Some ancient Roman writers modeled literature pieces after Greek literature pieces. Virgil, an ancient Roman writer, also considered Rome’s greatest poet, was called on by Caesar Augustus to compose an epic poem about the founding of Rome that would rival those of the Greek’s, Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey. In response, Virgil wrote the Aeneid, which tells the story of Aeneas, a Trojan prince and early ancestor of Rome. Livy, was another ancient Roman writer, who wrote hundreds of books about the history of Rome. He followed the example of the Greek historian,…
I will be summarizing the argument of “Jupiter’s Aeneid: Fama and Imperium” by Julia Hejduk. I will do so by first deciding what exactly she’s arguing, cataloguing her evidence, fitting the argument and the evidence, then discussing her intellectual influences. Given that Hejduk uses The Aeneid more than any other source, it’s clear that scholars look to primary sources rather than relying on each others’ work. Hejduk argues that Jupiter has a complete dismissal for human life, and only cares about his own imperium (power) and fama (fame), and he does this in a number of ways. His words he chooses are never with remorse, regret, or guilt which are the natural human sentiments to feel when people are murdered, his gleefulness when Aeneas is…
In this paper I will be discussing the argument made in the scholarly article, Jupiter 's Aeneid: Fama and Imperium by Julia Hejduk and furthermore using her work to develop my own argument about the epic poem The Aeneid. I will be doing this through the layout of a summary of argument essay. I will thus be summarizing the evidence provided by Hejduk, displaying the sources in the forms of charts, connecting the charts to the evidence and moreover connecting the evidence to the scholar 's personal life. I am doing this not only to provide adequate support for Julia Hejduk’s claims but to also allot myself the opportunity to further understand The Aeneid and mature the views I have on the Epic. Through the reading and analysis of the scholarly…
The definition of the word religion is the belief in and worship of a superhuman controlling power, especially a personal God or gods. The Greeks and Romans, during the Trojan War, prayed, and made sacrifices to their gods, to better their chances of winning the war, or simply beating their opponent; in literature, the relationship between gods and devotees are portrayed much differently. Even though the stories contain different religions, Euripides’s the Bacchae, Homer’s the Odyssey, and Virgil’s the Aeneid discusses religion in terms of personal needs, or popularity, amongst the gods, rather than devotion and good deeds. The Bacchae by Euripides is an ancient Greek tragedy based on the myth of King Pentheus of Thebes and his mother, Agave,…
The question of justice in any situation concerning warfare is a difficult one to address, as many people hold opposing views on the righteousness of war itself. In the Aeneid, Virgil proposes a new question for readers to consider as he allows the main character, Aeneas, to undergo a change in mentality throughout the epic. The reader is forced to decide whether the killing of an opponent is deemed as just or unjust. Although many scholars have proposed differing definitions of justice, Plato provides one of the most reputable descriptions. When one utilizes the definition of justice that Plato proposes, he or she will acknowledge that Turnus and Aeneas both abide by the gods’ authority, thus promoting justice; however, after the gods’ influence…
Neptune, very different from the previous two gods, uses his commanding power to the fullest to get what he wants. Each god wants something different for themselves which is shown through their speeches. Juno wants Carthage to be safe from the Romans. Aeolus wants to have the status of a powerful god. Neptune wants the ocean to be free from the influence of others.…
Everyone agrees that warfare is an undesirable fact of our world’s history, examples such as the war in the Aeneid show us the gruesome and dehumanizing effects battle can bring to people and nations. However, it is disputed over what the Virgil intended the Aeneid to portray about war. Some say the book is meant to display that war can be justified, however, I believe this book is meant to not state whether or not war is right or wrong, but to show us that war is a disgusting, brutal and sometimes idiotic means of settling differences. There are many examples of this in the Aeneid to back up this statement, such as the means of war, a quote from Juno, and a quote from Virgil himself.…
After the relocation of Troy to Carthage, the people began to adopt the Roman values, which, most importantly, put the state first – if individuals protected the state, the state, in turn, would protect the individual. Man’s identity was found in the city-state and their sense of honor was achieved through protecting and showing loyalty to their homeland. The heroic characteristics found in Ancient Roman society were piety, fidelity, and putting one’s duty before their own desires. Allegiance to one’s state was even regarded as more important than family and loved ones. In the Aeneid, Aeneas, the principal figure of the poem and highly regarded prince of the Trojans, demonstrated these traits and characteristics in a prominent way by his actions throughout the…
Differently to the way Homer portrays women in The Iliad Virgil’s Aeneid portrayal of female characters allows Virgil to give women a stand in the war and in society. But to Virgil, a great leader must be able to control their temperance on both the throne and the on the battlefield. It is not very popular to see women have control over a land or be apart of a war because stereotypically women are seen to be sensitive and weak. However, in the epic Virgil does a good job to show how powerful a woman can be but then later the reader does notice that a women’s emotions do take over her state of mind and dominate her actions whether it be a woman be in love or for lust. Dido, the emotional Carthaginian; Camilla, the fierce warrior.…
“A letter”, shouted the messenger, “from the emperor”. Virgil replies, “What does he want?”. The messenger explains, “He wants you to write another story glorifying his rule and the Roman Empire, and he is willing to pay a large reward.” To himself, Virgil thinks, “I guess my old friend needs me again.” This is a real life event that Publius Vergilius Maro, also known as Virgil or Vergil, experienced numerous times throughout his life.…
Hesiod 's Theogony provides theories and stories of the representation of how the earth was developed and how the god 's started their beginnings. Ovid 's point of view provides a different depiction of Hesiod 's demonstration in the Book Metamorphoses as represented in his Theogony, a different depiction of the story The Creation as represented in his cosmogony, and a different depiction of the story The Four Ages, as represented in his cosmology. With all of these differences it is very interesting to find the similarities in the stories of Metamorphoses & Theogony told by the both Ovid and Hesiod. Both Hesiod and Ovid have similarities, as well as differences in their understanding of how the universe and mankind began.…
Roman Strengths and Weaknesses One essential element of the epic is the catalogue, which is a long list describing persons, places, or events placed in the catalogue for a specific reason. The Aeneid, written by Virgil, is exceptionally accomplished in creating a certain perception of his catalogues in The Aeneid. Virgil’s reason for having the prophetic catalogue in Book VI take place in the underworld is to place an emphasis on how the future of Rome will have its dark and light spots, just as the underworld has dark and light areas. Virgil chooses to include the dark parts of Roman history in this catalogue to remind Romans, including Aeneas, that, although they are powerful, they also have their weaknesses. To start the catalogue of Book…
Polyphemus’ speech emphasizes two natures regarding Odysseus’ human agency. Firstly it portrays the control he has over his own destiny; if he had listened to his companions, he wouldn’t have had to undergo al of the remaining trials in The Odyssey. Secondly, it portrays the lack of control the gods hold over Odysseus’ fate; although Poseidon is able to make it difficult for Odysseus to accomplish his goal, he is unable to fully prevent Odysseus from reaching Ithaca. However, Virgil presents the influence of the gods over the fate of men in the very opening lines of his epic, The Aeneid.…
And the Gods ordered him to return after he fulfilled himself by Calypso. Odysseus ' actions portray self-interest. His private life and happiness is all above his public duty, which is what the Romans despise. Aeneas ' character compared to Odysseus ' self-interested character propels Romans way beyond that of the Greeks.…
“But though he longs to soften, soothe her sorrow and turn aside her troubles with sweet words, though groaning long and shaken in his mind because of his great love, nevertheless pious Aeneas carries out the gods’ instructions. Now he turns back to his fleet.” (Virgil 94) Pain often must be endured to complete one’s duty. The quote above from Virgil’s Aeneid describes precisely that.…