Description
Book SynopsisWritten by eminent scholar David O. Ross, this guide helps readers to engage with the poetry, thought, and background of Virgil's great epic, suggesting both the depth and the beauty of Virgil's poetic images and the mental images with which the Romans lived.
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- Guides readers through the complexity of Virgil's poetic style and imagery
- All extracts are translated, with original Latin given when necessary
- Provides useful historical and social context in which to understand the poem as it was viewed in its time
- Includes short introductions to important topics such as Roman religion and the Roman concept of character'
- Features a helpful appendix which clarifies how to read and hear the poem''s Latin hexameter
Trade Review“I believe that everyone—professional academic, student, or layperson—will benefit from Ross's lyrical and insightful reading of Vergil's great poem.” (
Bryn Mawr Classical 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 is easily available elsewhere. What it does say is largely familiar, even comfortable, but it is well said, clear, detailed, moderate.” (New England Classical Journal, February 2009)
“Beautifully conceived and nuanced guide…the depth, sensitivity, and accessibility of the volume make it worthy companion to its predecessors. Ross explicates…with exquisite care and clarity.” (Choice)
"The ideas and arguments presented in this work are thought provoking." (Journal of Classics Teaching)
Table of ContentsPreface 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
