Aeneid quotes and scholars

Question 1

What is an Aition?

Answer 1

A story that clarifies an origin

The Aeneid is an aition for Rome itself.

Question 2

What defines a Primary epic?

Answer 2

Heroic poetry that grows out of a comparatively primitive society

The heroes are more ‘free spirits’ acting for themselves.

Question 3

What is a Secondary epic?

Answer 3

The product of much more advanced and sophisticated societies, dealing more with ‘great issues’

Heroes are concerned with far more than themselves.

Question 4

Define glibness

Answer 4

Well-spoken but shallow.

Question 5

What does querulous mean?

Answer 5

Complaining in a childish way.

Question 6

Define temerity

Answer 6

Audacity, presumptuousness.

Question 7

What does conducive mean?

Answer 7

Favourable.

Question 8

What does Latinus mean when he says, ‘We are caught in the gale of fate’?

Answer 8

It signifies the inescapable nature of fate.

Question 9

What is Aeneas fated to be?

Answer 9

An exile.

Question 10

What does the shield of Aeneas symbolize?

Answer 10

The fame and fate of his descendants.

Question 11

True or False: The Trojan Horse is described as an ‘engine of fate’.

Answer 11

True.

Question 12

What does Andersen suggest about Aeneas and Dido?

Answer 12

Aeneas had no choice but to follow his duty; Dido is a tragic victim of impossible circumstances.

Question 13

According to Jenkyns, what is Aeneas’ role in the prophecy?

Answer 13

Aeneas will have to fight another Trojan War; a ‘second Achilles’ awaits him in Latium.

Question 14

What does Camps state about fate?

Answer 14

Fate can be delayed but not averted.

Question 15

What is Aeneas’ awareness of duty characterized as?

Answer 15

What makes him a new kind of epic hero.

Question 16

What motivates Aeneas according to Poschl?

Answer 16

Love is the motivating force in all that Aeneas does.

Question 17

Fill in the blank: ‘Aeneas was faithful to his duty. Much as he longed to soothe her… he nevertheless carried out the _______ of the gods.’

Answer 17

commands.

Question 18

What does Juno declare about the decree of the Fates?

Answer 18

The decree will stand, but she can delay it.

Question 19

What does Jupiter’s prophecy state?

Answer 19

He has given them an empire that will know no end.

Question 20

What does Poschl believe about Juno?

Answer 20

She is symbolic of violence and destruction.

Question 21

What does Camps say about the divine order?

Answer 21

It is consistent and benevolent towards the Roman state.

Question 22

How does Neptune calm the storm in book one?

Answer 22

He is compared to a politician calming a crowd.

Question 23

What does Semple argue about war in the Aeneid?

Answer 23

War must be portrayed positively as it was part of the making of empire.

Question 24

What tragic event does Priam witness?

Answer 24

His mighty trunk lay upon the shore, the head hacked from the soldiers.

Question 25

What does the phrase 'Terrified mothers pressed their babies to their breasts' signify?

Answer 25

The fear and chaos caused by war.

Question 26

What does the quote 'We squander the hours in weeping' reflect?

Answer 26

The human impulse to linger compassionately over man’s sufferings.

Question 27

What does Jenkyns believe is the motto of the Aeneid?

Answer 27

'We squander the hours in weeping.'

Question 28

What does Poschl argue about the Aeneid's deepest tragedy?

Answer 28

Its people loved too much.

Question 29

What does Augustus Caesar symbolize in the Aeneid?

Answer 29

The leader of the men of Italy and a figure of Rome's destiny.

Question 30

What does Jenkyns say about Juno's character arc?

Answer 30

She comes to accept Jupiter’s plans for Rome in the last book.

Question 31

What does Camps argue about the political nature of The Aeneid?

Answer 31

It is primarily a meditation on human nature, not political propaganda.

Question 32

What does the struggle between Juno and Jupiter symbolize?

Answer 32

The ambivalence in history and human nature.

Question 33

How does the Aeneid depict female sovereignty?

Answer 33

With reservations, showing that women's power can be problematic.

Question 34

What does the phrase 'Possessed by Bacchus' refer to?

Answer 34

Amata’s frenzy, paralleling Agave’s madness in Euripides’ Bacchae.

Question 35

Fill in the blank: 'Dido’s offerings turned black and as she poured it, it turned to filthy ______.'

Answer 35

gore.

Question 36

What does the character of Eumaeus embody?

Answer 36

The blend of the grand and the humble.

Question 37

What is the significance of Odysseus saying, 'My name is nobody'?

Answer 37

It challenges the audience to interpret and question the narrative.

Question 38

According to Jenkyns, how does the Odyssey depict loyalty?

Answer 38

It values loyalty even among the lowly and punishes disloyalty harshly.

Question 39

What does the quote 'For all strangers and beggars come from Zeus' signify?

Answer 39

The importance of hospitality in society.

Question 40

What does the journey from Ogygia to Ithaca symbolize?

Answer 40

A journey from isolation to an ever-closer community.

Question 41

What does Hauser argue about Odysseus’ narrative style?

Answer 41

He shapes and details his own narrative to obtain sympathy.

Question 42

What does the character of Odysseus represent in the poem?

Answer 42

A blend of the grand and the humble, embodying both a slave and royal in birth. ## Footnote This duality is a key source of the poem's depth and charm.

Question 43

What is the significance of the Cretan tales in Odysseus' narrative?

Answer 43

They present myth as memory, challenging the reader to interpret, question, and believe. ## Footnote Odysseus shapes and details his own narrative to obtain sympathy or shape perception.

Question 44

How do Eumaeus and Penelope react to Odysseus' tales?

Answer 44

They react emotionally but express skepticism, prompting the audience to interpret what is true. ## Footnote This reflects the theme of belief and deception in the narrative.

Question 45

What does Hauser argue about the Cretan tales?

Answer 45

They are a meditation on fiction, questioning how much can actually be believed and how much is a lie.

Question 46

What is the most important attribute of Odysseus according to Jones?

Answer 46

His metis, which is shown by his epithet ‘polymetis’. ## Footnote This characteristic is shared with Athene and underpins their unique relationship.

Question 47

What are the two kinds of Odysseus identified by Jenkyns?

Answer 47

The cheeky trickster and the king rooted in his own kingdom.

Question 48

What does Kendrick argue about heroes in Homer?

Answer 48

Heroes should actively seek out death-defying situations to secure their kleos.

Question 49

What does Jones emphasize about the gods in Homer?

Answer 49

The gods only help those who are worthy of it.

Question 50

What quote reflects Odysseus' feelings towards the suitors?

Answer 50

‘So, you fleeced my household; you raped my maids; you courted my wife behind my back though I was still alive … one and all, your fate is sealed.’

Question 51

What lamentation does Zeus express about men's suffering?

Answer 51

‘What a lamentable thing it is that men should blame the gods and regard us as the source of their troubles, when it is their own transgressions which bring them suffering that was not their destiny.’

Question 52

What are some ways the gods interact with Odysseus?

Answer 52

Help, hinder, or provide a mixture of both. ## Footnote Examples include Athena, Hermes, and Ino helping him, while Poseidon and Hyperion hinder him.

Question 53

What is the focus of the theme of family and relationships in the poem?

Answer 53

The dynamics and significance of Odysseus' relationships with his family.

Question 54

What is the Telemachy in relation to character growth?

Answer 54

It focuses on the development and growth of Telemachus as a character.