Virgils Aeneid: A Readers Guide

Written by eminent scholar David O. Ross, this guide helps readersto engage with the poetry, thought, and background ofVirgil s great epic, suggesting both the depth and the beautyof Virgil s poetic images and the mental images with whichthe Romans lived.

The book discusses in detail important illustrative passages intheir poetic, historical, and intellectual contexts. Ross includesshort introductions to key topics such as Roman religion and theRoman concept of character, as well as a valuableappendix that clarifies how to read and hear the poem s Latinhexameter.

This expertly written guide is an indispensable companion foranyone reading Virgil s Aeneid for the first time, inLatin or translation, and for readers seeking a deeperunderstanding of this classic epic poem.

Preface vii

Introduction 1

1 Virgil s Hero 11

Three Scenes of Crisis 12

The Hero and Personal Loss 18

The Hero as Warrior (10.510 605) 24

Some Observations on Character 26

2 The Victims 32

Dido 32

Nisus and Euryalus 35

Pallas and Lausus 38

Some Aspects of Turnus 43

Camilla 52

Italy 54

3 Fate and the Gods 61

The Roman Gods 62

The Gods in the Aeneid 67

Fate in the Aeneid 74

4 Virgil s Troy 77

The Roman Troy 77

The Destruction of Troy (Aeneid, Book II) 82

Other Images of the Destruction of Troy (6.494 547, 1.450 93) 86

Andromache s Troy Restored (3.294 505) 90

The Trojan Games (5.104 544) 94

The Transformation of Troy (5.485 544) 100

The lusus Troiae (5.545 603) 102

5 Rome, the rerum imago 105

Jupiter s Revelation (1.254 96) 107

Anchises Review (6.756 892) 109

The Shield of Aeneas (8.626 728) 113

6 Virgil, His Life and Works 120

His Life and Times 120

The Eclogues 125

The Georgics 133

Appendix: The Latin Hexameter 143

Word Accent 143

Verse Ictus 144

Accent and Ictus 144

Caesura and Diaeresis 145

The Third–Foot Caesura 145

The First Foot 146

The Hexameter Line 147

The Catullan Molossus 151

General Index 153

Index of Passages 155

David O. Ross is Emeritus Professor of Classics at the University of Michigan. He is author of Style and Tradition in Catullus (1969), Backgrounds to Augustan Poetry: Gallus, Elegy, and Rome (1975), and Virgil s Elements: Physics and Poetry in the Georgics (1987).

I believe that everyone professional academic,student, or layperson will benefit from Ross′s lyrical andinsightful reading of Vergil′s great poem. ( Bryn MawrClassical Review, March 2009)

The book says a great many things that need to be said,or said again. It does not seek controversy and avoids much that iseasily available elsewhere. What it does say is largely familiar,even comfortable, but it is well said, clear, detailed,moderate. (New England Classical Journal, February2009)

Beautifully conceived and nuanced guide the depth,sensitivity, and accessibility of the volume make it worthycompanion to its predecessors. Ross explicates with exquisitecare and clarity. (Choice)

"The ideas and arguments presented in this work are thoughtprovoking." (Journal of Classics Teaching)