Examples Of Similes In Book Ten Of The Aeneid

Just as Dr. Parker orates elaborate tales which bring forth fascinating imagery that engage a listener’s senses yet often only contain minuscule connection to the subject matters in his Literary Tradition class, does Virgil present similes throughout Book Ten of the Aeneid. At least that is how both Dr. Parker’s stories and Virgil’s similes appear initially. As for Dr. Parker, I can not attest, but close analyzation of Virgil’s similes suggests much greater meaning and the involvement of more profound connections.

Throughout Book Ten, there are eleven prominent similes. These similes can be characterized by their vehicle, tenor, length, and their relationships with other similes. All eleven similes’ vehicles share at least one theme with

at least one other simile. These themes include astronomy, farming, animals, mythology, and nature. Some of the similes also share the same tenor, but others contain a unique tenor. The length of the similes also vary but are predominately long. These main components indicate relationships amongst the similes, from the similes to the reader, from the similes to Virgil, and from the similes to the context of the poem itself. These relationships help tell the story of book ten and give it distinct momentum.
The first simile involves the vehicle theme pertaining to astronomy:
Aeneas’ helmet tip glows on his head as it pours fire down from his towering crest; his golden shield boss spouts tremendous flames: just as a bloody comet when it glares, sinister on some clear night; or as the blazing Dog Star, bringer of ceases and drought to tired mortals, when it rises with light and menace, saddening the skies.
The glowing of Aeneas’ helmet tip is compared to a glaring bloody comet and the blazing Dog Star. A bloody comet is one that has a brightly illuminated tail and that can be seen with a naked eye on Earth. The blazing Dog Star, also known as Sirius, is the brightest visible star that can be viewed from Earth. These two exceedingly bright images, thus, give the flames pouring out from Aeneas’ helmet tip a distinctively bright image as well. Either the vehicle of the bloody comet or the blazing Dog Star alone would have been enough to deliver this image to the reader. Therefore, the fact that his helmet was not compared to just one, but both of these illuminated images is important to note. The bloody comet, if analyzed literally, could foreshadow the bloodshed that is soon to come. The blazing Dog Star provides different significance which will be addressed later as it pertains to other similes.
In the second simile, the rallying of Pallas’ comrades’ courage is compared to that of a shepherd who has scattered fire when the wind he wished for finally arrives, and he watches as the delirious flames engulf his selected range of land:
Just as, in summer, when the winds he wished for awake at last, a shepherd scatters fires across the forest; suddenly the space between the kindled woods takes fire, too; the bristlin and unbroken battle line of Vulcan spreads across wide plains; the shepherd, a victor, watches the delirious flames: not unlike this, all of your comrades’ courage now rallies to one point—to help you, Pallas.
This is a triumph for the shepherd as well as for Pallas and his comrades. Because of the use of shepherds, the vehicle would be considered to be associated with the theme of farming. Virgil was particularly passionate about farming, which would explain why this simile is considerably lengthy. The length also allows the reader to experience a build up of courage that is pinpointed at a grand peak: to help Pallas. Just as this simile indirectly implies, Pallas proves to be an important character throughout the remainder of the poem.
The third simile compares a lion rushing towards a bull in hopes of a fight to
that of Turnus’ actions:
Even as when, from some high point, a lion who sees a bull far off along the plains, preparing for a battle, rushes on: just so is Turnus’ image as he comes.
This simile indicates that Turnus is fully aware of his “bull-like” enemy. It further indicates the fact that this enemy actually gives him more motivation to surge forward. Associating the vehicle of a lion with the tenor of Turnus is obviously pertaining to the vehicle theme of animals. It also characterizes Turnus as a strong, prideful, fierce, and courageous warrior, like that of a lion pursuing a battle. Because this simile is not of great length, it could be inferred that the actual idea of a lion was all that was needed to reflect the character Turnus.
The fourth simile uses the enormous image of the warrior giant Aegaeon to portray the great drive Aeneas feels as he victoriously moves forward in battle:
Just as Aegaeon who had a hundred arms and hands—they say— and fire burning from fifty mouths and chests, when he clanged at Jove’s thunderbolts with fifty shields, each one just like the other, and drew as many swords: so does Aeneas rage on, victorious, across the field once blood has warmed his blade.
The image of Aegaeon indicates that the theme of the vehicle is mythology, more specifically, Greek mythology. The use of Greek mythology to compare a Trojan warrior seems important to note because in the Iliad, the Greeks were triumphant over the Trojans. Thus, comparing Aeneas to a powerful Greek figure could be seen as a foreshadowing of Aeneas’ and the Trojan’s triumph over the Rutulians. Also, this simile, while still very descriptive, could be considered one of the shorter comparisons. This would make sense because the foreshadowing element Aegaeon provides and the vivid image of him almost need no explaining.
The fifth simile compares Aeneas’ rampage of mass slaughter to the image of a torrent or black whirlwind:
Such were the deaths dealt by the Dardan chieftain across the plains while he raged like a torrent or black whirlwind
The idea of a torrent or black whirlwind distinctively indicates a vehicle of nature.

The image of a powerful spinning wind also indicates the great grief Aeneas is feeling from the death of Pallas. He has translated his grief into vengeful feelings, and is ,thus, an intimidating enemy on the battlefront. The comparison of Aeneas’ actions to something of nature is also an important item to note. Only the gods, not mortal men such as Aeneas, can create natural phenomenons such as a torrent or black whirlwind. Yet Aeneas is compared to this immortal creation, which, in turn, creates fear in a certain immortal: Juno. In fact, upon seeing Aeneas’ great rage, Juno fears for the death of her beloved Turnus to the point that she requests permission from Jupiter to intervene and protect her favorite warrior. Overall, this simile, although short in length, is able to produce an effect that causes the war to take a turn of

events.
The sixth simile is the second simile to use a vehicle relating to mythology:
Then out of insubstantial mist the goddess fashions a phantom, thin and powerless, that has Aeneas’ shape (astounding sigh) and wears the Dardan’s arms: she imitates the shield and helmet of his godly head and gives it empty words and sound that has no meaning, and she counterfeits his gait; like forms that—it is said— hover when death has passed, or dreams that cheat the sleeping senses. That image swaggers, glad, before the first line of the warriors, provoking Turnus with words and weapons.
It compares hovering forms like those of the underworld or in a dream to the phantom the goddess Juno creates of Aeneas. The idea that this phantom can use words and weapons gives the reader an image that portrays the phantom as almost being Aeneas’ real self. Because this description is so long, it almost convinces the reader to feel sorry for Turnus. His fate of being tricked is revealed to be nearly inevitable by this simile, and the likelihood of success for this cruel trap seems to be very high. This simile is one of the first indirect foreshadows of the downfall of the Rutulians.
The seventh simile compares a rock that stays unmoved even as it is being beaten by powerful forces to that of the unmovable stance of Mezentius:
Just like a rock that juts into a waste of waters, bare to maddened winds and naked to the breakers, taking the force and menace both of heave and of the seas, while it persists, unmoved: such is Mezentius.
This is the second vehicle that relates to nature. Both the vehicles and tenors of this simile are opposites to those of the fifth, the other simile pertaining to nature. In the fifth simile, the vehicle was a torrent or black whirlwind which indicates swift and powerful destruction. The vehicle of a rock on the other hand, indicates the withstanding, not the initiating, of powerful destruction. The tenor of the fifth simile is the Dardan chieftain, Aeneas, while the tenor of this simile is the temporary leader of the Latins: Mezentius. When these two similes are viewed in this sense, it becomes clear that the Dardan’s have taken the upper hand. This view also supports the foreshadowing the previous simile seemed to indicate.
The eighth simile portrays an image of a boar being chased by gnashing dogs who had previously been living peacefully in Mt. Vesulus and the marshlands of Laurentum:
Just as a boar that, for long years, found shelter within Mount Vesulus’ pine forests or among the marshlands of Laurentum, where he pastured on rich reeds, when driven down fom his high hills by gnashing dogs and caught by rings of netting, halts and fiercely roars and bristles up his shoulders; not one hunter has heart enough to show his anger or move in against him; but far off and safe they hound and harry him with shafts and shouts: then, even so, no one, however just his indignation, dares to meet Mezentius with drawn sword; they provoke him from a distance with missiles and loud shouts.
The ruthless dogs chasing the boar from his fruitful homeland cause the boar to roar and stand firm in anger. This image then wards off the hunters of the boar because no hunter has heart enough to move in on him. This elaborate description is then compared to the scene where no enemies dare to meet Mezentius as he stands drawn with sword and anger. This simile contains the second vehicle pertaining to animals. It is interesting to note that both this simile and the previous one involving animals contain tenors of Rutulian leaders (as a refresher, the third simile compared Turnus to a lion preparing to battle a bull). The great length of this simile portrays the great pain of the Latins. Through this simile, Virgil portrays the innocence of the Latins and a common idea held in epics: the unfairness of the gods.
The ninth simile contains the vehicle of a starving lion who has spotted a goat or a stag and compares this to the tenor of Mezentius:
And when Mezentius saw him from far off as he dashed through the ranks with crimson plumes and purple robe, the gift of his betrothed— even as, often, if a starving lion, when ranging deep within the forest, driven by his mad hunger, sees, by chance, a racing goat or a great-horned stag, then he rejoices; his mouth gapes monstrously; he rears his mane and clings, crouching, above the carcass’ guts, his cruel jaws bathed by black blood: just so Mezentius rushed on, keen, against the crowd of enemies.
In this simile, the theme of an animal vehicle appears once again.

As with the other similes containing animal vehicles, the tenor of this simile is the Rutulian leader of the moment. The fact that three out of three similes using animals compare the animals to Latin leaders seems to imply something. Both lions and boars are courageous and prideful creatures. The courage the Latins shown throughout this war is undeniable, and pride would represent the main motive as to why the Rutulians won’t surrender. After all, it is their homeland and heritage they are trying to preserve. In this simile in particular, the pride of Mezentius is pouring out through anger towards his

enemies.
The tenth simile again compares Mezentius, but this time, he is compared to Orion, the legendary giant hunter:
But now Mezentius wheels across the field, a whirlwind, brandishing his giant shaft. Even as great Orion when he strides on foot, cutting a path across the sea’s great deeps, his shoulder taller than the waves; or when while carrying an aged ash from some high mountain, he advances on the ground, head hidden in the clouds; such was Mezentius marching in his mammoth armor.
Orion is not only a great hunter, but he is also so large that his head is hidden in the clouds. While Mezentius is not physically as large as Orion, his pride seems to believe he is. His head, figuratively speaking, is definitely up in the clouds as he is ignoring the fact that the Latins’ are losing. In fact, he is so ignorant that, as this simile portrays, he is marching as though he is an overpowering giant unafraid and unaware of the nearness of his death.
The final simile compares farmers and travelers waiting out a storm so they can later finish the day’s work to that of Aeneas waiting out the cloud of war:
Just as, at times, when storm clouds pound with hailstones, then every plowman, every farmer flees the fields, and travelers hide in safe retreats along the riverbanks or else beneath the cleft of some high rock until the rain is done and with the sun returned, they can complete their day’s work: even so Aeneas, beneath a shower of shafts on every side, endures the cloud of war until its thunder is past; and he taunts Lausus, menacing: “Why are you rushing to sure death? Why dare things that are past your strength?…”