A number of research has shown the textual relationship between Virgil and Lucretius. Many have noticed the unique use of gliscit by Virgil in 12.9 to describe Turnus’ reaction to seeing the Latins retreat and have subsequently connected it to Lucretius, specifically passage 1.474: “ignis Alexandri Phrygio sub pectore gliscens clara accendisset saevi certamina belli”. Although Virgil could have had this passage in mind, there is another use in Lucretius which can bring new context and understanding to Virgil’s use of gliscit. Scholars before have noted the relationship between Aen. 12.9 and DRN 4.1069; however, it has not been analyzed why Virgil might be invoking this specific passage.
This paper proposes that Virgil uses gliscit to describe Turnus’ violent state in order to echo Lucretius’ use at the end of Book 4 when he is describing the state of man under the duress of “Venus”. This reference both reveals further aspects of Turnus’ character with subtlety and brevity and moreover, as some scholars believe that Aeneas’ anger at the end of Book 12 mirrors Juno’s anger in the beginning of Book 1, in a similar fashion Turnus’ behavior in the end mimics the characteristics of the opposing goddess, Venus.
I will begin this study by examining the origin and meaning of gliscere. The meaning of gliscere is similar to other – sc - verbs in that it expresses the idea of growth, however, it has a rarer presence in both Latin verse and prose until Tacitus and even then, it is
Even though Agamemnon made a success for his homecoming, what was waiting for him was her wife’s conspiracy with Aegisthus and his death (262-263). Namely, his nosmos was rather a failure and he also faced fate of his failed household. This Agamemnon’s gives a comparison with Odysseus future success for preserving his family and throne. Furthermore, Clytemnestra’s unfaithfulness and infidelity provides a foil to Penelope’s faithfulness and loyalty. Clytemnestra’s merciless and brutal actions, not sealing Agamemnon’s eyes while he was dying, adds contrasting characteristics between Odysseus and Agamemnon’s wives. Note that here, the story of successful vengeance for Agamemnon by Orestes gives a foil to Telemachus’ weakness and deficiency. Orestes here is depicted as a heroic example with murder of Aegistus after he comes of age (264). On the contrary to Orestes who saved his household and restored order in his family’s kingdom, Telemachus, as he came of age, couldn’t serve as protecting his household and repel his mother’s suitors in the absence of his father. In the light of comparing each heroic figures’ sons, the son of Achilles is also depicted as successful warrior with great strength and fame in the battlefield against Trojan, adding a foil to Telemachus’ unsuccessful position as a son (266).
Hejduk’s article “Jupiter’s Aeneid: Fama and Imperium” challenges readers of the Roman epic to rethink how they interpreted the god Jupiter and his motivation, through the poem. She claims that while Jupiter is regarded by both readers and characters within the epic as an optimistic benign god, his intentions tell us otherwise. He is only interested in power and honor. Hejduk breaks her article into three sections to present this argument. The first section being the longest and most detailed, while the third being the most concise. She first analyzes Jupiter’s words directly from The Aeneid. In this section, she uses direct quotes from the god in the original Latin, and then walks the reader step by step through her analysis and translation of his speech. In the second part, she goes away from the literal translation of Jupiter’s words, and goes to the meaning of them. She looks at the motivation behind his words. In this section, she relies
The authors of this article place a focus on Sophocles' Oedipus Rex and its containing of a lethal plague that profoundly affects this work of drama. In attempting to unravel the factors and descriptions of this plague as depicted in the work, the authors attempt to trace the plague throughout the text as well as search for a possible underlying cause. In comparing the plague within Oedipus Rex to the historical plague of Athens, the authors of this article allow the reader a more in-depth look at the time that Sophocles' writing sought to portray.
People always fear the day when they acquire “in-laws”; Tacitus on the other hand embrasses and admires his. Tacitus’, Agricola, was written to provide readers with a perspective on the history of Roman conquest, expansion, and behavior towards “barbarians”. It is written in Tacitus’ point of view, as well as many experiences told in the view of his father-in-law, Agricola. The Romans faced many challenges along their path of reaching their goal of conquering territory. We learn about the type of people they come in contact with and the attitude the Romans feel towards these new people they encounter. Within the Agricola, we see just how powerful the Roman army can be when it is lead by one of the greatest leaders they have ever had- Agricola.
In many ways, Shakespeare writes Rome from an anthropomorphized perspective, with some of his characters so much an embodiment of the culture that one may argue it is direct representation. In Shakespeare’s Lucrece and Titus Andronicus, the protagonists represent the current culture of Rome, it is their respective deaths that signify the birth of a new Rome. Contrarily, the antagonists in the aforementioned tales actually seem to manifest as an anti-Rome, their distinct lack of the upheld roman attributes lead to their downfall. For this reason, Rome is argued by many to be a character in and of itself in Shakespeare's various works. Rome is a character that speaks only through the mouth of its most loyal citizens, it weaves its way through
"Overview: Oedipus Rex." Drama for Students. Ed. David M. Galens and Lynn M. Spampinato. Vol. 1.
It was very critical to Virgil that a believable sense of history be achieved in his writing. At the beginning of Book VI, the story of Daedalus and his son Icarus is introduced when the Trojans see it carved into the temple doors (lines 21-50). There is a second time in the text that such a reference to the past is made in a similar fashion. This occurs in Book I when Aeneas observes the carvings on the walls of Juno’s temple at Carthage (lines 619-762). In these two incidents, the same technique of recalling history is employed. Virgil seems to imply that the best way that he can describe history is to tell it with the help of the gods, which in this case that would be the Muse that he has called upon in Book I to assist him (line 13). At the time, the knowledge of the Muses was considered to be the objective truth while the knowledge of the mortals was considered to be secondhand and imperfect. The distinction between the two is made with the story of Daedalus. Virgil gives an elaborate account of what he knows of the event, and then omits the ending which he does not know: "Twice your father tried to shape your fall in gold, but twice his hands dropped." (Book VI, lines 49-50) By wording the story so that Daedalus does not describe his own son’s
In Establishing Rome with the Sword, author Sharon James expresses that Virgil’s use of the word “condere” changes throughout Aeneid as the book progresses, which begins a new, innovative understanding to the Latin word. Historically, “condere” was used in context when the acts where “slow, time consuming” and in “peacetime settings” (James, 626), however, with Aeneid, Virgil begins to use it when describing acts of violence during war on Aeneas’ journey to establish Rome. With Virgil’s innovative use of “condere,” Virgil also uses it as a tool to reveal themes of the establishment of the Roman Empire and the loss of Italian lives in the process, including relationships between fathers and sons and the burials of the young war victims.
Virgil and Elena resemble the acts of mentors, for their purpose is to provide protection for the main character. Through protection of human reasoning (the act of thinking rationally), they help the main character overcome their challenges. For instance, when Dante loses his way of life, Virgil volunteers to guide Dante through the nine circle of hell with wisdom and rational advice. Virgil feels and obligation to help Dante find his way of life again for he pities
To start this free-write off, I will begin by noting that both Aeschylus and Lucretius did a wonderful job at portraying the death of Iphigenia and expanding on the emotions of all persons involved. However, I believe the two did this in almost very different yet similar way. Aeschylus has a very passionate and poetic feel to his writing, conveying the sorrow and intensity in a very dramatic way; using a wonderful array of descriptive and emotional words to set the scene. On the other hand, you have Lucretius, who was very detailed and straightforward with everything happening, using the description of the scene itself to portray the emotions and explain what is happening. In the following paragraphs, I would like to attempt to analyze these differences further.
Epistolary poems are one of the ancient forms in literature which could be traced in Greek and Roman literature.An epistolary poem is written in a form of letter addressed to an individual or to a society. The term epistleis derived from the Latin term Epistula which means a letter. Poets present their poems in the form of letters appealing to emotions and feelings. Epistolary poems may be objective or subjective, formal or colloquial, directed to an individual or to a general public. It may take any form from heroic couplets to blank verse. While exploring the origin of epistolary form in poetry, the scholars could peg varied themes being dealt in the poems, from Philosophical concepts to daily mundane activities.
Virgil was Rome’s unwilling epic poet, he gave the Roman people a cohesive narrative that tied them to the past and propelled them towards the future. This narrative, The Aeneid, had its basis in local lore as well as ties to the older Greek epics of Homer. The Aeneid almost functions as an extension of The Iliad and Odyssey, with its protagonist, Aeneas, being a minor figure in the earlier poems, and the work itself academically divided into “Odyssean” and “Iliadic” parts. In this relationship Virgil owes a creative debt to Homer, and there is a resemblance that can be seen with striking clarity when the experiences of Homers’ Odysseus and Virgil’s Aeneas are examined side by side. Odysseus and Aeneas are both honour bound to reach the destinations of their respective journeys, Odysseus to rule Ithaca and Aeneas to found Rome, and while ones journey often mirrors the others, there are significant differences between the two. The major differences that can be observed lie in their characters and forms of heroism and these variations shape the course of their narratives, yet the similarities of their internal journeys and ultimate fates remain intact.
As Aeneas stood over the corpse of Turnus, his conscience was split in two. Half of his mind rejoiced with the death of such a malicious man who had caused so much strife. The other half lurched at the sight of bloodshed. Aeneas sighed with confusion as he slowly walked away from the scene. Unlike most of his countrymen, he would never become “comfortable” with taking life, even if it were for a just cause. While engaged in such controversial thoughts, his guard relaxed and his gaze flitted about inattentively. With his mind elsewhere, Aeneas failed to notice the wind picking up speed at an alarming pace. Sand was flying about all around him, compromising his vision. Suddenly, through the howling of the wind, Aeneas heard the words “I will be back”. Instantaneously, the storm abated. Aeneas whirled around; apprehensive about the sight he was about to face… the body of Turnus was gone.
In the Virgil’s story we can see a character versus character conflict with the teacher, when his father is searching for some ways which he can get rich with. One way for getting rich was to plant some small lettuce that restaurants pay a lot for it that some customers told him this. On the other hand, he realized that he didn’t have enough space to plant it. One way to receive some land where he could plant the seeds was lying to her teacher. That’s a point of the story that if he didn’t lie, maybe the teacher wouldn’t let him to plant on the land, but if he lied, yes. Those small seeds had a specific period of the year that they could be planted. That was the biggest problem of their plantation, because they planted during the summer, it
“The story that the dreamer remembers combines the two classical versions even though they are, or seem to be, irreconcilable. This reconciliation is, we must remember, an act of memory protected by the fiction of the dream; it can be most easily seen in the composite character of Aeneas. He is Virgil’s epic hero and Ovid’s false lover, admirable and treacherous. As such, he and his story are an appropriate visual summary of the value of fame which is inherently ambiguous. From his memory of two old things, the dreamer has created a “new thing” an eccentric retelling that recognizes the validity of conflicting truths in history – “fals and soth compouned” (Buchmaster 284).