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Summary How does Virgil's writing evoke pathos in his readership?
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Essay answering the question - How does Virgil's writing evoke pathos in his readership?
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How does Virgil's writing evoke pathos in his readership?In Virgil's writing he is able to evoke pathos through the language he uses and
description of the feelings of Aeneas, as he begins to realise in hindsight the danger
that they were in and how it could have been prevented.
Primarily, during the beginning of book two this is done by the portrayal of his
emotions. The fact that he describes the grief of the loss of his city to be
‘unspeakable’ suggests the upset that he’s experienced, which has affected him to
the point where even talking about it brings sadness onto him, making him unable to
not get emotional while talking about this showing the extent of which he has been
hurt. This is further emphasised by the idea that even ‘fierce Ulysses’ or the Greek
tribes Myrmidon and Dolopian would not be able to ‘keep tears from telling such a
story’. Including these highly fierce and powerful names shows the overall damage,
both emotionally and physically, that the Greeks had caused which evokes pathos
because even warriors like these would be affected by telling the story of the fall of
Troy. Additionally the fact that these ‘miseries [he] saw [him]self’ and during the
events he ‘played a great part’ shows how involved he was in fighting and had to
watch first hand his city getting destroyed, and fighting for something which was
already determined to be ruined. In hindsight we understand this and so builds
pathos because he appears to be so determined to defend his city but also the
trauma that it has left him with. Experiencing ‘Troy’s last agnonies’ must have been
painful for Aeneas to watch, especially since he had to get directly involved with the
fighting.
Pathos is also evoked through the use of dramatic irony as the Trojans thought the
Greeks had left, however the reality was much different; they were ‘secretly’ hiding
behind the island of Tenedos. Previously the Trojans had been damaged by wars
and suffered for many years , but now they are believed to have been ‘ free from
long sorrows’ implying a major sense of relief, leading them to think that they were
now safe. They began to find joy in finding the once occupied Greek camp now
abandoned, however, enforced by the tetracolon of ‘here’s’, they are unaware of their
hidings, which creates pathos as we want to sympathise with them due to their lack
of knowledge of what’s about to happen. They were so amazed by the sheer size of
the horse that they could not see though it and realise the danger that it imposed.
The idea that the Trojans were overjoyed due to the Greekds leaving and were
genuinely excited about the gift of the horse makes the reader sympathise with them
because soon they will have to endure death and destruction which would have been
a complete surprise to many of them who didn’t suspect any wrongdoing form the
Greeks. Pathos is further evoked with the description of the horse which clearly
makes out the Greeks to be the enemy and in the wrong. The way the horse is said
to have a ‘dark body’ with ‘ cavernous insides’ filled with ‘armed men’ really portrays
them as dangerous and threatening, and naturally the reader would then sympathise
with Aneas because they are depicted as deceitful and evil.
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