Head in the Clouds: An Argumentative Analysis of The Aeneid
Numerous poets and writers have written about or drawn inspiration from the story of the fall of Troy throughout history. Homer’s works, The Odyssey and The Iliad, and Virgil’s The Aeneid are just a few of the most famous literary works that pertain to that particular story. Of course, these epics contain other stories besides the tale of the Trojan War as well. The events of every story, however, rely heavily on the actions of the main characters, and depending on the situation, the characters will either come out on top as victors or experience great tragedy as a direct result of their choices. In the epic The Aeneid, the characters demonstrate this clearly through a series
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The warnings from before and his prior knowledge of the Greeks’ treacherous ways meant nothing when set beside his feelings of pity for the liar, Sinon. Overpowering emotions are also cause of suffering in “Book IV” when Dido and Aeneas fall in love. When Queen Dido first becomes enamored with him, she does not let herself accept that she is in love because her feelings of grief for her late husband are strong as well. She feels guilty for loving someone else, and she had sworn to never love again when he died. Upon Aeneas’ arrival though, feelings of desire and attraction rise to the surface and bring about great conflict within Dido. Here, she speaks of her overwhelming grief and guilt from the past: ‘....I recognize
The signs of the old flame, of old desire….
That man who took me to himself in
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Until her sister convinces her to move on and consult the gods about it, Dido is miserable because her emotions cloud her judgment on the issue of whether or not to pursue Aeneas. Later when Dido gets over her grief, she ends up making vows of love with Aeneas in a cave. The gods did have a part in placing the both of them in that situation, but what happened within the cave was completely up to Aeneas and Dido. The storm drove them into that cave, as described by
Dido is portrayed as a character driven by emotion, and that her actions are out of her control. For example her actions when she discovers that Aeneas is to leave Carthage as Bacchic. This is emphasised even more by the fact that Dido is made to love Aeneas by Venus. It as if Dido has no agency in her life.
- M.I. Finley, the World of Odysseus. Introduction The Trojan War and its characters are detailed in the writings of Homer, Vergil, Dante and many others. It is a fantastical tale of a decade-long siege of a powerful city by a massive pan-hellenic force. However, even though it has proved to be such a rich source of inspiration for writers, poets and artists throughout history, it is debated whether it actually took place. Heinrich Schliemann famously said “I have gazed on the face of Agamemnon” while discovering tombs with the bodies of Mycenaean chieftains in Turkey.
Homer’s Iliad has been a European myth for many millennia , the long poetic narrative written in the 8th century B.C. recounts a fearsome war fought over a beautiful woman. The reliability of Homers Iliad as a true historical document has been challenged for hundreds of years and only through archaeological studies can the truth be deciphered. The Iliad was written five centuries after the war, where the stories had been passed down through the oral tradition, therefore the type of society reflected within the poems resemble much more the time of Homer . The fact and fiction of the Iliad has been uncovered through archaeology. Archaeologist found a site in which they thought to have been ‘Troy’ destroyed by the powerful country of Mycenae in the late Bronze Age. They found large amount of material culture from where they could reconstruct the society, this included pottery, engravings, murals and clay tablets. A reason for the Trojan War has always inspired great controversy. The Trojan War according to Homer was fought over the abduction of a beautiful women but this theory appears improbable. Other causes which could have sparked a war is Troy’s geographical positioning. This made it extremely opulent, where other countries of the Aegean would trade there goods and use its harbour. The Mycenaean’s being an extremely imperial, violent and militaristic country would have seen Troy as a great opportunity to gain territory and wealth, on this motive the war took place.
Dido’s emotions have caused her to act like a wounded animal, not thinking about the consequences of her own actions. By being reduced to an animal, Dido has lost all rational thought. Consequently, Dido’s lack of rational thought causes her to begin to ignore other duties she has to fulfill. After she falls in love with Aeneas, Dido disregards the vow that she made to her suitors.
The Odyssey portrays the victor, the mighty Odysseus. His story is about a man who has everything, a loving and loyal wife, an ambitious son, a devoted kingdom, and most of all a victory. By the end of Odysseus’ story he has an ideal life. On the other hand, The Aeneid is told through the eyes of a defeated soldier. Early on in the epic Aeneas has a comfortable life. It seems as though he is happy and complancent with his life in Carthage with Dido. Aeneas chooses to leave this life behind in order to fulfill his destiny. The Trojans were defeated in the war, however, Aeneas perceivers and fights for the future of his people. Through Aeneas’ story, Virgil demonstrates the resilience of the Roman culture; he shows just how much they value a sense of
The Iliad, which is an epic poem written about the Trojan War, was the first thing written in the European tradition. Astonishingly, its quality and appeal have yet to be surpassed. This is a result of Homer's use of idealistic themes, many of which show up in many modern novels. One of the most dominant themes present in The Iliad is the pursuit of honor and glory. Even though the Achaeans and Trojans are in a violent battle with one another, both display a similar attitude: the acquisition of glory is more important than life itself.
His mother is more concerned with his destiny than with his happiness. She makes Dido fall in love with Aeneas and then he falls in love with the Carthaginian queen in return. Despite the fact that he is happy, his mother is one of the gods working to make him fulfill his destiny. This "destiny" is truly revealed to Aeneas in the underworld when he encounters a few fellow Trojan comrades. One such comrade Aeneas encounters in the underworld is Palinurus who was also duty bound, a helmsman on Aeneas' ship and a faithful servant who falls overboard and drowns, failing to finish his duties.
In the beginning of Book IV Dido tells her sister Anna that she lusts for the Aeneas, and that he is the only man that she would break a vow she made to her dead husband to be faithful. "And my bridal bed, here is the only man, Who has moved my spi...
The story of Dido and Aeneas also shows what happens when one loves too much. Dido’s love is destructive. Dido falls so deeply in love with Aeneas that she c...
Homer, Iliad is the narration of the Trojan war. The Trojan war was one of the most important and significant wars of Greek mythology, Homer described how the war was triggered by the abduction of the most beautiful women known as Helen. This paper will argue how the traditional view of this poem is accurate because it indeed was Helens beauty and her selfishness that sparked the Trojan war. Although Helen was not happy about the outcomes of her mistakes. This paper will present how Helen faced many forms of self judgment, how she created many relationships with significant characters, such as Paris, Priam and Aphrodite. Homers portrayal of this significant women was remarkable as we were able to feel her pain and anguish, the readers were
Homer is credited for writing epics that generate source materials for the modern world. The Iliad and the Odyssey by Homer are captivating stories with fascinating heroic characters. The Homer stories share with classical mythology typical recurrent motifs. The two Homer epic poems focus on the Trojan War, and its result. The epic poems contain the Greek mythology featuring the Greek gods, goddesses, mythological creatures, and the Greek heroes, and heroines. In addition, the principal motifs typical of classical mythological hero stories are; the dominance of fate, evil fighting against the gods, and death. In both the classic mythology, and he modern fiction hero stories, the heroes always have a helper in their expedition, but ultimately, they have to stand alone, face the darkness, and conquer it in order to become victorious.
In Virgil’s The Aeneid, there are many parallels found in Homer’s The Odyssey. In each epic, the heroes, Aeneas and Odysseus, are on a journey “home.” Aeneas is on the search of a new home for he and his companions to settle since Troy has been destroyed, Odysseus on the other hand is attempting to return to his home he left years earlier to fight the Trojan War. They both have Gods against them and helping them, both Aeneas and Odysseus are both held back by women, both voluntary and involuntarily, and they both have experiences visiting the Underworld. Despite these similarities, there are differences between the two characters and it reflects their values and the society they live in. Aeneas relies on his strength as a warrior, where as Odysseus uses his deception to survive which reflects how Aeneas is truly Roman is versus Greek.
In addition, the overall theme of the poem highlighted morality, which was a definitive tenet of Greco Roman civilization. In many ways, Virgil wrote the poem as a means of lauding the moral virtues of Roman society and as a personal challenge to outdo Homer’s epic compositions, The Illiad and The Odyssey. Virgil was successful because he had incorporated many of the same tales shared in the works of Homer into one epic poem which presented a linear storyline in the books that detailed the life and times of Aeneas and the Trojans. That being said, Virgil did not stray far from the approach that many writers had used before him; his primary focus throughout the Aeneid was placed squarely upon the back of idealized Greek and Roman moral principles, which were the dedication to ones’ honor, family, and country. By no means is there anything wrong with this approach, but in many ways, the entire poem could be viewed as a “propaganda” piece; while it might have served to enlighten, educate, and create a cohesive and uplifting story for the Roman populace, the poem lacked depth and a more profound exploration of human intricacies. While Virgil’s epic poem has stood the test of time and remains one of the greatest pieces
Virgil depicts the Gods as innocent. When in fact, they were manipulators. Juno and Venus came together to play match maker with Dido and Aeneas. By sending the two to go hunting. Dido and Aeneas find a cave and in that cave, they have sex. Dido thinks she is married to Aeneas now. Dido characteristics is showing vulnerability. She is so confused as to what she is doing. Dido also shows that it doesn’t take much to distract her. Unfortunately, she learns the hard way of how the Gods are. When Dido learns of Aeneas promise to Jupiter to continue his quest to find Rome; and she finds out that he is leaving. She confronts him. She confronts him out of embarrassment. Dido characteristics show she is very angry and that she let her guard down. Aeneas doesn’t care about Dido’s emotions and this makes matters much worse. Dido curses Aeneas and his voyage out to sea. Dido is heart broken by Aeneas’s actions. In her mind she truly thought he loved
When discussing the fate of Aeneas, a thought provoking question is posed that is commonly debated. If Aeneas is commanded by fate, does he have free will? It is important to approach this question with a solid understand of fate. There are two common sides to the debate of whether Aeneas had free will or not. One view believes Aeneas had no choice but to follow his destiny because he was commanded by fate, and prophesied to found the race that will one day build Rome. The other side states Aeneas did indeed have free will, and even though his fate was set, room is available within his fate for events to change. One can argue Aeneas makes some of his own choices, but no particular detail of his life is untouched. Destiny determines that the Trojans will found a city in Italy, but it does not stipulate how that will happen. This is where room is left for free will. After much research and considering the views of many commentators and the proof they showed, the answer can simply be found by going back to the text of The Aeneid.