Essay
‘Aeneas lacks any ordinary human emotions.’ Discuss how far you think this is true of the way he is portrayed in the Aeneid. (30)
- Institution
- OCR
Full essay plan used to receive full marks
[Show more]
1 review
By: isabellahiller100 • 1 year ago
Content preview
PLAN - ‘Aeneas lacks any ordinary human emotions.’ Discuss how far you think this is trueof the way he is portrayed in the Aeneid. (30)
Human – in relation to the relationships he forms e.g. Ascanius, Pallas, fear - dedication to
men, loss of Creusa
In human – in relation to his dedication to fate and his mission, inhuman leaving of dido,
obedience of divine will, puts fate above his own desire, ferocious in battle (HOWEVER, this
is driven by devotion to Ascanius at times)
Inhuman
- Dedication to achieving his fate – he is willing to put away his own desires
- Aeneas acts in an inhuman way to dido –book 4 - after she realises he is leaving she calls
him a traitor and says she will be in danger if he leaves (from the tribesmen she turned down)
he says it wasn’t his intention to deceive her, they are not married, if it were up to him he
would rebuild Troy, gods have told him to leave, he must go for his son – not his choice (He
does not involve his emotions – does not consider the danger she is in (not protective))
- After mercury comes to Aeneas – describing his as senseless and reminding him of his
pietas (‘Have you entirely forgotton your own kingdom and your destiny?’) – he then decides
to leave – complete obedience to the gods (does not care for his own feelings)
- He ignores his own sadness for leaving - ‘struggled to fight down the anguish in his heart’
Aeneas feels sad about leaving Dido but has a duty to the gods and fate ‘But Aeneas was
faithful to his duty. Much as he longed to soothe her’- Subordination of his own desires and
personal happiness
Clearly shown to lack human emotions – his fate overrides this – HOWEVER, as it is the will
of fate for him to go on this mission it is arguably not him lacking emotion but rather him
ignoring these emotions in order to fulfil his destiny
- Inhuman in his ruthless fighting – Book 10 – Aristeia – Aeneas is on a killing spree and
shows no mercy - no mercy Tarquinus = begging for mercy and Aeneas ‘cut short Lucatus’
appeal’ (doesn’t show clementia – not inline with augustus’ values - inhumane), Magus
dodged a spear Aeneas threw at him and he asked to be spaired ‘for the sake of my son and
my father’, no mercy to Magus (stabs him)
- HOWEVER, Aeneas has no mercy in this instance as he says and says his father and Iulius
would not want him to – both fighting for family (human protective instinct)
- killing spree begins when Aeneas hears of Pallas’ death – furor – he looks for turnus
(Aeneas captured 4 sons of Sulmo and 4 from Ufens as offerings to pallas’ burial – brutal but
thinking of Pallas – pietas to him and evander (promised he would care for him – book 8)
- Aeneas considers letting Turnus live - ‘words of turnus began to move’ aeneas – thinks of
this father
The benefits of buying summaries with Stuvia:
Guaranteed quality through customer reviews
Stuvia customers have reviewed more than 700,000 summaries. This how you know that you are buying the best documents.
Quick and easy check-out
You can quickly pay through credit card for the summaries. There is no membership needed.
Focus on what matters
Your fellow students write the study notes themselves, which is why the documents are always reliable and up-to-date. This ensures you quickly get to the core!
Frequently asked questions
What do I get when I buy this document?
You get a PDF, available immediately after your purchase. The purchased document is accessible anytime, anywhere and indefinitely through your profile.
Satisfaction guarantee: how does it work?
Our satisfaction guarantee ensures that you always find a study document that suits you well. You fill out a form, and our customer service team takes care of the rest.
Who am I buying these notes from?
Stuvia is a marketplace, so you are not buying this document from us, but from seller jesscane. Stuvia facilitates payment to the seller.
Will I be stuck with a subscription?
No, you only buy these notes for £7.49. You're not tied to anything after your purchase.
Can Stuvia be trusted?
4.6 stars on Google & Trustpilot (+1000 reviews)
51662 documents were sold in the last 30 days
Founded in 2010, the go-to place to buy revision notes and other study material for 15 years now