Virgil's Aeneid

Question 1

About Virgil

Answer 1

Wrote Aeneid after the civil wars when he had time and was a patron of a client associated with Augustus

42BC - Virgil’s farm is taken and he goes to Rome to get it back- attracting the attention of Maecenas who becomes a writer too

• Works act as propaganda for Caesar and Octavian/Augustus
  - Venus = Aenead’s mother = their descendant
  - Aenead stands for peace like them
  - Affirms traditional values of Roman state

Question 2

Aeneid Book cycle

Answer 2

12 Books taking place in the Bronze age - epic cycle like Homer

Books 1-6: trying to get "home"
Book:
1 - Storm and arrival in Carthage
2- Aeneas tells the Fall of Troy to Dido
3-Aeneas travels (meets cyclops)
4-Love story with Dido
5-Funeral games of Aeneas' dad
6-Visits the underworld and finds out Dido died
**1-6 most popular books

Books 7-12: Latium vs. Troy war
12-End of war, personal combat like Achilles and Hector
Aeneas vs. Turnes

Question 3

Themes in Aeneid

Answer 3

1) Fate (Jupiter)
- Made Aeneas leave Troy, eventually founding the Roman race-Jupiter becoming Roman State god
2) Counter-fate (Juno)
- Unstable marriage, he tried to ruin Jupiter’s plans
3) Communal good
- Aeneas must think of the good for the Roman people and leave Carthage and Dido to found Rome
4) Traditional Roman values
- Pious- religious
- Penates- household gods
5) Seeker of Peace
- Augustus advocated for peace
6) Roman Identity
- Support of the gods and Concordia