`` The Temple Doors ``

Virgil’s use of ekphrasis in the Aeneid has attracted much attention by classical scholars; as such the coverage on this topic is extensive. This essay therefore does not aim to purport all of Virgil’s techniques and aims in regard to describing art in the Aeneid – a subject on which entire books have been written – rather the brevity of this essay necessitates an overview of the predominant theories, whilst attempting to shed light on some of the less well noted observances. Where it is more informative the original Latin text will be employed. West’s translation will be used everywhere else.1

In both Homer’s Odyssey and Virgil’s Aeneid, the heroes make the dauntless adventure into the underworld. Both of theses visits occur around the middle of the stories, and they bring information about the lives of heroes ' loved ones. The heroes also get very important information from these loved ones; information that they require to continue on their journeys. However these are not the only things that are similar about the heroes visits. The influence of the Homeric writings of the Iliad and the Odyssey on Virgil’s writings is clear - especially in Book VI of the Aeneid. Throughout this paper we will talk about the similarities that occur throughout the two poems, and how the two authors beliefs shine through. These beliefs are two very different views on the idea of death. Homer’s Iliad depicts death as something that is something souls do not enjoy. Whereas Virgil’s Aeneid depict it more as a final rest for souls – something that relieves them of the troubles of life.

The ideal virtue in Roman culture was piety, also known as pietas. Pietas had three components: duty to your country, duty to your family, and duty to the gods. When a person followed these guidelines in Ancient Rome, they were considered to have piety. Throughout Aeneas’ journey, the three components to pietas are demonstrated by actions taken by Aeneas’ character. In the epic poem, The Aeneid, the idea of pietas is central to the epic, opposing the Greek ideal of furor, or passionate desire/senseless fury. In this essay, I will analyze the moments in the epic that demonstrate how Aeneas uses these three components of pietas, and how this epic celebrates the shift from Greek ideals to Roman ideals.

The function of prophecy manifests itself in many ways in the Aeneid. Throughout the epic, prophecies and omens act as the agents behind Aeneas fulfilling his destiny as well as providing clear social commentary on the dawn of the Roman Empire under Emperor Augustus. Even though not all of the prophecies and omens included in the epic come to pass in literary terms, Virgil’s inclusion of prophecy is of paramount importance for driving the plot forward. In this essay I will discuss the function of both internal and external prophecy and the effect these prophecies have on both the characters in the epic and the enjoyment of the reader from The Roman Empire until the present day.

     A comparison between Virgil's hero, Aeneas, and the Homeric heroes, Achilles and Odysseus, brings up the question concerning the relevance of the difference between the Homeric heroes and Aeneas. The differences in the poets' concerns are explained by the fact that Virgil lived many years after Homer, giving Virgil the advantage of a more developed literary and philosophical society than Homer had at his disposal. But the question remains: how are the differences between the Homeric heroes and Aeneas relevant to the epic at large? This question will be answered by first pointing out the differences between Greek and Roman society, then explaining

The epic poem The Aeneid, by Vergil adapts scenes, similes, and characters from the Odyssey written by Homer. The works of both authors include the simile of Artemis/Diana. Other characters do overlap in some of Vergil's scenes for instance, Aeneas and Odysseus encounter Cyclops. Both authors also reference the scene of the underworld. Although, Virgil adapts similarities from Homer's epic, each encounter has noticeable comparisons and/or differences. Vergil presents the epic of the Aeneid with a different purpose. At the beginning of the Aeneid, Aeneas leaves his home with other Romans after the Trojan War. Homer starts his epic with Odysseus wanting to return home form Troy.  The motives that guide each character differ from one another. Homers the Odyssey is more of the journey of a man longing to be home again, after the trojan war has ended. His actions are somewhat selfish at times. Virgil's main character Aeneas is driven by more of a scene of duty to the gods, because he is instructed to help build Rome for future generations.

Modern society continues to tell many ancient literature stories today, because of how closely related they are to society today. The main characters in the stories of “The Iliad” and “The Aeneid” show many parallels to today’s world. Achilles, from the Iliad, and Aeneas, from the Aeneid come from different stories and personalities, but yet show relevance to society today. Both stories show many different ideals, emotions, and other aspects that the reader can relate to, and make connections with also. The Iliad and The Aeneid both show life lessons to learn from, but also show different aspects of power and how different people face various problems and issues in their life.

Vergil’s Aeneid, published in 19 BC, is well-known for being an immensely similar work to Homer’s Iliad - from its basic focus on a relatively minor Trojan character from the Iliad to its use of extensive allusions from the other work. Although the Aeneid can be viewed as a piece of propaganda aimed at an educated Roman audience, while the Iliad most likely did not have such a motivation behind its publication, modern readers can draw comparisons between the two to build an understanding of the differences between the ancient ideals explored in the works and the historical context in which said works were published.

Aeneas, known as the Trojan hero who fled Troy’s collapse and traveled to Italy with the Aeneads collective that he recruited to become the progenitors of the Romans, is known for his ambivalence and compassion as a character. Compared with the other Achillean heroes from epic poetry of the same era––typically known for being strong-willed, decisive and bold––the first thing that we come to learn about Aeneas is in fact his wish to die rather than bear his heroic responsibility: “Triply lucky, all you men / To whom death came before your fathers’ eyes / Below the wall at Troy! Bravest Danaan, / Diomedes, why could I not go down / When you had wounded me, and lost my life

The works by Vergil, more specifically The Aeneid, has been called “Vergil’s best-known work and Roman literature by the Romans of his day, and the fluidity of its vivid portrayals of human emotion have earned it a legacy as one the greatest poems in the Latin language.” (Mastin) This shows not only was Vergil an important figure in Greek times but also is an important literary figure in modern time as well.

Virgil, too, disturbs the linearity of time, yet he does this only to establish a new hierarchy between the past, the present and the future. The walls of Carthage incites Aeneas in a way that he feels hope for the future for the first time and the power to encourage his men by saying “Dismiss your fears. Trust me, this fame of ours/ will offer us some haven.” The pictures which charges Aeneas with such self-confidence, assertiveness and valor had no spirit or life themselves to begin with. It is Aeneas who makes the monument of some value by “feeding his spirit on empty, lifeless pictures” , that is to say, the memories of Aeneas are what gives esteem to the present being of the monument. Here Virgil establishes the hierarchy of the past

The idea of a national hero representing a group of people is by no means a new or original concept as almost every city-state and civilization to have existed right up until present day society has done this to some degree. To the Romans, this character, or hero as some would say, was none other than Aeneas, from the Roman poet Virgil’s epic, The Aeneid. Despite the fact that the work itself is entirely fictional and semi-based off of the famous Greek epic The Iliad by Homer, Aeneas is credited with being a key icon in the Roman Empire, in the sense that he is often viewed as a valiant and stoic leader who became the founder of Rome, helping in legitimizing the Julio-Caesarean line. There are however, many issues with the depiction of the character Aeneas, as a “hero” especially in Books I, II, and IV, which will be discussed in this essay. Overall, Aeneas is not a true hero or dignified leader, due to the exceedingly crucial facts that he had little to no say in his fate, the Olympians were controlling a large portion of his circumstances, forcing him in a sense to play the “hero” role, and at no point in the Aeneid does Aeneas try to openly defy or question his fate, even when his actions if carried out in compliance with “fate”, have potentially harmful consequences that directly affect the people around him in a negative manner.

Another example is that the poem also served in Augustus’s attempts to re-introduce Roman values into Roman society, including reverence for the gods. Aeneas continually showed reverence to the gods, just as he did when he left Dido because it was the god’s will. The poem continues to reflect these ideals by portraying Aeneas not as a man motivated by personal gain, but a man motivated by his love and loyalty to his country, people and gods. For Romans the Aeneid is seen as something mystical, which it may be, but for Augustus it is just another example of his use of literature and art as propaganda.

Aeneas, the lead figure who is supposed to fulfill the Virgilian imperial mission and establish Rome, speaks quite assertively and very much sure of himself at his encounter with disguised Venus and introduces himself as “Of Troy am I, Aeneas is my name, / Who driven by warre from forth my native world, / Put sailes

In ancient literature, dreams were symbolic and appeared frequently. They fell into different categories by meaning such as prophetic, oracular and wish-fulfilling. The plot of the Aeneid is full of dreams and each is essential to the plot. These different dreams Virgil put in his writing were very carefully chosen and all have different meanings. I selected multiple dream passages in Virgil’s Aeneid which relate to dreams and analyzed them for their value: 1.353-359 (Venus explains Dido’s dream of Sychaeus), 3.147-171 (the Penates tell Aeneas his destination), 5.721-737 (Anchises tells Aeneas to visit the underworld), 6.893-98 (Gates of Ivory and Horn), and 8.31-65 (Tiberinus appears to Aeneas in a dream). It is up to historians to decide