Introduction Caesar Augustus’ rise to absolute power in the year 31 BCE motioned to a deviation in the politics of Rome, shifting from a republic to a monarchy, though shielded in evident conservatism. It was through the formation of a prescribed mythology to the Julii family name that Augustus and his reign were cemented. By way of the insistence of Augustus, Vergil created the Aeneid to illustrate the mythological underpinnings of the Julii line, and how Augustus offered the hope of prosperity for Rome after a period of civil wars, as the gods supposedly directed it. The Aeneid is riddled throughout with veiled pieces of Augustan propaganda, reflected in Augustan architecture, highlighting the prominence of the Aeneid as a means of advertising the appeal of Augustus. The titular character of Vergil’s work, Aeneas, his divine lineage, the narrative of his shield, and the parade of heroes are all disguised fragments of propaganda used to emphasize Augustus’ practice of incorporating Roman tradition into his own political regime. The use of propaganda as a literary device throughout this famous poem peppers the lineage of Augustan supremacy with divine relation and extreme piousness in an effort to transform Rome after the events of the civil war. Piety as a literary device The character of Aeneas was to serve as an ancient version of Augustus, who was to be a pillar of integrity and responsibility to Rome and to the gods: Insignem pietate viram (Ver. Aen. I. 10). Augustus demonstrated his connection to Gauis Julius Caesar, his predecessor and father figure, in avenging his death and participating in multiple civil wars. It is through this action that Augustus is paralleled to Aeneas and considered a modern hero, sav... ... middle of paper ... .... Print Keegan, J., The Illustrated Face of Battle. New York: Viking Press, 1988 Kertzer, D., Ritual, Politics and Power. Connecticut: Yale University Press, 1988. Print Shay, J., ‘Achilles in Vietnam’, A companion to Ancient History. UK: Blackwell Publishing, 1994. Print Sherk, R. K., ‘Roman Documents from the Greek East: Senatus Consulta and Epistulae to the Age of Augustus’, A companion to Ancient History. UK: Blackwell Publishing, 1969. Print Sherk, R. K., ‘Rome and the Greek East to the Age of Augustus. Translated documents of Greece and Rome 4’, A companion to Ancient History. UK: Blackwell Publishing, 1984. Print Tritle, L., ‘Men at War’, The Oxford Handbook of Warfare in the Classical World. UK: Oxford University Press, 1997. Print Zanker, P., The Power of Images in the Age of Augustus. Michigan: University of Michigan Press, 1988. Print
P Bradley. Ancient Rome, using evidence. (2000) [United Kingdom] Cambridge University Press. Pgs 516-519, 534-535, &555-557
Dillon, Mathew, and Garland, Lynda. Ancient Greece: Social and Historical Documents from Archaic Times to the Death of Socrates. Routledge International Thompson Publishing Company, 1994, pp. 179-215
They both have an epic hero. In The Aeneid, this hero is Aeneas. Aeneas is often compared with Caesar Augustus. He is a strong leader and conquered new lands. “As firm as a sturdy oak grown tough with age when the Northwinds blasting off the Alps compete, fighting eft and right, to wrench it from the earth, and the winds scream, the trunk shudders, its leafy crest showers across the ground but it clings firm to its rock, its roots stretching as deep into the dark world below as its crown goes towering toward the gales of heave - so firm the hero stands: buffeted left and right by storms of appeals, he takes the full force of love and suffering deep in his great heart.” ( Virgil, Book 4, pg. 143, lines 555- 565). This passage using the literary element, simile. In this simile, Virgil is comparing Aeneas to a strong oak tree and able to withstand the elements. The simile also shows that the oak tree, Aeneas, is able to withstand controversy from all around. Since Virgil uses Aeneas as a parallel for Caesar Augustus, he is also saying that Augustus is a firm and strong leader as well. He is also saying that he will be able to handle the controversy in his current time and that he will come out
The works of Vergil and Caesar, The Aeneid and the Commentarii de Bello Gallico, respectfully, share the common theme of war to depict what drives Aeneas and Caesar to achieve freatness. Certain events written by Caesar show off the qualities that make him a great leader. Vergil uses the events around the Trojan Horse to show the war coming from many causes which attacked and pushed Aeneas to found Rome.
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Sherk, E. a. (1994). The Roman Empire : Augustus to Hadrian. In The Roman Empire : Augustus to Hadrian (pp. 180-203). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
After taking down Julius Caesar’s murderers, the alliance of Octavian (Caesar’s heir), Lepidus and Mark Antony (both were Caesar’s followers) fell apart. Forced Lepidus out of office and Mark Antony to commit suicide, Octavian took the throne, became the first Emperor of Rome under the name of Augustus—meaning “one that is blessed by the gods in rulership over Rome” (Cohen) and evolved Rome from a Republic into an Empire. While ruling Rome, Augustus had achieved a tremendous amount of accomplishments which kept Rome prosperity and peacefulness over 40 years. Therefore, to recognize Augustus as a successful ruler of Rome, “the Senate, the Equestrian Order, and the Roman People with one voice named [him] Father of [his] Country” (Augustus 9).
In the concluding passage of chapter six, Anchises escorts Aeneas and the Sibyl through the gate of false dreams. This chapter fixates on the heroic comings of the Roman empire, the gravity of Aeneas's duty to fulfill the prophecy, and it is also a glorious embodiment of propaganda towards Augustus’ leadership. On why Virgil decided to make them exit the Underworld through the gate of Ivory, remains in dispute by scholars; but, I hypothesize that it serves as a submerged motif that depicts on the psychological perspective of Virgil’s sincere convictions about the Roman empire and Augustus’s rule. Perhaps Virgil became skeptical towards Roman imperialism and thought it as an elusive ideology that weighs the human essence and disturbs the
Gall, Timothy L., and Susan B. Gall: The Lincoln Library of Greek and Roman Mythology. Dis Pater to Janus. Cleveland, OH: Lincoln Library, 2006. Print.
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3)Dionysius, Earnest Cary, and Edward Spelman. The Roman Antiquities. Cambridge, Mass: Harvard UP, 1937. Print.
The Aeneid is certainly a political poem, but this is just one aspect of a multilayered and multidimensional piece of work. While this essay states that the Aeneid is a political poem it also argues the necessity of viewing the Aeneid in all its complexities, dimensions and layers, including its political nature, in order to best understand it. The Aeneid is many things; Virgil manages to narrate a foundation myth of Rome while including references of other poets, most notably Homer, and consistently alluding to Augustus. Virgil takes this myth of Roman origin and uses it as a vehicle to express and explore issues from his context. In a sense, he takes the myth and grounds it in his own historical, political and social framework. History, myths and narrative become intertwined in the Aeneid as Virgil echo’s his contemporary concerns through his epic poem. The aim of this paper is not to narrate or explain the Aeneid; rather it aims to explore the multifaceted nature and aspects of this epic poem. Explaining the political aspects of the Aeneid through exploration of the context of Virgil and examination of the links that he makes between Aeneas the hero, and Augustus the legitimate ruler will achieve this. The Aeneid will also be explored as a means of creating and fostering a national Roman identity. Finally, the Aeneid will be examined as a work of intertextuality through its references to other epic works of poetry.