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When people think of epic poetry, they tend to think of the big three: The Iliad and The Odyssey by
Homer in 850 BC, and the Aeneid by Virgil between 19 and 29 BC. These epic poems are often
grouped together because Homer is Greek and Virgil is Roman, representing the two major ancient
civilizations from which modern European culture traces its origins
KEY
The Aeneid
Virgil
from Chapter 1:
(1)
Arms, and the man I sing, who, forc'd by fate,
And haughty Juno's unrelenting hate,
Expell'd and exil'd, left the Trojan shore.
Long labors, both by sea and land, he bore,
And in the doubtful war, before he won
The Latian realm, and built the destin'd town;
His banish'd gods restor'd to rites divine,
And settled sure succession in his line,
From whence the race of Alban fathers come,
And the long glories of majestic Rome.
(2)
O Muse! the causes and the crimes relate;
What goddess was provok'd, and whence her hate;
For what offense the Queen of Heav'n began
To persecute so brave, so just a man;
Involv'd his anxious life in endless cares,
Expos'd to wants, and hurried into wars!
Can heav'nly minds such high resentment show,
Or exercise their spite in human woe?
Above all other lands Juno loved the ancient city of Carthage. The city had been
founded by its queen Dido and other settlers from Tyre (in Phoenicia) and was famed for its
wealth and its skill in war. However, Juno knew that some day an aggressive people of Trojan
descent, who ruled many other lands, was fated to conquer her fair city. Moreover, the queen of
Olympus had not forgotten Paris’ judgment against her beauty, and even the Trojans’ defeat at
the hands of the Greeks had not satisfied her hatred.
(4)
“Why should I allow their fate to prevent me from punishing the Trojans before they
reach Italy?” Juno thought. “If Minerva can sink Greek ships and drown their sailors because of
the arrogance of one Greek leader, surely I--the queen of the gods, and the sister and wife of
Jupiter -- should be able to subdue this people.”
(5)
With such thoughts enraging her heart, Juno came to Aeolia, homeland of storm clouds,
where King Aeolus confines and soothes the struggling winds and the roaring gales deep in a
dreary cave. “Aeolus,” she greeted him, “a people whom I hate are sailing the Phoenician seas,
bringing Troy’s household gods into Italy. I want you to arouse your mighty winds and hurl them
furiously upon these Trojans, sinking their ships and strewing their bodies upon the waves of the
sea.”
(6)
“I shall do as you wish,” replied Aeolus, “for you and Jupiter have made me lord of
clouds and storms.” He struck the side of the cave with his spear, commanding the winds to
emerge and attack the Trojan ships with mighty waves and great gales.
(3)
.
As the Trojans watched, clouds suddenly turned day into night. The men cried out with
dread as flashes of lightning illuminated the clouds and the rumbling of thunder surrounded
them. Aeneas stretched his arms toward the heavens and cried, “Compared to us, three and
four times blessed are those who were fated to die before their fathers’ eyes upon the plain of
Troy!”
(8)
His words were followed by a shrieking gust of wind that struck his sail full force and
raised mountainous waves, causing the oars to snap and the ship to turn broadside to the
waves. As water cascaded into the ship, the sailors were washed overboard. Some were carried
high upon the crests, while others could glimpse the ground between the swells. The storm
drove three ships upon concealed rocks; three others were forced upon a shallow sandbar. One
was completely swallowed by a swirling whirlpool of waters. The sea now wore the planking of
ships and the bodies of men intermingled with its collection of weapons of war and Trojan
treasure.
(9)
When Neptune became aware of this wild turbulence, he raised his head above the
waters in order to learn more about the storm. He immediately recognized his sister Juno’s
anger behind the destruction of Aeneas’ fleet, so he summoned the East Wind and the West
Wind and said, “How dare you raise such a tempest without my command? Return quickly to
your king and remind him that I, and not he, am the lord of the sea!”
(10)
Neptune calmed the sea and sent the clouds away, letting the sun shine forth once
more. As when argument and strife tear apart a great country, and the common folk rage at one
another until suddenly they see a man honored for his good character and worthy service, and
they become silent and listen attentively while he soothes their passion with his words, so the
sea sank into silent submission as the lord of the sea drove his chariot over the waters.
(7)
1.Why does stanza 2 begin with the words “O Muse”? What is this device called, and what is its
purpose?
Invocation. Purpose: One reason that Virgil could be invoking the Muse in this section is
because he respects her storytelling ability above his own-obviously showing one of the
Greek’s cultural values: a place for the supernatural in every day events.
Another reason he asks the Muse to help would be a means for making the reader curious
about what happens next.
2.To what does the word their refer in paragraph 4?
The Trojans
3.What is the primary conflict in this story?
The main conflict would be person vs. supernatural because Juno destroys the Trojan
ships
4.What is the main purpose of paragraph 5?
The main purpose of paragraph 5 is to tell the reader the means by which Juno intends to
destroy the Trojans: going to Aeoleus, king of storm clouds, to request winds.
5.In stanza 1, who does the author suggest is the cause of the problems?
The man who was exiled from Troy was the cause of the problems (it does not name the
man in that stanza).
6.Ultimately, the storm is calmed because –
.
The storm is calmed because Neptune demands that Juno return to her domain, rather
than stir up problems at sea. Neptune then calms the seas.
7.In paragraph 10, the calming of the sea is being compared to –
The calming of the sea is being compared to a common man who separates himself from
the common people in a time of civil strife. The man becomes a leader because of his
good character and service; the people respect him as a leader due to these qualities. The
sea respects Neptune in the same way.
8.What is the meaning of Aeneas’ plea in paragraph 7?
Aeneas is pointing out that their forefathers, who died on Troy’s plains, appear blessed
three or four times more than they are right now (in their destruction).