For Tuesday, please read this summary of Virgil's Aeneid. Then read as much as you can of Book I and Book II. Skimming through Book I is sufficient. Please read Book II with a bit more care.Cite a line or two from Book I or Book II that particularly well show Virgil's "insight into the human condition," i.e., that shows his understanding of subjects like fate, the relationships between men and women, relationships between men and gods, the impact of war, etc.
One line that I found interesting from Book II was when the people of Troy were looking at the horse and asked if the fate of Troy was already working against them. This shows how much stock these people put in fate. Almost everything that happened in their lives was caused by fate. The gods controlled everything. In the story, the gods abandoned Troy and the Trojans knew that they could do nothing about it. They lost their city because of fate. They explained everything through fate.
ReplyDeleteOne quote that I found interesting in Book II was:
ReplyDelete"An ancient city, for centuries ruler of an empire, fell. Everywhere lay lifeless corpses - in the streets, in the houses, in the temples. And it was not only the Trojans who were paying the price with their blood; occasionally the defeated regained their courage, and it was the turn of the victorious Greeks to fall. Everywhere there was torment, everywhere panic and death in a myriad shapes."
This quote I found to give a good visual description of the impact of war. It shows the carnage of war and the desperation of a crumbling kingdom to hold onto their beloved city. This quote goes to show that no one wins in war. While the Greeks may have been victorious in winning the city, lives lost can never be made up with gold.
-Zack Krage
At the beginning of Book II I found it interesting that many people wanted to send the Trojan Horse into the Sea or burn it. One man even went as far as to say what Greek would leave a gift when leaving in retreat. He even went as far as to throw a spear into it, but unfortunately it did not hit any of the Greek hiding inside. I find this interesting because I can just imagine some fools convincing the Priam to take it into the city, which of course was their undoing. If only they had rejected a gift from a hated enemy then who knows maybe the Trojans would have been the dominant power or that time and not the Greeks. Maybe Rome would have never existed, because there would have been no need for survivors to set out looking for a new start. This would mean that our entire human history could have been changed based solely on the decision to keep the gift or destroy it. Amazing to think that 3000 years of human history may have been altered by that moment in time.
ReplyDeleteIn Book II, A young man is brought before the Trojan king in chains and quickly draws a crowd who start relentlessly mocking him. He then mentions that he has been cast out by the Greeks and can't find refuge anywhere. The crowd of angry Trojans then quickly changes their tune and start to feel sympathy for him. This show well how people are quick to judge and cast stones before knowing the full story. -Sean M.
ReplyDeleteThe line that I chose was a line from Book 2. The quote that I chose was "It was the time of night when sleep begins to overtake us helpless mortals - and the gods' priceless gift slips into us." I chose this because it showed how the Gods chose to speak to the humans and it also showed that power and command that the Gods had over the mortal humans by choosing to speak to them at there most vulnerable state of mind when they are asleep and all their natural defenses are down.
ReplyDeleteBook II: "So saying, she left me. I was in tears, and still had much I wanted to say. But she faded from my sight, and vanished into the air. Three times I tried to put my arms round her: three times as I unsuccessfully tried to hold her did her substance slip through my fingers, just like a soft breeze or an evanescent dream."
ReplyDeleteThis is a great passage for showing the human condition of men and women. Aeneas loved his wife so much that even as her specter leaves him, he tries to embrace her. I especially like how Aeneas doesn't care for Creusa telling him he will find love within a royal family; he just wants his wife back.
"The city you are trying to rescue is already burning down: let us die! Let us plunge in where the fight is thickest. The only safe place for the defeated is where there is no hope of safety."
ReplyDeleteI thought this line in particular showed how fate was looked at in this time. Troy was all but defeated and the remaining troops had nothing left to fight for, but as they state their is not safety for the defeated. They will either die fighting or not fighting and because of that they might as well keep fighting. They will either be killed or turned into slaves and a better fit for the defeated soldiers would be to as they say go out on your shield. It shows that the soldiers understood their fate and were not afraid to die.
The line I chose is for Book 2 and it shows the impact of war. The lines is "Who could put into words the horror of that night and describe the pains of death, or could weep enough tears to match the agony?". War is a horror thing that causes so much pain and suffering. The loss of the people you care about causes much pain.
ReplyDeleteChristina Grimme
The line I found the most interesting was when the citizens of Troy were presented with horse. They could have rejected the gift or destroyed it, but instead they accepted the gift and unknowingly let the Greeks into the city. If they would not have accepted the gift history would have definitely changed. We wouldn't get the same story of Rome and the city of Rome may have never been founded in the end. When people hear the story of the Trojan Horse they don't think of all these possible outcomes, but things would have changed had they not accepted the gift.
ReplyDelete""It's here - the final hour - Troy's time is up. As Trojans we no longer exist : Troy is history; so too is all the might and glory of the Trojan race. Jupiter, in cold blood, has gone over to the Greeks. Our city is in flames, and the Danaans are triumphant. The towering Horse bestrides the walls disgorging warriors, and Sinon fans the flames revelling in his victory. Others are massing where the gates stand open - all the countless thousands who came from mighty Mycene; others - weapons at the ready - have blocked the narrow alleys. A ring of steel waits poised for the kill, swords glinting. The front line of sentries is just holding out - but they are fighting blind."
ReplyDeleteThis quote is perfect for describing the fact that a whole culture of people is gone. This is a hard thing for people to understand the fact that thier idenity as a people are gone. We he in this modern age can't even begin to think about what that must be like, but Virgil gets it down like nothing i have read before. He even goes as far as to say that the people are angry and want revenge, but they can't get it because of who few in number they are. -Trent Dean
Aeolus, it was to you the father of gods and men gave the task both of stilling of the waves and whipping them up with wind. A people that are my enemies sail the Tyrrhenian seatransporting Troy and its beaten gods to Italy. Let rip the winds! Swamp the ships and sink them! Or blow them apart and scatter the corpses over the ocean! I have fourteen Nymphs of exceptional loveliness; I will give the most beautiful of them, Deiopea, to you in a lasting marriage and make her yours, so that in return for this service she may spend all her days with you, and make you the father of beautiful children." This to me show that if the gods don't like you they will treat you badly not just for a day but it seams like they will hate you and your family for a very long time. she is willing to give Aeolus the most loveliness nymphs it shows how much she dislikes these people.---kirk bender
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