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The Aeneid Analysis

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The horrendous death of the trojan priest Laocoön and his sons is a classical event associated with the final days of Troy, inspiring works in literature as well as visual arts. Book 2 of The Aeneid, by the Latin poet Virgil, and the 1st Century CE marble sculpture ‘Laocoön and Sons’ are two famed works that are inspired by the Laocoön Episode. Though both the sculpture and the text are canonical works of their own genre, the latter is more superior in terms of delivering a comprehensive narrative on the Laocoön episode. The Aeneid amplifies movements of Laocoön and the serpents using literary devices and adopts a time frame spanning from the arrival of serpents to the death of Laocoön to deliver a complete narrative, whereas the sculpture, though using dynamic movements and utilizes a single moment within the time frame of the text, fails to contain a general, uninformed viewer within the episode’s context.
Both the sculpture and the text depict Laocoön’s movements at magnifying detail in their respective medium. For instance, the sculpture depicts Laocoön with a dynamic pose. The priest’s limbs spread out in agony, filling up a viewer’s the visual space, leaving a lasting impact. The creases of Laocoön’s muscles achieve in depicting the strain and tension the priest is exerting on his limbs and torso, showing the tremendous effort the preist puts in to break free of the serpents. Simultaneously, Laocoön’s toes grip onto the floor, trying to regain his stance. By filling up

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