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Virgil and the Aeneid

Gwen Herat

In Greek poetry the virtuosity is so great that it took Homer’s poetry to reveal to the world the magnitude and power in ‘The Iliad’ and ‘The Odyssey’.

But the great epic from Rome literature, ‘The Aeneid’ written by Virgil has won him the widest fame throughout the ages. Virgil was determine to add historical and legendary dignity to the new imperial house of Augustus Caesar.

To achieve this, he had to rely on Homer who eight hundred years ago had traced the origin of the Roman people before the foundation of Rome. They happen to be a band of Trojans who safely withdrew from Troy after its capture by the Greeks.

Aeneas is the hero of Aeneid and the Trojan prince. Being the son of Anchises and the legendary goddess, Venus, he is trapped between the jealous and vengeful Goddess, Juno and his mother Venus who protects and guard him from its dangers until she reach a stage of desperation. The translation from Virgil indicates thus,

‘Arms and the man I sing who first from Troy
Fate exiled, reached the shores of Italy.
On land and deep much tossed, the hero felt
Heaven’s lash, the cruel Juno’s mindful wrath
Much, to his pain in war ere he might found
His city, and bring into Latium.
His Gods, hence sprang the Latin race, our sires
In Alba, and the walls of lofty Rome’.

Thus, he describes Rome and takes us at once to Carthage, a city supposed to have been the care of goddess Juno. At this point, Virgil sets the stage and give a magnificent twist to the poem so that eventually Aeneas relates to the plot of the fall of Troy and his aimless wanderings after his escape. This is against the wishes of Juno who foresees the future rivalry between Carthage and the Roman descendants of the fugitive Trojan. Therefore, Juno hastens to prevent him reaching Italy.

...’Those Trojans who had ‘scaped from Grecian sword,
Or fell Achilles; so for many a year
Fate driven over every main they roamed...
Such task it was to found the Roman race...’
Neptune saves Aeneas

Juno induces Aeolus, King of the Winds to raise a storm against Aeneas and his followers who have sailed from Sicily. Some get lost Neptune commands and rebukes the winds because the storm was raised without his permission.

Thereby, Aeneas lands safely on the shores of Libya, the part of northern Africa where Carthalage was built. Venus supports the cause of Aeneas and complains to her father, Jupiter that Juno is harassing and persecuting the long suffering Trojan and his men.

Jupiter comforts his daughter by giving her a glimpse of the future. He assures her that Aeneas will reach Italy and establish himself in Latium and will be followed by his son, Ascanius who will reign as a great prince in Alba Longa. He also says that three centuries later his Trojan descendant, Romulus will create Rome.

‘And he shall call the Romans by his name,
I set nor check nor period to their power;
I give them boundless empire. Juno dread.
Who now o’eraweth land and earth and sky,
In altered mood shall join with Jove to guard
The Romans, lords of all the toga’d race...’

He also says that Rome will avenge the fall of Troy by conquering Greece and the vanquished Caesars will commence a reign of peace throughout the empire. While these forecasts are taking place in the celestial regions, Aeneas is wandering in the Libyan coast with his faithful friend, Achates.

Here Venus appear to them in the guise of a huntress and inform them that they are in the realism of the queen of Tyre, Dido who is building a new capital at Carthage. Venus also indicates that his other ships too have arrived at this coast safely and directs him to Queen Dido.

Aeneas recognises Venus as his goddess mother when she turns around to leave him. As a parting gift to her son, Venus wraps him in a mist of invisibility. He and his friend, Achates see the busy building of the city in Carthage. When they reach the temple within the grove, they are emotionally touched over the decoration on the wells depicting the wars of Troy. Aeneas is touched.

While his windererd stood in astonishment, Queen Dido and her royal retinue arrive and she seats herself on the throne in the temple to transact business. Aeneas too stands by but in invisible.

The shipwrecked passengers tell her of their plight and that they are Aeneas’s men and they need a commander. She receives them with grace and is about to send messengers in search of him thinking he too has escaped the wrath of the storm. Aeneas who was listening to all sayings is touched by her kindness and reveals himself after he clears the mist of invisibility.

Virgil steps in to put a part of his eloquence in the words that Aeneas utters:

‘Then doth he thus address the queen, and speaks
Sudden to their surprise: Lo, I the man.
You seek, am here - Aeneas, Trojan born
Late rescued from the waves of Libya;
Lady, that hast alone felt ruth of Troy
And Troy’s utterable woe, who now
Dost share thy town and home with us, whom Greeks
Have spared for weary round on sea and land...’

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