Authors tend to put their own opinions on the subject matter in their literary works; some do it subtly and others prefer to impose their opinion on their readers. When the author is retelling the history of a civilization, they have a tendency to either criticize or support the government or ruling authority. Virgil’s epic, the Aeneid and Ovid’s Metamorphoses can be seen as a commentary on the Roman Empire and specifically the reign of Augustus. Virgil uses the deterioration of Aeneas’ humanity to show criticize the way Augustus established his rule. Ovid uses ironical stories to give legitimacy to Augustus’ rule and some of his moral legislation.
Virgil was commissioned by Emperor Augustus Caesar to write an epic to glorify Rome and its
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history. The Aeneid was published in the year 19 B.C. after Virgil’s death. Virgil was to use Homeric values such as gravitas and pietas to show the splendor of Roman civilization. It is a common opinion that the Virgil did just that; he told the lineage of Aeneas, ancestor of Romulus and connected the Aeneas to Julius and Augustus Caesar. However, why was Virgil’s last wish to burn the Aeneid? Was there some underlying ideas that actually criticized Augustus rather that praise? One small section that can be interpreted as a criticism of the Julian lineage and Augustus’ rule is the death of Priam. “A huge trunk upon the shore, head severed- From his neck, a corpse without a name” (The Essential Aeneid, page 43). Pyrrhus decapitates Priam and puts his head into a crate; most likely to show proof of Priam’s death. This story sounds very similar to the story of Julius Caesar and Pompey. While the two struggled for power, the Senate supported Pompey and ordered Julius Caesar to dissipate his army. Pompey flees to Egypt, where he thinks he will be safe, but King Ptolemy has Pompey beheaded. In order to show allegiance to Julius Caesar, the King kept Pompey’s head in a box (history.com). Therefore the death of Pompey is redolent with Priam’s death in the Aeneid. Since Priam was regarded as a great leader and his death was tragic, Virgil is condemning the murder of Pompey and the rise of Julius Caesar. Pompey can be considered the champion of the Roman Republic, and Virgil is using the death of Priam to deplore the fall of the Republic and the rise of the Empire. Subsequently, Virgil denounces the Augustus Caesar since family lineage is a very significant in Roman society. Therefore Virgil is subversive to Augustus and his rule. In the underworld “there are two Gates of Sleep.
One, they say, Is horn and offers easy exit for true shades. The other is finished with glimmering ivory, but through it the Spirits send false dreams” (The Essential Aeneid, page 104) to enter back into the real world. When Aeneas was finished talking to his father about the future glory of Rome, he was escorted through the “Gate of Ivory”. Could this mean that all the stories about the future Roman kings such as Julius Caesar are false? Or, since Aeneas is equated with Octavian Augustus, is the story of Augustus’ rise to power through greatness and glory are “false dreams”. It can be interpreted that Virgil is arguing that Octavian Augustus came to power through manipulation and other immoral …show more content…
means. Throughout the Aeneid, Virgil uses Aeneas’ humanity to indirectly subvert the reign of Octavian Augustus. Aeneas’ humanity deteriorates throughout the epic and it has reached its climax with the killing of Turnus. After knocking Turnus to the ground Aeneas “paused on the hilt of his sword” (The essential Aeneid, page 196). Virgil shows that Aeneas does have some humanity left by having him pause. However, once Aeneas notices “The belt of young Pallas, whom Turnus had killed” (The essential Aeneid, page 196), Aeneas lost control and in a fit of rage killed Turnus. This act can be seen as a heroic act to avenge the death of a beloved friend, however it can also be interpreted as Aeneas losing the last part of his humanity. Vigil uses this to show the true nature of Augustus. Similar to the death of Priam, Turnus’ death can also be compared to actual events.
The battle between Aeneas and Turnus for Lavinia can be compared to the battle between Augustus and the Senate for control of Rome, with Aeneas signifying Augustus and Turnus representing the Senate. Turnus did not want to go to war with the Trojans, until Allecto comes into his dreams and changes his mind. During the battle Aeneas gains the advantage, and Turnus begs for his life and asks Aeneas “Give my dead body back to my people” (The Essential Aeneid, page 196). It is important to remember that Anchises told Aeneas “To spare the humbled and to conquer the proud” (The Essential Aeneid, page 102). Aeneas chooses not to listen to his father, and kills Turnus. This scene shows how Aeneas, and in turn, Augustus, gained control through immoral and un-roman
means. On the other hand, Ovid uses his epic, Metamorphoses, to support Octavian Augustus and his legislation. The time during Augustus’ rule was known the Pax Romana. This was a time of great transformation for Roman society. One could say Rome had a metamorphosis. By the time Octavian Augustus can into power, Roman society has shifted away from traditional Roman values. Many citizens have strayed away from roman virtues such as gravitas and pietas. Octavian August implemented a variety of moral laws in order to help correct Roman society. For example, Augustus enacted a law that prohibits adultery, with the punishment of exile. Works Cited Ovid, and Stanley Lombardo. The Essential Metamorphoses. Indianapolis, IN: Hackett Pub., 2011. Print. "Pompey the Great Assassinated." History.com. A&E Television Networks, n.d. Web. 10 Dec. 2014. Virgil, and Stanley Lombardo. The Essential Aeneid. Indianapolis: Hackett Pub., 2006. Print.
In The Aeneid there are rich implemented principles such as fate, discipline, and competition which greatly influenced the Roman empire causing it’s rise from obedience to the principles as well as it’s fall from disobedience. Virgil lived during the dawn of the rising sRoman empire, and his book was a catalyst to the greatness that grew within the nation. The Aeneid focused around the principle that fate’s power and dominance overrule human life, which in turn would bring indolence or proactivity depending on the individual’s capacity. Although fate can easily be ripped down as a belief it did many great things for the Romans whether it is real or not. Unfortunately the themes of deceit and trickery also crept into the book’s contents, which
In the book Always Running written by Luis J. Rodriguez we meet the author at a young age, We accompany him as he grows into the Veteran gang lifestyle. Throughout the autobiography, Luis, a young Chicano who survived ¨La Vida Loca¨ in South San Gabriel gives voice to an unheard cry and illuminates the cycle of poverty and violence of gang wars. His families instability and the discrimination they received due to their ethnicity gives him a desire to hurt others and seek understanding in a deviant way. Rodriguez speaks on many of the issues we still see in our Latino communities today, The lack of resources; financially and emotionally. He narrates his own internal and external battles to gain respect, belonging, and protection.
While the Aeneid does outline the future of Rome, it also highlights the pains of war, and also exposes his audience to a culture of violence, which they may be unfamiliar with. The act of balancing one’s duty towards others and his or her personal desires was a conflict that many people struggled with. By presenting the struggle between balancing inner desires and and personal responsibilities, Virgil offers his audience a framework that enhances their overall understanding of the poem.
Virgil lived in a time that went through many changes. He was born in 70 BCE to a peasant family in Northern Italy. After the civil war, Augustus became Emperor of the Roman Emperor and wanted to preserve Roman values and tradition. Virgil also wanted to see Rome rebuild after the civil war and to be a thriving city again. Virgil had always wanted to write a great epic like The Odyssey or The Iliad. He wanted to write a national epic similar to what The Odyssey had become for the Greeks. Since Virgil was a client of Caesar Augustus, he had sworn loyalty to him, both in day to day life and in all political aspects. In return,Caesar Augustus would give “kindness” to Virgil, such as enough financial stability for him to continue his poetry and
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.
Plutarch's The Life of Crassus and Caesar. Plutarch presented history through biographical stories of the people that were important and influential during the time period he wished to address. However, after having read some of his work, one realizes that Plutarch inserts his own personal opinion and views of the people at hand into the factual documentation of their lives. For example, in The Life of Crassus, Plutarch expresses a general dislike and negative view of the man, but in The Life of Caesar he portrays the life through a lens of praise. It also seems that he uses his opinions of the people that he writes about to subtly extend moral lessons to the reader.
In both characters loyalty and dutifulness is a central ideal that they stick to. In The Aeneid Aeneas’ loyalty and sense of duty is seen in many instances, such as when they arrive on the shores of Italy and takes refuge Dido’s city of Carthage. While there, Aeneas and his people feast and live well, and Aeneas has the opportunity
He has proved to be a great leader who showed responsibility by keeping his spirits high when times were tough, even though he had great honor which gave him desire and determination to fulfill his duties regardless of the circumstances. Virgil wrote the Aeneid in order to arouse patriotism in the Roman people. His references to oracles and prophesies are implications that Rome was founded because it was destined to be founded by the gods who just happen to be the most powerful and influential beings during Virgil's era. The entire Book VI, referring to the underworld, is intended to show how the future leaders of Rome are destined to found it. The fact that they consume almost the entire good part of the underworld shows that they are the "chosen ones."
Publius Vergilis Maro, known to us as Virgil, was born Oct 15, 70 BC in Northern Italy. Octavius, who had always been a friend of Virgil, became Emperor in 27 BC, adopting the name of Augustus. He made Virgil in a sense, a court poet, "although [Virgil] always retained his independence of thought and expression" (Milch 7). However it was the Emperor's initial idea, and not Virgil's own, for him to write the Aeneid. Virgil accepted the project although he later wrote that "he thought he must have been just about mad to attempt the task" (Quinn 73).
The Roman Way is basically an informal history of Roman civilization as Edith Hamilton interprets the writings of the greatest literary figures from around the time of 200 B.C. to 100 A.D. Some of these writers include Cicero, with his vast assortment of letters; Catullus, the romantic poet; and Horace, the storyteller of an unkind and greedy Rome. They are three affluent white men from around the same period of time, although each of them had very different styles of writings and ideologies. Edith Hamilton does a great job in translating the works of many different authors of Roman literature, discussing each author's exclusive stance in...
Ovid's Metamorphoses is an example of chaos versus order. I think that is what makes it hard to follow. There is just so much chaos moving from one book to another with barely a transition. I think what the anti-epic is trying to show is that everyone has flaws.
In the poem, Virgil says that all Romans ought to have two certain virtues: he must remain a pious Roman citizen, and he must remain loyal to the Roman race. In Virgil’s poem, he uses Aeneas as a portrayal of not only a roman hero, but also as the ideal Roman citizen. For a man to be pious, he must do what he is called to do and follow his destiny. Aeneas is above all pious. He follows the will of the gods, even when it makes him suffer. Aeneas’ destiny is to lead the Trojan people to the new land of Rome. Although this is tough for him to do and he runs into difficulties along the way, he keeps on striving towards his final goal. Aeneas also, throughout the entire poem, remains loyal to the Roman race. there are times that it would be easy for him to go against the Romans, but he remains loyal and keeps on fighting for the empire. Aeneas is used to represent the ideal roman citizen and the ideal Roman hero, but these characteristics do not surface until the poem is nearly over. As the poem is coming to a close, Aeneas begins to explain how it is his duty to fight Turnus. He does not have the desire to have the battle with Turnus, but he has the desire to follow his destiny and do what he has been called to do. He says, “Hold back your anger! Now the t...
An empire is, literally, a group of nations or peoples ruled over by an emperor, empress, or other powerful sovereign or government. However, what is sacrificed or given up during the process of creating and maintaining an empire; what is the “cost” of empire? In the Aeneid of Virgil, Virgil depicts these costs from three different perspectives. The first viewpoint is on a personal level; during the course of the epic, Aeneas paid the price when his father, wife, lover, and son of his ally were killed, or killed themselves. The second perspective is on a much grander scale, claiming that cultures and beliefs of other nations will either be retained or destroyed while creating and expanding the empire through almost constant and necessary war. Lastly, a cost is associated not only before, but even after constructing the empire; the emperor or leader will face (almost certainly clandestine) opposition to his methods of the formation or rule of the empire. This premise is largely supported by Virgil himself because the epic in its entirety is both a commendation and more importantly, a criticism of Rome, ingeniously crafted and written right under the emperor’s nose. For these reasons, the cost of empire is defined like so: that in order to create the empire, the pain brought about by the death of many individuals, possibly cherished by the founder, is required; the combination, assimilation or destruction of many other cultures by means of necessary war will occur; and the recognition of the formation of opposition who will contradict the customs of the empire is inevitable.
For example, in the Aeneid, Virgil wrote about the love affair between Dido and Aeneas and Dido’s eventual demise; this particular linear link served as a bridge between book IV and book V. Another example of this interconnection between books occurred in the foretelling of Aeneas’s eventual travels to the Cumae and it served as a link between book V and book VI. In much the same fashion, Ovid employed a similar tactic in the interconnections that occurred in the Metamorphoses, but unlike the storyline of Virgil’s singular character-driven epic poem, Ovid linked all sorts of individuals, Gods, and mythological stories into his creative masterpiece. What is more, Ovid often placed stories within stories that also spanned multiple books in his epic poem. A prime example of this powerful storytelling tool was the chronological progression of the story about Baccus. The tale of Baccus began in the book III story of Semele, was expounded upon in the story of Pentheus and Baccus, further explored in the book IV story of Pyramus and Thisbe, and referenced or included in various books and stories that followed. This is just one of the hundreds of individuals, Gods, and mythological stories Ovid included in his poem and a singular example of how
The protagonists of both poems are heroes, nevertheless, they are heroes from two separate cultures. Aeneas embodies the Roman value of duty. He is given a task by the Gods to leave Carthage and found an empire in Rome. Immediately after receiving this message, Aeneas is prepared to obey. “Aeneas was truly overwhelmed by the vision, stunned, his hackles bristle with fear, his voice chokes in his throat. He yearns to be gone, to desert this land he loves, . . .”. (137) It is Aeneas’ instinct to obey the command of the Gods. Aeneas is willing to comply despite the fact that he knows he will be deserting “the land he loves”: leaving his lover, Dido and the satisfying and peaceful life he could have had. Aeneas sacrifices his personal happiness for the good of his people and his