Emotions, Trojans, and Corpses! Oh my! - AnnaKate Burleson
I know we discussed this briefly in class already, but I have to bring it up again. There is so much more emotion displayed in the Aeneid than there is in Greek works like the Odyssey or the Iliad. Even towards the beginning of the story, we saw Aeneas leave his wife behind in a fallen Troy displaying little to no remorse because if it was the gods' will for her to die, then it must be so. But now in the aftermath of a tormented Dido, we start to see a lot more emotion creeping through. After the Sibyl gives her answer in Book VI, it says that Aeneas moved forward in tears. Upon finding Misenus dead, Virgil tells us that the whole crew let out a loud lament and then continued their work in tears. My understanding is that the tears didn't stop until Misenus had received a proper burial of sorts. It's interesting to me to see this sudden shift from a very stoic reading of Aeneas' tale to one full of tears and lament and anxiety. I'm not entirely sure what caused this shift, but I'm interested to hear what your theories are!
Virgil's depiction of the afterlife is really interesting as well. What stood out to me was the fact that the dead souls couldn't cross over to the Underworld unless they had received a proper burial. It just seems so harsh to prevent the dead from finding peace based on how the living choose to treat their corpses. But if that's the (almost) Roman religious atmosphere, I probably don't have much room to argue with them since I don't subscribe to their belief system.
What are your thoughts on all of this? Do you think the exclusivity of their Underworld makes any sense? And what is your perspective on these emotional Trojans? I'm eager to hear your ideas!
P.S. I commented on Moriah's and Sophia's :D
Virgil's depiction of the afterlife is really interesting as well. What stood out to me was the fact that the dead souls couldn't cross over to the Underworld unless they had received a proper burial. It just seems so harsh to prevent the dead from finding peace based on how the living choose to treat their corpses. But if that's the (almost) Roman religious atmosphere, I probably don't have much room to argue with them since I don't subscribe to their belief system.
What are your thoughts on all of this? Do you think the exclusivity of their Underworld makes any sense? And what is your perspective on these emotional Trojans? I'm eager to hear your ideas!
P.S. I commented on Moriah's and Sophia's :D
I definitely think the exclusivity we see in the Underworld is a reflection of the classes of Ancient Rome. I also think since they believed their amount of good works and honor had an impact on their eternal destination, the Romans had to have levels of "good" or "bad" to try to achieve or avoid. And yay for emotion haha! I really do appreciate the emotion Virgil expressed, which helps "humanize" his characters.
ReplyDeleteThe Romans focused a lot on ancestors and family history. I think this is part of why unburied bodies weren't allowed to enter the underworld. If you didn't have anyone to care about you in life, the underworld doesn't have much reason to care about you either. But, if your descendants treat you with the respect that they should, then you'll have a good chance of getting in.
ReplyDeleteI think the overflow of emotions is cathartic (or therapeutic) for the Romans' stoic society. Even the most avid stoics must have realized that humans are emotional creatures. There is no getting around feelings, even if you choose not to show them. The stories of Aeneas and his men mourning yet still carrying on and doing their duty is almost more stoic than anything else. Even though they shed all these tears, they push aside their emotions and follow their destiny. They can't change it, so they just keep on keeping on.
I agree! The emotions displayed in Book VI are especially much more intense than we have seen in previous books. Reading Virgil's ideas on the underworld reminded me a lot of Dante's Inferno. I also had to laugh a little when one of the punishments listed on page 181 was "some heave at a great bolder". But sadly, nobody ever warned Aeneas of the giant aquatic beast. ;)
ReplyDeleteI think that the emotional aspect of the Trojans is what really makes this selection so incredible. Most of what we hear in literature from the Trojan War is by the opinion of the Greeks and we never really think to know about the Trojan side. I think the emotion that is shown makes the story more real and relatable. Overall, I agree with what you said and good post!
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