Transcript The Maius Opus Books VII-XII Vergil and the Aeneid  During the first 40 years of Vergil’s life he lived during a time.

The Maius Opus
Books VII-XII
Vergil and the Aeneid
 During the first 40 years of Vergil’s life
he lived during a time of continuous
conflict
 His work, the Aeneid, features key
situations in which individuals create a
life in common
 e.g., Evander and Aeneas
Dido
 Is there anything Roman about Dido?
 Is she to blame for what happens?
 Is Aeneas to blame for what happens?
Key Themes
 Peace comes at a price
 Danger is always at hand
 Emphasis on the visual in Augustan culture
 New ways for Romans to see themselves
 See what they have in common with others
Us vs. Them, Part I
 “Keiko was not one of our kind but
nevertheless he was still one of us.”
 (Veterinary Chaplain, Speaking at the
Funeral of Keiko, A Killer Whale,
Oregon, 2003)
Us vs. Them, Part II
 “We found several sick and famished
Indians, who begged hard for mercy
and for food. It hurt my feelings; but the
understanding was that all were to be
killed. So we did the work.”
 (Settler, Oregon, 1857)
Overview of Book VII
 Aeneas arrives in Latium
 Latinus promises Lavinia in marriage to
Aeneas
 Juno and Allecto incite war
 Catalogue of Italians who are heroes
New Characters
 Latinus, king of
 Camillia, amazon
Latium
 Lavinia, his
daughter
 Turnus, ruler of
Rutulians
 Mezentius, ruler of
the Etruscans
like warrior who is
allied with Turnus
 Allecto, a Fury
 Latium is the place
where Aeneas will
found Lavinium
Book VII – the halfway point
 Erato is the muse chosen to start the
book
 She is the “lovely one” and she is the
muse of love poetry
 Book is about women and Vergil’s love
of his native land
From Peace to War
 When we first see
Ostia, it is peaceful,
but then it is
transformed into a
war camp, not a
town
 Warriors come from
all over Italy to the
camp
Ostia
From Troy to Rome
 Aeneas goes to meet king Latinus, direct
descendant of Saturn
 Saturn founded Saturnia on the future site of
Rome
 Trojans have reached their final destination
Aeneas, Turnus and Lavinia
 Lavinia is a second Helen AND a
second Medea
 War breaks out between the Latins and
the Trojans
 Will end up creating a dysfunctional
family with Aeneas
Roman Marriage
 Do not look for love in a marriage
 Vergil says nothing of their marriage
 Lavinia never says anything in this book
 Will reappear in Book XII
The Terrifying Prediction
VII.112-116
 You won’t found your city until you eat
your tables
 Aeneas and company are so hungry
they eat the wheat cakes that hold their
food
 Is this sinister or funny?
Allecto’s Madness
 She makes
 Destroys
everyone mad
 Amata
 Turnus
 the Italians are
angered by
Ascanius killing a
tame deer
relationships
between men and
women
 Fills Turnus with
rage – treaty is
broken
 Trojans are guilty of
spilling first blood
The Gates of War
 Gates flung open during times of war
 Juno opens the gates
 War has begun
Camilla – the equal of Turnus
 Admired female warrior
 Amazing physical powers
 Huntress turned warrior
 Ignored traditional female roles
 Opposite of Dido?
Book VIII – plot summary
 Aeneas goes to
Evander, Evander
promises Etruscan aid
 Evander tells the story
of Hercules
 Venus asks Vulcan to
make Aeneas’ armor
Hercules Temple at Rome
New Characters and Places
 Evander, king of
Pallanteum
 Pallas, his son
 Cacus, man eating
monster
 Actium, 31 BC, the
critical victory of
Octavian (soon to
be Augustus)
Caesar over the
opposing forces of
Marc Antony and
Cleopatra: this is the
central scene in
Aeneas' shield
Community and Identity
 Multiple versions of
 Violence can
Rome’s foundations
 Evander’s tour of
the ancient city is
reminiscent of the
story of Romulus’
foundation
remove moral
danger and and
protect the
established
community
 When Hercules kills
Cacus, that is what
he is doing
Evander’s humble home
 Evander invites
Aeneas into his
home, which is
reminiscent of
Augustus’ house on
the Palatine
 The establishment
of a moral, civilized
community begins
with good leadership
The Shield
 Three values, iustitia, virtus, and pietas
 All nations will bow down to Rome
 Glory of the Roman Empire
 Can Aeneas understand what he sees?
Book IX – Where’s Aeneas?
 Main events include:
 Turnus attacks
 Nisus and Euryalus go on a night
mission
 Rage of Turnus – gets pushed out of
Trojan camp
Turnus and the Rutilians
 When Turnus attacks the Trojan camp,
Aeneas’ ships turn into nymphs and
vanish
 Turnus is happy – no escape.
 Misreads the sign. Urges men to rest
before battle resumes
Nisus and Euryalus
 Longing for glory, Euryalus decide to
sneak off to warn Aeneas, takes Nisus
with him
 Aeneas says they are a fortunate pair
 What is fortunate about getting killed?
A Series of Unfortunate
Events
 Night-time mission
 Lust for Human slaughter and war-
prizes
 Gleam of helmet betrays a warrior
Interpretation of this episode
 Death of young is part of war, may be
tragic, but is necessary
 Positive view of heroism – how you die
defines how people perceive you
 Deaths are not tragic as the pair gives
in to hybris (excessive pride)
Issues Vergil raises in Book IX
 What are the costs of war to women?
 What does it mean to be human?
 What does it mean to be a victor in war?
Book X- A Very Violent
Episode
 25 battle scenes – gory and violent
 Fighting continues
 Turnus kills Pallas
 Juno saves Turnus from Aeneas
 Aeneas kills Mezentius
Power of Furor (Anger)
 Can the power of a future empire
contain the furor?
 Juno’s intervention in Turnus and
Aeneas’ fight is rare for a battle scene in
an epic
 Scene between Jupiter and Hercules
The Sorrow of Hercules
 Hercules weeps when he sees Pallas
dying
 Jupiter tells him that everyone has their
day to die
 Who is Hercules? Most human of gods
 Audience sees the death from two
perspectives at once
 Can anyone change fate?
Book Eleven
 Burial of Pallas
 Trojans attack
 Death of Camilla
Deep Grief of Trojans for
Pallas
 Mezentius is a bloody trophy, but Pallas
is a life tragically cut short
 Mourning Trojan women appear
 Robbed of the happy future of marriage
and children
 Death robs young warriors of their
future
Turnus’ anger
 Turnus is depicted as being like a
stallion who wants to rush into war
 Aeneas is the opposite, he hates war
and equates it with sorrow
 Duty vs. Freedom
Death of Camilla
 Bellatrix (warrior)
 Leaves her hunting for war, but she is
doomed.
 Promised a noble death
 Raised in woods as a wild girl who
drinks animals’ milk and even as a
toddler had spear, bows and arrows
Respect for Camilla
 Diana respects her decision to fight
 Turnus puts her in charge of his men
 Fights for her own reasons, even after
she wants her share of the spoils (and
dies fighting for them) she gets a hero’s
death
Aeneid XII – The End
 Turnus challenges
Aeneas to fight
 The Rutuli wound
Aeneas
 He is cured by Venus
 Kills Turnus
The Fight
 Aeneas trapped Turnus like a hunter
traps a deer
 Turnus is compared to Mars at the glory
of his fighting
 His death is humiliating
 He offers Aeneas the chance to spare
his life
Why Does Aeneas kill Turnus?
 Sees belt of Pallas and is enraged
 Turnus must die to ensure the future
 Aeneas gets to defy Juno’s wishes
Conclusions
 This is a foundation story
 About community and identity
 What are the rules? Who can be in the
community? Who is the enemy?