The Death of the God and the Young within Vergil's Aenied
Within the Aeneid, there are many themes contained in
the text. One of them is the death of the good and the
young in battle. This recurring theme seems to be prevalent
in Vergil's epic because it most definitely occurs in all
battles. When there is battle, there are consequences.
Most often these consequence are the death of someone who is
seen as not yet ready to die because they are good or young.
In Book IX of the Aeneid, lines 402-545, a battle scene
and the events leading to it are depicted. Ascanius is
leading a troop of Trojan soldiers who want to pass through
a place that was unrightfully conquered by Rhamnes. One
Trojan decides to single handedly make a path through this
place. As the Trojan passes through, he kills many Romans.
The Trojan, Euryalus, kills Rhamnes and his slaves. He then
kills Remus' armor-bearer, charioteer, and horses. Lastly,
Euryalus comes upon the lord, Remus. Vergil begins to
describe the beheading of Remus, done by none other then
Remus, "Full on his neck he drives the fatal sword: the
gasping head flies off; a purple flood flows from the
trunk." Euryalus then kills Lamus, the bold, and Lamyrus,
the strong. Euryalus also kills the young Serranus, a
good-natured young man who may not have deserved to die.
Vergil includes this certain murder in particular because it
shows that war shows no mercy, no matter how young or how
good.
The slaughter in this scene is ended only at the hand
of Nisus, Euryalus' lover, who proclaims there has been
enough blood lust and murder. The group leaves the battle
scene with nothing, for they leave the "precious load"
behind.
Soon we see that a young boy is left behind because he
wants to take some of the bounty that was left from the
battle. As Euryalus and Nisus have been gone for some time,
Euryalus realizes he has left the boy behind and he retraces
his path. When he returns he sees the boy surrounded by
"three hundred horse" lead by Volscens. Euryalus' only
choice is to shoot an arrow through the boy so that he would
not have to suffer at the hands of his captors. Euryalus
believes he is rightful in his decision. This again shows
how the good and the young do die in battle. This, holding
true to the old cliché, "all is fair in love and war".
In Book XI, lines 818-831, the tale of the turning of
I enjoyed the book and I tought it was easy to read and understand. The constant adversities Andreas faced keep me craving more, from the prison scene to him being kidnapped left me wondering what would happen for the next chapter. I also enjoyed learning about the Jewish culture and traditions that the book mentioned, and having a new take on arguments regarding the practice of the Sabbath or how Jesus’s teachings could have sounded to a Gentile back in the day. Overall a fun and interesting book to read and challenged by views on the humanity of Jesus.
The decision of Achilleus is a crucial moment in understanding how fate works in epic (Homerian) literature. Thetis tells Achilleus of his opportunity to win renown as the greatest warrior of all time, earning glory through his fearless acts in battle against a foe who is sure to overcome the Achaians. The fate of ten years of attack on Troy hinge upon the decision of Achilleus, who is given the choice to win glory for the Achaians and, more importantly, himself.
As such, Odysseus’ journey to Hades sheds light upon the differing views of life from those who were subjected to the savagery of war and those not. When speaking with a variety of deceased individuals, Odysseus is told numerous stories of regret, accounts of death which could only be understood by one on the battlefield. Odysseus does not initially wish to speak with his mother, though he eventually recalls, “I stayed where I was until my mother / came up and drank the dark blood” (11.150-151). The interpreted symbolism behind this act is almost paradoxical, while representing the underlying theme of a different perception of mortality. Perhaps honor in a distinguished, fighting death is merely a cover for the unbearable consequences of
“When Hector killed Patroclus, Achilles was filled with grief and rage and returned to the battle, routed the Trojans, and killed Hector, viciously dragging his body back to the Greek camp” (“Achilles” 1), Achilles was so sad and mad at the same time, but, he had a reason for it all. Hector had killed his lover, whom he let borrow his armor and aid the retreating Greeks after, “In the last year of the siege, when Agamemnon stole the captive princess Briseis from him, Achilles angrily withdrew and took his troops from the war” (“ Achilles” 1). Later, Paris killed Achilles by inflicting a wound on his heel. The heel had been the part of Achilles that his mother, Thetis, attempted making him immortal, which was successful by that heel that she was holding remained mortal, and resulted in Achilles’s death.
...ally some men were killed and how the disloyal maids had died as well. This may just be because the writing style of that time was different, but it showed a darker side to Odysseus and those that fought with him.
Death and Immortality in The Epic of Gilgamesh The search for immortality has been a major concern for many men and women all throughout history. True love and immortality in life would be a dream come true to many. To spend time with a special someone, the person one feels closest to, and never have to say good-bye would greatly appeal to most people. But when death steps into the picture, even with all the pain and devastation, one starts to re-evaluate themselves. In The Epic of Gilgamesh, Gilgamesh explores the possibility of immortality following the saddening death of his friend and brother, Enkidu.
Pyrrhus who plays a deeper and personal meaning into the story has his fathered killed by Paris and seeks to avenge him by slaying someone just as dear to Paris, his own father Priam. However with the great walls of Troy blocking his advance there is little he could do, but madness drives him and they build a great “Trojan” horse as a transport to fool the superstitious Trojans. To make it believable they even stage like they abandoned the siege by having all of their ships sail away from the island off on the far end to avoid attention, and leaving the horse there as if it were a gift from the gods. The Trojans seeing this as a great victory happily took the horse into Troy and threw a great feast, and drunk themselves to sleep. Then in th...
The Trojan War veterans of The Odyssey succeeded in defeating their enemies on the battlefield. The end of combat did not mean relief from burdens for them. War is cruel, but in it these men see a glory they cannot find outside. Achilleus’ death in war is treated with ceremony and respect. Agamemnon, having survived that same war, dies a pitiful death and Klytaimestra “was so hard that her hands would not/ press shut [his] eyes and mouth though [he] was going to Hades” (XI, 425-426). Dying at home meant being denied even simple acts of dignity. Reflecting back on it Hades, Agamemnon characterizes the veteran’s struggles when he asks, “What pleasure was there for me when I had wound up the fighting?” (XXIV, 95).
In act III, fate takes its first victim. Mercutio, Romeo's best friend and companion, avenges Romeo by fighting Tybalt, Romeo's enemy who is also Juliet's cousin. Mercutio is slain and foreshadows Romeo's future; "Ask for me to-morrow, and you shall / find me a grave man (3/1/89-90)." Romeo is extremely grave afterwards. He kills Tybalt and is banished from Verona forever. He realizes that to love an enemy can lead to devastating events, if one does not take enough time to deal with the situation at hand.
I believe that Aeneas stays true to his duties through most of the poem, through upon meeting Dido, Aeneas gets distracted by her interest in him which in turn also distracts her from her own duties.
The first lines of the Aeneid introduce Aeneas and state that his actions led to the high walls of Rome (981). After doing further research, I have found that these lines offer deeper meaning and a rich history of the founding of Rome. Aeneas' impact begins when he leaves the coast of Troy to find a city overseas, as commanded by Hector in a vision (Encyclopedia Brittanica). This city would be called Lavinium, named after Aeneas' wife, Lavinia (981). The founding of this city would not be easy, however. Aeneas faced many challenges from the gods. such as the storm sent by Aeolus in book one; "Down as they crash on the sea, the Eastwind, Southwind, all as one with the Southwest's squalls in hot pursuit, heaving up from the ocean depths huge
...the murderer is in Thebes. “Here in Thebes, Apollo said. What is searched for can be caught. What is neglected escapes.” Basically, the gods concluded their destruction series in condemning Oedipus to exile or having him executed.
In The Chronicle of a Death Foretold, religion acts as a foremost determinant of the meaning of Santiago’s murder and parallels biblical passages. Gabriel García Márquez employs religious symbolism throughout his novella which alludes to Christ, his familiars, and his death on the cross. There are many representations throughout the novella that portray these biblical references, such as the murder of Santiago, the Divine Face, the cock’s crowing and the characters, Bayardo San Roman, Maria Cervantes, Divina Flor, and the Vicario children.
Death and the Maiden and Punishment are literatures that are about woman that have suffered in their life`s, but at the end they make choices that made them happy. These two literatures explain the power women can contribute through control. Paulina and Chandara are from two different countries and backgrounds, but very similar when it comes to completing a goal in their life`s they have to fulfill. Chandara and Paulina are two woman that seem weak at the beginning of the story and play, but as they set on a target they become strong and wise on the decisions they make. A major them that occurs in Death in the Maiden and Punishment is control.
War is a lot like love: it costs a lot of money, time, and energy; it distracts you from other areas of life; sometimes you win, sometimes you lose, but most importantly, in the end, it’s still worth fighting for. But unlike love, war cannot and should not be justified and disregarded, by gods or men. No matter what people try to do to resolve their disputes, sometimes they get so aggravated that they resort to killing each other, and the taking of a life is no light matter. It’s no coincidence that most people have post-traumatic stress coming back from the wars in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Iran. It’s because sinners live on the same planet, sinning and accusing the other of sinning while covering their own sin. So wars come and wars go, exchanging the powers between the nations who attack each other. The Trojan War, partially exemplified in the Iliad by Homer, follows this natural pattern of human nature. The Iliad does not go anywhere near the fact that the war is unjustifiable and absurd. In fact, the poem makes it clear that in the minds of both Greeks (also Achaeans) and Trojans that the war was justified and that each faction thought that they were entitled to some sort of resolution in their favor. Therefore, one should examine the Iliad from the viewpoint of the characters and the poet’s beliefs, from a fixed fictional standpoint instead of the real world’s standpoint. Both the Greek and Trojans had both rational and somewhat realistic reasons behind their logic, summed up in three observations: The competition of the main characters to elevate their own self-importance, their manly struggle over the hot Greek chick, and finally the vengeance that must be wrought for their fallen brothers-in-arms. But even though both sides...