General Scholarship

Question 1

Hardie

Answer 1

“Aeneas is a victim of history”
→ Aeneas is not in control of his destiny, but driven by fate and the will of the gods. Hardie emphasises the tragic cost of empire-building for the individual.

Question 2

Gransden

Answer 2

“The Aeneid is deeply patriotic but also deeply tragic”
→ Gransden argues that while the poem celebrates Rome’s origins, it constantly reminds readers of the human suffering and emotional costs involved

Question 3

Williams

Answer 3

“Virgil combines praise of empire with a sense of its cost”
→ Virgil is not blindly patriotic; he shows the greatness of Rome while questioning the pain and moral compromises required to achieve it.

Question 4

Zanker

Answer 4

“Aeneas is shaped by the Augustan ideal of leadership”
→ Aeneas embodies pietas and duty, reflecting the moral and civic ideals Augustus wanted to promote during his reign.

Question 5

Putnam

Answer 5

“Aeneas loses his humanity in pursuit of destiny”
→ Aeneas’ increasing emotional detachment, especially in Books 10 and 12, shows how duty overwhelms his personal morality and empathy.

Question 6

Johnson

Answer 6

“The Aeneid is about the tension between personal desire and public duty”
→ Johnson highlights that much of Aeneas’ suffering comes from the conflict between his emotions (e.g., love for Dido) and his obligations to fate and Rome.

Question 7

Galinsky

Answer 7

“The Aeneid promotes optimism about Rome’s future”
→ Galinsky argues that despite the tragedies in the poem, Virgil ultimately conveys a positive vision of Roman destiny and civilisation.

Question 8

Feeney

Answer 8

“The gods are used to reflect the moral complexity of the narrative”
→ The gods often act in morally ambiguous ways, raising questions about whether fate is truly just or morally right.

Question 9

Syed

Answer 9

“The Aeneid explores identity, belonging, and cultural superiority”
→ The poem constructs a Roman identity through contrast with others (e.g., Carthaginians, Greeks), reflecting ideas of cultural hierarchy and empire.

Question 10

Quinn

Answer 10

“Virgil uses Homeric tradition to redefine Roman values”
→ The Aeneid imitates Homeric epic, but reshapes its heroes: Aeneas is not a Greek-style glory-seeker like Achilles, but a Roman model of self-sacrifice and duty.