The Aeneid – essays || A+ Graded Already.
4.408-430. What has led up to this passage? You should start your answer from the prayer Iarbas
made to Jupiter? [10] correct answers Iarbas drew Jupiter's attention to the way Dido and Aeneas
are behaving, so Jupiter sent Mercury to tell Aeneas he is not living up to the description Venus
gave of him, that he would be the man to rule Italy. He should remember the destiny of Ascanius
even if he is not ambitious for himself. Mercury found Aeneas working on the building of
Carthage and delivered the message. Aeneas ordered his fleet to be prepared and waited for an
opportunity to break the news to Dido. Rumour, however, informed her, so she called Aeneas a
traitor and begged him to stay. Aeneas tried to explain that he had not meant to deceive her and
that he was fated to go to Italy. Dido was very angry; she cursed his future and rushed away. The
Trojans continued their preparations for departure.
4.408-430. How does Virgil evoke sympathy for Dido in this passage? In your answer you
should include discussion of the language he uses. [15] correct answers Virgil addresses Dido
directly, thus bringing her to life and encouraging the audience to empathise with her. He
includes general statements ('Love is a cruel master'), which the audience may recognise in their
own lives and thus feel greater empathy for Dido. He portrays her as a sad and lonely figure,
gazing out from the top of the citadel and emphasises her tears and desperation. Her isolation and
despair contrasts with the bustle and eagerness of the Trojans as they prepare to depart. Virgil
hints at her imminent death ('in case she were to die in vain'/'she should all needlessly die'). The
appeal she asks Anna to deliver becomes increasingly desperate: tricolon (I was not...I sent no
fleet...I did not...)/ repeated 'I never'; rhetorical questions; much reduced request (that he should
simply delay his departure).
4.408-430. How important is the role of Anna in this passage and the rest of Book 4? In your
answer you should include discussion of what Anna says and does and how this affects the other
characters. [20] correct answers In this passage, Anna is a confidante, allowing Dido some
release for her feelings and providing Virgil with a device for showing Dido's thoughts and
feelings to the audience. This reflects her role throughout Book 4, such as when Dido confides
her love for Aeneas. In the passage (perhaps regretting her former advice), Anna keeps quiet,
whereas on the former occasion she had encouraged Dido to move on from mourning Sychaeus
and marry Aeneas. She is a messenger for Dido to Aeneas here. Similarly she acts almost as a
servant in procuring the materials necessary for the pyre. These deeds are necessary for the plot,
but it is as a sister encouraging Dido in her love for Aeneas that Anna is most significant. Her
character remains lightly drawn: she is a gentle shadow and support for Dido, but seems kind,
efficient, tactful and friendly. This passage suggests she has a good relationship with Aeneas and
she is devoted to Dido. She does not understand that Dido is preparing for death, but is distraught
once she realises and says that she would have liked to die alongside her. Her sympathy for Dido
guides the audience, particularly in the final picture when Anna climbs to the top of the pyre and
uses her own dress to dry Dido's blood. Were it not for Anna, we might be more inclined to
regard Dido as a foolish woman.
Who is Mezentius? What does he do after this passage? [10] correct answers Mezentius was the
exiled king of the Etruscans. After this passage he sends men to recall Lausus, but the messages
are in vain and Mezentius, from where he is staunching his own wounds, hears the wailing of
,Lausus' men as they carry his body from battle. Mezentius regrets allowing his son to save his
life and even says he is sorry for the crimes he committed. He calls for his horse and mounts
despite his wound. He calls to Aeneas as he enters battle, determined to avenge his son or die. He
rides around Aeneas, who is on foot, throwing spears at his shield. Eventually Aeneas throws his
spear and wounds the horse, which falls on top of Mezentius. Aeneas approaches with a sword
and Mezentius, after asking Aeneas to protect his body from the fury of his countrymen, accepts
his death.
How does Virgil make this passage an effective piece of narrative?In your answer you should
include discussion of the way he tells the story and the language he uses. [15] correct answers
The passage is full of action, but there is variation in pace. At the beginning, Virgil builds
tension and emphasises the heroic scale of the battle by describing the shield of Mezentius while
Aeneas' arrow is in flight. The audience guess that Mezentius is going to die, but Lausus is
unexpectedly introduced. Virgil's description of his love for his father brings humanity and
pathos to the story. Lausus is directly addressed: this makes him seem real, but the language
emphasises his remoteness in time. He lived in the heroic past ('warrior who does not deserve to
be forgotten'/'long tradition allows us to do so'). The audience is told explicitly that a momentous
event is about to occur ('cruel/hard death'/'great exploit'/'heroic action'). The timing of Lausus'
intervention is exciting ('just as Aeneas was...raising his arm to strike/rising on tiptoe') and the
simile interrupts the story at a climax, taking the audience momentarily away from the drama of
the battlefield to an every-day scene so that they can take stock of the situation from a distance.
There is much to say here: look for close reference to the text and an appreciation of narrative.
10.783-810. How is Aeneas portrayed in this passage? How far is this typical of the way he is
portrayed elsewhere in the second half of the Aeneid ? In your answer you should consider this
passage and other occasions in books 7-12. [20] correct answers Here, Aeneas is fighting with
enthusiasm and skill, even passion ('exultant'/'elated' at the sight of blood; 'in hot fury'/'with
furious energy'). He seems fully involved and does not hesitate, but his passion does not
overwhelm him: despite being enraged by the rain of missiles, he takes cover until it is sensible
to venture out and challenge Lausus. Similarly, Aeneas expects his men to wait patiently in the
camp until he procures allies. He tries to maintain the truce for as long as possible, refusing to
join the renewed fighting until he is actually struck. When he is wounded, however, he struggles
to wait patiently for his wound to be tended; he wants to rush back to battle at the earliest
opportunity. The passion and skill shown here are typical of many other instances, particularly
during the aristeia which follows the death of Pallas. However, this passage does not show the
pity for wasted young life Aeneas displays on occasion, such as after the death of Lausus and,
almost, before he kills Turnus.
Look for analysis of the passage and comments which relate other incidents to the way Aeneas
behaves here: a general character sketch of Aeneas in Book 7-12 will not be altogether adequate.
'Aeneas is just a puppet, doing exactly what the gods direct.' How far do you agree with this
statement? In your answer you should explain how far you think Virgil portrays Aeneas as an
individual who makes his own decisions. [50] correct answers Aeneas' destiny is determined
from Jupiter's prophecy in Book 1. He follows instructions given by the gods on many occasions
(Venus tells him to leave Troy, Apollo's oracle at Delos tells him where to go, Mercury conveys
Jupiter's order for him to leave Carthage, he follows the doves of Venus to the golden bough).
, However, he does not follow these instructions automatically: he stays in Troy and Carthage
longer than a puppet would have done. The instructions are not clear (e.g. the Delos prophecy) or
regular enough to mean that he can avoid all decision- making. Some actions, such as the killing
of Turnus, seem to show Aeneas as an individual, independent of the gods. A discussion of the
fate versus free will problem is relevant but not essential here.
'With the exception of Aeneas, Virgil is not successful in creating male characters.' Which of
Virgil's other male characters do you think is portrayed most vividly? In your answer you should
include discussion of at least three male characters apart from Aeneas and the gods. [50] correct
answers Answers may well agree with the implication of the statement, that apart from Aeneas
the most memorable characters in the Aeneid are female. However, some men do make as
impact. Characters that could be discussed include Anchises, Turnus, Ascanius, Priam, Helenus,
Pallas, Evander, Latinus, Nisus and Euryalus. Answers may also refer to groups, such as Aeneas'
companions, who do not really emerge as differentiated individuals. Any view is acceptable,
provided it is well supported. A careful discussion of three characters is just as valid as a more
extensive survey.
3.22-43. How is Aeneas portrayed in this passage? How far is this typical of the way he is
portrayed elsewhere? In your answer you should compare what Aeneas does here with what he
does on other occasions in the poem. [20] correct answers Aeneas is portrayed as dutiful to the
gods: he is building an altar, he prays when he sees the bad omen and his hands are described as
'righteous'/'guiltless'. This is typical of elsewhere: he sacrifices to Juno on arrival in Italy; he
sacrifices the white sow; he is reluctant to break the treaty sanctified by the gods.
In the passage, he seems to have been driven to a frenzy ('searching for the cause, however deep
it may be', 'a still greater effort', 'struggling to free it'). This is consistent with the way he behaves
in Troy, both when rushing to fight and when looking for Creusa. At other times, however, he is
more composed (e.g. when he visits Evander to ask for help).
Here, he is fearful. This reflects his fear in the storm in Book 1, but not the way he fights in
Latium.Look for focus on the question and a careful selection from the many possible examples.
10.448-472. What has happened since Aeneas left the Etruscans? In your answer you should
describe his
arrival on the shores of Latium and explain what takes place just before this passage. [10] correct
answers Aeneas led the thirty ships back, with Pallas at his side. The Trojan ships which Cybele
had changed into nymphs told him of the situation in Latium, and urged him to hurry to fight the
Rutulians. Cymodocea gave him a push to speed him up. Aeneas used his shield to signal to the
Trojans besieged in their camp. Flames came from his head and armour. Turnus drew up his
troops on the shore to fight Aeneas and the men he had brought. Aeneas led his ships at great
speed up the beach; Tarchon's was wrecked on the approach. Many on both sides were killed in
the fierce fighting; Pallas and Lausus were noted for their bravery, but did not meet in battle, for
Juturna advised Turnus to take the place of Lausus and confront Pallas. Turnus told his allies to
withdraw, and claimed Pallas in single combat.
10.448-472. What do the gods contribute to this passage? In your answer you should include
discussionof the way Hercules and Jupiter respond to Pallas' prayer. [15] correct answers
Hercules is a kind of patron saint for Pallas. The prayer Pallas offers shows his piety, and
