Please read Book I and Book II of Virgil's Aeneid. Skimming through Book I is sufficient. Please read Book II with a bit more care. Cite a line or two that particularly well show Virgil's "insight into the human condition," i.e., that shows his understanding of subjects like fate, the relationships between men and women, relationships between men and gods, the impact of war, etc.
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Virgil
Please read Book I and Book II of Virgil's Aeneid. Skimming through Book I is sufficient. Please read Book II with a bit more care. Cite a line or two that particularly well show Virgil's "insight into the human condition," i.e., that shows his understanding of subjects like fate, the relationships between men and women, relationships between men and gods, the impact of war, etc.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
10 comments:
"First of all: I shall not deny that I am an Argive by birth; even though Fortune has made Sinon a pitiable wretch, she will not, vicious though she is, make him also deceitful or untruthful."
Here Virgil shows the balance of man's free will and the will of fate(fortune). Fate decides what we shall be but not who we shall be. Fate made Sinon pitiful, but not dishonest, he choose to be.
"All that has happened has happened under the gods' supervision." In this statement Virgil shows that all things, good and bad, are willed by the gods. "It is not ordained that you take Creüsa with you on your travels: the ruler of Olympus does not sanction it." and here he states that you must deal with what the gods have given you even if you don't like it.
The goddess intended it to rule the world, should fate allow: already then she was grooming it and nurturing it. But she had heard that a race sprung from Trojan blood was on its way, one day to conquer the Tyrian city, and then a people - unchallenged in rule and dominant in war - would bring extinction to Libya:
for so the Fates were intending.
the fate of a city and people is already told, even though one of the gods did not want it, you cannot overcome fate.
Who could put into words the horror of that night and describe the pains of death, or could weep enough tears to match the agony? An ancient city, for centuries ruler of an empire, fell. Everywhere lay lifeless corpses - in the streets, in the houses, in the temples. And it was not only the Trojans who were paying the price with their blood; occasionally the defeated regained their courage, and it was the turn of the victorious Greeks to fall. Everywhere there was torment, everywhere panic and death in a myriad shapes. He does not portray war as a glorious event here like many people do, but describes how horrible it really is.
"When this news reached the ears of the ordinary people, our hearts went numb, and an icy shiver ran through the marrow of our bones, [as we wondered] whose fate was sealed, who Apollo would demand.
This line seems to tell us a little bit of how people looked at fate when someone was about to be sacrificed. The line just before tells us that someone would need to be sacrificed and these lines here are the ones that come right after. You can see that even something like this would scare the people. Yes, if it was their fate they would accept it, but of course like these people you were hoping that fate would smile on you and it wouldn't be your time to go.
Eric Bengs
Unfortunately you cannot put your faith in gods who have rejected you. It was then we saw Priam's daughter, Cassandra, being dragged by the hair from the actual sanctuary of Minerva. She was flashing her eyes in fury towards heaven - in vain - only her eyes could make the appeal, as her gentle hands were chained together.
This line shows a little bit of their religious beliefs along with their concepts of fate. It shows Cassandra pleading for help from the gods but the decision was already set and nothing could be done to dissuade the outcome. It also shows the cruelty of war and has intense imagery with Cassandra chained being drug out of the town by her hair. In another part of the story he talks about how he knows that the battle is already lost but he was going to join in the fighting anyway. That talks about the reality they had about the war and the battles but the pride that they had for their homelands.
"If", she cried, "you go forth to die, take us also, quickly, to face with you whatever may happen. But if what you have seen of the fighting leads you to suppose that there is still any hope for us in resuming battle, your first care should be the defence of our home here. Otherwise, to whom will you leave our little Iulus, your father, and me, whom you once called your wife?"
I like this passage because too often people become consumed in war and forget exactly who and what they are fighting for. They will let anger, power, exhaustion, pride, and a countless number of other things cloud what may have at first started off as pure intentions. And by doing so hurt what they originaly fought to defend.
"And now the black day arrived. The sacrificial items were being prepared: the salted grain, and the head-band round my temples. I snatched myself away from death - I admit it - and broke free of my chains. I lay concealed all night in a muddy pool in the dark in the reeds, waiting until they sailed, if sail they were going to. I no longer held any hope of seeing my ancestral homeland, or darling children, or the father I'd missed for so long: probably the Greeks would demand them in punishment for my escape, and purge my guilt with their death, poor wretches."
I feel this passage really shows that he understood fate. I was never really sure who was saying what in this story, but the character who said that line knows that because he escaped there is a good chance his family will die, and instead of being torn of whether or not to do it, he simply calls them poor wretches and moves. He had obviously understood the fate he was bringing upon his family, but made his choice to alter his own fate.
"Young men, so brave for a cause which is lost; if you are so hungry to follow me to certain death, make sure you see the situation for what it is. All the gods on whom our power depended have gone, deserting their temples and altars. The city you are trying to rescue is already burning down: let us die! Let us plunge in where the fight is thickest. The only safe place for the defeated is where there is no hope of safety."
I Think he is trying to explain that sometimes in war you know that you are defeated and that not even the gods will help you. So the best thing to do is to go straight into the thick of the most dangerous place and fight until you are dead, and gain honor, and disreguarding your life
"But if such is your passion to learn of our misfortunes, and hear briefly of the final agony of Troy, although my mind shudders at the memory, and shies away from the grief, I shall begin."
I noticed that this play written during the Roman period has a lot of reference to the Greek plays that give us the popular stories of the Trojan wars. They talk about the invasions of Greeks when they eventually sacked the city of Troy. The plays that were written in ancient Greece started it all. Most of the Roman plays had some reference to the Greek ones like Virgil. It is not just Roman plays that reference the Greek ones. I have see Medieval plays and early modern period plays that have some reference to the Greek plays.
Alex Mason
"Aeolus, it was to you the father of gods and men gave the task both of stilling of the waves and whipping them up with wind. A people that are my enemies sail the Tyrrhenian sea transporting Troy and its beaten gods to Italy. Let rip the winds! Swamp the ships and sink them! Or blow them apart and scatter the corpses over the ocean! I have fourteen Nymphs of exceptional loveliness; I will give the most beautiful of them, Deiopea, to you in a lasting marriage and make her yours, so that in return for this service she may spend all her days with you, and make you the father of beautiful children."
This shows his relationship with the gods in that he would do anything in order to get the gods to take down the ships of his enemies. He even offeres up one of his Nymphs to Aeolus for the god to rip apart his enemies ship and scatter their corpse all over the sea.
"It was the gods who showed no mercy; it is they who are casting Troy down from her splendour and power." "All that has happened has happened under the god's supervision."
These lines indicate that man has no control over his or her fate, the god's do. If they want to burn down the city, they will and can. There is nothing really people can do about it accept maybe pray for mercy from the gods. The gods' had human faults like jealousy and could be easily angered. This would lead to a lot of fear and not expecting a lot of help from the gods.
Post a Comment