Rumor In The Aeneid Book 1

Rumors and the spreading of gossip are an every day occurrence in our modern society. In The Aeneid “Book IV: The Passion of the Queen,” {FINISH}. Virgil uses Rumor to embody the horrible traits of gossip to show how it spreads and how gossip always ends in disaster.
Virgil first uses Rumor to describe and to personify the terrible attributes of gossip. A main aspect of The Aeneid “Book IV” is the character of Rumor and how through her, information travels to other characters. Rumor is the literal embodiment of gossip and is seen like that in The Aeneid. Just like actual gossip, “Rumor/ Thrives on motion, stronger for the running,/ Lowly at first through fear, then rearing high.” (228-230). Virgil aptly demonstrates how Rumor, just like the

concept of gossip, does best when quickly spread from word of mouth. {MORE} Virgil also describes Rumor as,
Monstrous, deformed, titanic. Pinioned, with
An eye beneath for every body feather,
And, strange to say, as many tongues and buzzing
Mouths as eyes, as many pricked-up ears. (235-239)
Gossip is often times frowned upon or thought of as a bad thing and Rumor is described in a way that will provoke a negative image of her. She is given traits of a monster and {FILL IN BLANK & CONCLUDING SENT.}
After Virgil introduces the terrible traits of Rumor, he then uses her to show how rumors flow from person to person and place to place. (blah blah lead up to quote blah blah)
By night she flies between the earth and heaven
Shrieking through darkness, and she never turns
Her eyelids down to sleep. By day she broods,
On the alert, on rooftops or on towers
Bringing great cities fear, harping on lies
And slander evenhandedly with truth. (240-245)
{ADD SENTENCE} Virgil not only shows how rumors and gossip wind through places, but also that more times than not gossip is full of lies and can bring fear and unfavorable opinions onto people. {CONC. SENT.}
Virgil finally uses the effects of gossip to show the anger of King Iarbas and the death of Dido.
Her twisting course
Took her to King Iarbas, whom she set
Ablaze with anger piled on top of anger…
King arbas crazed by the raw story. (254-256, 264)
This is the first example of Rumor causing trouble in others’ affairs. Rumor brought the news of Aeneas and Dido’s relationship to the King which in turn brought his anger onto other people. Virgil also uses Rumor as the indirect and initial spark in Dido’s suicide.
Evil Rumor,
Shameless as before, brought word to her [Dido]
In her distracted state, of ships being rigged
In trim for sailing. Furious, at her wits’ end
She traversed the whole city all aflame
With rage… (386-391)
Rumor brought the news of Aeneas leaving to Dido while she was already in a poor state of mind, which propelled her further into her ultimate decision of suicide.

If Rumor had not given Dido the information on Aeneas, then Dido may not have found out about him leaving or at least may not have been as blind sided by the news.
Virgil’s use of Rumor and gossip is still a common theme in today’s society. Just like Rumor thought that spreading the gossip of Aeneas and Dido’s relationship would be harmless, many people still think that today, but in most cases rumors or gossip have negative themes. According to the article “Understanding the Impact of Rumors and Gossip” by Sherri Gordon, “gossip and rumors can destroy a person’s self-confidence and affect their self-esteem. It can also lead to depression, suicidal thoughts, eating disorders, anxiety, and a whole host of other problems”. {ADD MORE}
Virgil uses the character of Rumor to show how rumors flow and how gossip always ends badly, while personifying all of the terrible traits. By Rumor being considered a monster, by spreading gossip all through the lands, and by bringing rumors to King Iarbas and Dido, Virgil expertly uses Rumor to portray the disastrous results of gossip in both The Aeneid and in modern

times.