In my opinion, I think that anything that belongs to someone’s close friend could be
considered to be of sentimental value. I also find it highly possible that if the object
contains a symbolic background of some kind, it may carry an even deeper meaning.
Considering how close Aeneas and Pallas became as friends, I’m sure that somewhere
behind the scenes, it’s possible that Pallas may have told Aeneas a story or two about why
he chose to wear that belt and what it means to him. I also think that the images on the belt
were highly capable of influencing violent feelings and actions. My reason for stating this,
is because when people glimpse …show more content…
Although the visual meaning of
Pallas’ belt is mentioned, we are not told about the symbolical and metaphorical reasons behind
why Pallas chose to wear a belt with those scenes on it. However, if I had to make one solid and
reasonable guess as to why Pallas would wear that belt, I would say that it probably represents
the amount of violence and prevalent battles that he and Aeneas were fighting in at that time and
his status as a fierce, determined, and aggressive warrior (Aeneid 10.445-495).
I think that the engravings could’ve also been there to serve as a silent message to his enemies
that he’s a powerful warrior who shouldn’t be messed with or taken lightly because he’s hostile
and strong. I made that assumption based on the fact that when people look at intimidating
images, feelings of fear and intimidation can result. This may sound unusual and unrelated, but
Pallas having those graphic and violent engravings on his belt actually reminds me of …show more content…
As for the values that this belt symbolizes, I think that it obviously represents the Augustan
anti-virtue “furor” and violates “clementia.” In fact, with violation of clementia in mind, I
actually believe that Pallas’ belt may hold many contrasting parallels to Aeneas’ murdering of
Turnus because I remember learning in class that clementia is all about mercy and pardoning
of people. In both Aeneas’ conflicting situation with Turnus and the situation with Danaus on the
belt, clementia could’ve been employed because rather than killing their enemies, they could’ve
settled matters diplomatically without “shooting first.” This reminds me of a common recurring
theme that typically occurs during battle scenes in many movies and shows, in which the hero
or heroes must decide on whether to attack their enemy or try to compromise and find a solution
without opening fire. Sometimes these situations lead to furor being utilized, and sometimes
these situations lead to clementia being performed, depending on which action is the