The Aeneid: Books II-III
Hannah Schofield
Battle always comes with some sort of sacrifice whether that sacrifice be personal or general. Throughout the entirety of Book II and Book III of The Aeneid, we see Aeneas lose his city (Troy), lose his wife(Creusa), lose his father (Anchises), and so much more. This fellow is suffering through major losses and persevering forward at the request of the gods. How much loyalty does it take to lose every single thing that you hold dear just to fulfill a goal that you didn't even make for yourself?
Maybe it isn't actual loyalty, instead, it may revolve around fear. Fear is the reason he travels far and wide to so many different places in search of the perfect place to build a city. Fear of losing more than he has already suffered through motivates him to withstand the many obstacles constantly coming his way and losing his life goal– to build a city.
My favorite tale of Aeneas's adventurous searching is when he and his father realize that Cassandra (who we came across in The Orestia) was actually right in her prophecy of Italy being the right place to go in order to have a prosperous city but them just basically shrugging it off with "Ah, who ever believed Cassandra, anyway?"
Furthermore, I enjoyed this read because it was simple to imagine and constantly revealing something new in the plot!
What did you all think about Aeneius's many journeys and challenges and how he responded?
Did anything surprise you?
Commented on: Phillip's & Eliza's
Battle always comes with some sort of sacrifice whether that sacrifice be personal or general. Throughout the entirety of Book II and Book III of The Aeneid, we see Aeneas lose his city (Troy), lose his wife(Creusa), lose his father (Anchises), and so much more. This fellow is suffering through major losses and persevering forward at the request of the gods. How much loyalty does it take to lose every single thing that you hold dear just to fulfill a goal that you didn't even make for yourself?
Maybe it isn't actual loyalty, instead, it may revolve around fear. Fear is the reason he travels far and wide to so many different places in search of the perfect place to build a city. Fear of losing more than he has already suffered through motivates him to withstand the many obstacles constantly coming his way and losing his life goal– to build a city.
My favorite tale of Aeneas's adventurous searching is when he and his father realize that Cassandra (who we came across in The Orestia) was actually right in her prophecy of Italy being the right place to go in order to have a prosperous city but them just basically shrugging it off with "Ah, who ever believed Cassandra, anyway?"
Furthermore, I enjoyed this read because it was simple to imagine and constantly revealing something new in the plot!
What did you all think about Aeneius's many journeys and challenges and how he responded?
Did anything surprise you?
Commented on: Phillip's & Eliza's
Interesting interpretation! I wouldn't describe his motivation as fear. While that would be more realistic, the point of the story is that Aeneas is the best of the best in everything, including character. He is supposed to be the pinnacle of Roman manliness, meaning he is extremely loyal, smart, and skilled in battle. A good leader does nothing out of fear. While real life Aeneas might be afraid, epic Aeneas is not.
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