Book II of Vergil’s Aeneid tells the story of Troy’s destruction at the hand of the Greeks and Aeneas’ flight from the ruined city. In Aeneas’ narration, there is a clear image pattern of fire that spans all parts of his story. The motif of fire and flames foreshadows the Troy’s imminent destruction, characterizes the attack of the Greeks, and emphasizes the emotional stress surrounding Troy’s destruction. Before the destruction of Troy becomes clear, Vergil inserts some symbolic moments that anticipate Troy’s destruction. In addition, Vergil includes fire imagery throughout the narration of the fall of Troy not only to show the complete destruction of the city, but also to emphasize the emotional stress that is involved with the city’s destruction.
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This theme of burning first appears when Capys, a Trojan who wants to destroy the horse, urges his fellow Trojans “to burn [the horse] with flames placed underneath” (37). This first image clearly relates to how Troy will be burned from the inside out by the soldiers who are hidden inside the wooden horse. As Capys wants to burn the Trojan horse from the bottom to the top, the Greeks will soon burn Troy from the inside out. This fire motif next appears when Sinon ironically swears to tell the truth by the “eternal fires” and their “inviolable divine power” (154-5). Since the fires to which Sinon swears are religious and godlike in nature, these fires do not foreshadow the physical destruction of Troy, but instead the role of religion, specifically the Gods themselves, in Troy’s demise. In a similar manner, Sinon claims that in the eyes of the Palladium, once it had been placed inside the Greek …show more content…
One of the more common verbs used by Vergil is ardeo, which means “to burn,” and carries both figurative and literal meaning. This verb first appears when it describes Laocoon as “burning” to warn the Trojans about the wooden horse. Laocoon speaks “procul” or “at a distance” because he is so stirred up that he cannot wait any longer to speak. Later on, the Trojans “burn to know and ask the reasons” behind Sinon’s abandonment. Clearly, the Trojans are not actually on fire, so the force of the verb focuses on the Trojans intense desire for answers. When Aeneas first wakes up and looks at Troy on fire, his spirits “burn to gather men for battle and race to the citadel with [his] friends” (315-16). The emotional power of Aeneas desire becomes apparent since just beforehand Aeneas notes that there was “not enough reason in arms,” showing how in the moment emotion overpowers reason, and afterwards he confesses that “madness and anger hurl [his] mind headlong” (314)(316-17). Vergil describes Cassandra as “lifting her burning eyes to heaven in vain,” another appearance of burning eyes. Here, perhaps Cassandra’s eyes burn in two ways; they might reflect the flames that surround her in the city, but also represent her emotional distress as she is dragged away as a captive from her home. A different image of fire emerges when a “soft flame, harmless in its touch” appears in Ascanius’ hair as an
This theme of burning first appears when Capys, a Trojan who wants to destroy the horse, urges his fellow Trojans “to burn [the horse] with flames placed underneath” (37). This first image clearly relates to how Troy will be burned from the inside out by the soldiers who are hidden inside the wooden horse. As Capys wants to burn the Trojan horse from the bottom to the top, the Greeks will soon burn Troy from the inside out. This fire motif next appears when Sinon ironically swears to tell the truth by the “eternal fires” and their “inviolable divine power” (154-5). Since the fires to which Sinon swears are religious and godlike in nature, these fires do not foreshadow the physical destruction of Troy, but instead the role of religion, specifically the Gods themselves, in Troy’s demise. In a similar manner, Sinon claims that in the eyes of the Palladium, once it had been placed inside the Greek …show more content…
One of the more common verbs used by Vergil is ardeo, which means “to burn,” and carries both figurative and literal meaning. This verb first appears when it describes Laocoon as “burning” to warn the Trojans about the wooden horse. Laocoon speaks “procul” or “at a distance” because he is so stirred up that he cannot wait any longer to speak. Later on, the Trojans “burn to know and ask the reasons” behind Sinon’s abandonment. Clearly, the Trojans are not actually on fire, so the force of the verb focuses on the Trojans intense desire for answers. When Aeneas first wakes up and looks at Troy on fire, his spirits “burn to gather men for battle and race to the citadel with [his] friends” (315-16). The emotional power of Aeneas desire becomes apparent since just beforehand Aeneas notes that there was “not enough reason in arms,” showing how in the moment emotion overpowers reason, and afterwards he confesses that “madness and anger hurl [his] mind headlong” (314)(316-17). Vergil describes Cassandra as “lifting her burning eyes to heaven in vain,” another appearance of burning eyes. Here, perhaps Cassandra’s eyes burn in two ways; they might reflect the flames that surround her in the city, but also represent her emotional distress as she is dragged away as a captive from her home. A different image of fire emerges when a “soft flame, harmless in its touch” appears in Ascanius’ hair as an