Possibly the idea of the second half of the Aenied being described as Vergil's 'greater labour' is to do with the struggle of Aeneas in fighting the violence and anger (furor)of others with his strengthened pietas. Before his visit to the underworld in Book 6, Aeneas was unable to look forward clearly, he was too concerned with founding a 'New Troy'. He is given insight into a prosperous Roman future and emerges more confident and mature. In books 1-6 Aeneas has to battle with his pietas, which he is famed for and the furor which is brewing within himself. Despair and confusion often trigger outbursts of furor, but after the revelations in Hades Aeneas becomes more rational. The task for Aeneas in books 7-12 is to use his strengthened pietas against the furor of others on the battlefield. This is the ultimate test, if he can emerge as the victor then it is a truly a heroic achievement.
What do others think of this point I have raised? Are Aeneas' actions at the end of the epic fit to be called pious? Is his killing of Turnus justified, and if so what does this say about pietas? I would appreciate any responses, as I find this topic of great interst. Sarah. >From: "Jessica Latimer" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >Reply-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] >To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >Subject: VIRGIL: virgil >Date: Tue, 13 Apr 1999 02:01:23 -0400 > >I heard an interesting quote where Vergil describes the second half of the Aeneid as his "greater labor". I don't suppose by this he means that it is better than the first half, but then I wonder what exactly he does mean. Personally, I enjoyed the first half more, as I am more of a romantic. As well, the first half is when the character of Aeneis really forms. For the same reason, I enjoyed the Odyssey more than I did the Aeneid; however, Virgil is said to have believed that the Aeneid was greater than the Odyssey. Perhaps, it is the theme that is greater, as the theme of heroic warfare is more noble than that of homecoming. Could this be said to be the same with differing themes of the Aeneid? I would be very curious to hear what someone else has to say about this "greater labor" business. > ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com ----------------------------------------------------------------------- To leave the Mantovano mailing list at any time, do NOT hit reply. Instead, send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the message "unsubscribe mantovano" in the body (omitting the quotation marks). You can also unsubscribe at http://virgil.org/mantovano/mantovano.htm#unsub
