage, proper
behaviour, peace, family life and started a
building regime.
20Augustan Propaganda
- Augustus presented himself as the ideal Roman
citizen pietas, auctoritas (like Aeneas) - He wanted to be viewed as a father to the Roman
people and under Maecenas, his friend, many poets
were encouraged to write pro Augustan
literature. - Maecenas supported and influenced struggling
poets. - This literature highlighted and praised Augustus
ideals, e.g. Horaces ode on the battle of Actium.
21The Aeneid
- Virgil attempted to write an epic both showing
the greatness of the Roman race (and what they
could become) and linking the hero with their
hero Augustus. - The legend was developed, made more well known
and used to highlight a link between Augustus and
both Aeneas and the gods. - Augustus is represented as the culmination of
years of history and his rule is made to appear
fated. - He would make Rome glorious again.
22I. The Aeneid
Refer to the Fill-in-the-blank section.
- written in 12 books in Homeric fashion (it is an
EPIC) - not like the Iliad (an inherited part of Greek
national consciousness) - it was a deliberate attempt to glorify the nation
and to elaborate on the ideals and achievements
of the Roman state under its first emperor,
Augustus - it was a work of Imperial PROPAGANDA
- all events of the Roman past (esp. the civil
wars) found their fulfillment in the peaceful and
prosperous age of Augustus - it is a legendary narrative a story about the
imagined origin of the Roman nation in times long
before the foundation of Rome itself
23Virgils Masterpiece
- Virgil spent 11 years on this poem, but
unfortunately died before he was finished (20-22
unfinished lines) - He wanted the poem to be burnt, but the emperor
Augustus would not allow this and had it
published after his death. - The poem is now over 2000 years old and is still
considered to be one of the greatest poems ever
written
24II. Opening Lines
- ARMA VIRUMQUE CANO
- I sing of arms and the hero
-
- The first 6 books, roughly, of the Aeneid relate
Aeneas's-- 'the man's'-- wanderings after the
fall of Troy, just as Homer's Odyssey narrates
Odysseus's various peregrinations on his return
voyage home. The last six books, concern the
bloodshed and battle-- 'weapons'-- which greet
Aeneas in his quest to found a new city on the
coast of Italy.
25- Next, Virgil invokes the muse.
- I pray for inspiration.
- Vergil enlists the muse of Epic, Calliope, as a
companion in the enterprise of recalling Aeneas'
story. Vergil singles out Juno, queen of the
gods, as the impetus for the events leading to
both Aeneas' fantastic voyage and subsequent
warfare it is her wounded numen, her injured
sense of self as a goddess and supernatural
being, that spurs her vendetta against the mortal
Aeneas, and which turns the wheels of the divine
machinery omnipresent in the epic.
26First 11 Lines, Dactylic Hexameter Scanned
27- After which, he poses an epic question.
- Is it in a gods nature to nurse an abiding
fury? - In other words
-
- Can divine beings have such enormous wrath?
-
- The final line-- "can immortal souls indeed
harbor such terrible wrath?"-- is a novel twist
to a prologue, a sudden anxious query on the part
of the narrator about the ramifications of the
story which he causing to be told. It is true
enough that the story of Aeneas may be seen as a
triumphant tale Aeneas founds the city that
shall, in time, become the most powerful in the
western world. But throughout his journey Aeneas
encounters so much wrath, ira, both from mortals
Dido, Turnus, Mezentius and immortals Juno,
Aeolus' winds, Allecto that this violent,
intemperate force threatens to color darkly our
view of the poem.
28III. Characters
- AENEAS
- son of Venus and Anchises
- husband of Creusa
- father of Ascanius
- leader of the Trojan quest for a new homeland
- Trojan prince, allied to, but not descended from
Priam
TROY
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30- ASCANIUS
- son of Aeneas and Creusa
- founder of Alba Longa
- also called IULIUS to relate him to the Julian
family of Julius Caesar and Augustus - DIDO
- daughter of Belus, King of Tyre (Phoenicia)
- her husband, Sychaeus, was murdered by her
brother, Pygmalion - she was warned in a dream by Sychaeus to escape
(went to Libya) and founded Carthage
31IV. Stock Epithets
- Aeneas, the great of heart
- steadfast, Aeneas
- Aeneas, the true
- Aeneas, son of a goddess
- Juno, the generous
- Juno, Queen of all the divine
- Venus, the kind life giver
- Venus, the Cytherean (Cythera island near
Greece where she was worshipped)
32V. Epic Similies
- picture of Neptune calming a storm Neptune is
like a statesman calming a noisy assembly - when Aeneas comes to Carthage, he compares the
workmen to bees - Queen Dido is likened to Diana
- When the mist around Aeneas dissolved, he is
likened to a work of art in ivory or in gold and
silver
33VI. Rules of Conduct
- Avoid Excess the Aeneid depicts many examples
of thoughtless excess leading to disaster (esp.
when someone is carried too far by an exclusive
love for some person or thing) - Be True loyal to the gods, to the homeland,
and to family, friends, and dependents i.e.,
Aeneas, the True
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39Aeneas arrives at Carthage
40Banquet with Dido at her Palace
41Venus sends Cupid to Dido
42Dido Meets Ascanius
43Aeneas Relates his Story to Dido
44Hector Appears to Aeneas in a Dream Save
Yourself!
45Close-up
46Creusa tries to Restrain Aeneas
47Aeneas Gets his Family
48Anchises holds the household gods
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50You follow behind, Woman
51Creusa, if you keep on dancing, youre going to
get lost!
52Hey, where are you Creusa?Gee, she was right
behind me!
53Trojan Refugees at the Shore
54Penates to AeneasLeave Crete, Its not the
Destined Land!
55The Cyclopes at Sicily
56Aeneas and Followers Flee Cyclopes
57Dido Shows Carthage to Aeneas
58Scenes from the Year spent with Dido
59Aeneas and Achates Building Carthage
60Aeneas and Dido in their Marriage Cave
61A False Marriage
62Dido Burns with Love for Aeneas
63Mercury Calls on Aeneas
64Dido confronts Aeneas and Begs Him to Stay
65Aeneas sails from Carthage
66Dido Watching Aeneas Leave
67Dido Abandoned
68Dido Prepares for Suicide
69Dido Commits Suicide
70The Funeral Pyre
71The People of Carthage Lament the Death of Dido
72Farewell to Dido
73Aeneas has Left Carthage
74Funeral Games for Anchises at Drepanum, Sicily
75The Boxing Contest
76Aeneas and Men Sail Past Scylla and Charybdis
77Passage to the Sibyls Cave
78Descent to the Underworld
79Venus Disguised as Huntress
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81These people work like bees!
82Historical Accuracy
- 1. Primarily, story is fiction
- a. No Trojans or Greeks settled in Latium in
12th Century BC - b. First signs of civilization are from much
later - c. Ethnically, Romans a are blend of
Etruscans and local peoples in the Italian
region (not Greek or Trojan)
83Aeneas and Sibyl sacrificing to gods of the
underworld.
- 2. Influenced heavily by Homers Iliad (which
is based on at least some fact) and Odyssey (but
Aeneid is still distinct more to come on that
later) - 3. References to events and people from
centuries just preceding composition are accurate - 4. Although difficult to determine for certain,
seems that Romans saw as a fictionalized account
of true events
84- Shared Characteristics with Homeric epics
- 1. Considered literary or secondary epic (to
set apart from primitive or primary epics, like
Homers) - a. Shows that Homers works were oral,
improvisational - b. Virgils created in the epic tradition but
written and designed to be read rather than
recited
Circe transforms Aeneas and men into beasts.
Aeneid 8.10.
85- 2. No repetition of formulas (as in Homeric
works) but imitation of Homeric language - 3. Similar heroic characteristics, though they
do differ in some ways - a. Homer celebrates individualism (i.e.
Achilles) - b. Virgil celebrates working within society
and sophistication
Trojans crown Latinus king. Detail. Aeneid
7.195ff.
86- Book 12
- Recurring and Descriptive Language
- Iliad (swift for Achilles, etc.)
- Aeneid (furor and furere verb form--also
symbolic) - Recurring images
- Iliad (fire, gods speaking directly to humans,
gore) - Aeneid (snakes, wounds, fire, hunting, storms)
Venus and Neptune. Aeneid 5.216.
87Differences from Homeric epics
- 1. Symbolism is not as evident in Homeric works
- 2. Symbolism and symbolic meaning important in
Aeneid (especially in reference to Roman history
and current events)
Trojan Horse. Aeneid 2.67ff.
88- a. Aeneas journey to found Rome follows to link
with Octavian/Augustus - b. Destruction of Troy and wanderings of Aeneas
history of Rome in 1st century B.C. (collapse of
the Republic, creation of peace/order by Augustus
via creation of the Empire)
Aeneas' voyage from Delos to Naxos. Aeneid
3.124ff.
89- c. Civil war between Trojans and Italian
allies Roman civil wars (Brutus and Cassius v.
Mark Antony, Octavian/Augustus, and Lepidus and
Mark Antony v. Octavian/Augustus) - d. Aeneas relationship with Dido Mark
Antonys relationship with Cleopatra
Dido reproaches Aeneas. Detail. Aeneid 4.305.
Horrible History clip MA and C
90Penates appear to Aeneas in a dream. Detail.
Aeneid 3.147.
- 3. Philosophical basis in Aeneid is not present
in Homeric epics - a. Use of stoicism
- i. School of thought teaching that
self-control, moral/emotional strength, and
detachment from distracting emotions would make
one a clear thinker, unemotional, and unbiased - ii. Developed in Hellenistic period
91- iii. Very popular among educated elite at the
time - iv. Relies on jus naturale (natural law) some
things are just because they arei.e. All men
are created equal based on We hold these
truths to be self-evident, which would be
included and influential on Christianity
Latinus' farewell to Trojan ambasssadors. Aeneid
7.274.
92- b. Examples
- i. Connection between fate and founding of Rome
(Book 1) - ii. Preference by Zeus for Roman race (Book 1)
- iii. Anchises discussion of nature and human
existence (Book 6)
Sow with 30 pigs. Detail. Aeneid 8.68.
93Assigned Task
Watch Video Clip Located on the Class
website Aeneas Narration
- Read The Adventures of Aeneas
- in
- Edith Hamiltons Mythology
- and
- answer the accompanying questions.
-