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The Aeneid

The Aeneid. By Virgil. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tNVJNxkNSDs. Background. The Aeneid is Virgil 's masterpiece, the product of eleven years of intensive work.

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The Aeneid

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  1. The Aeneid By Virgil

  2. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tNVJNxkNSDs

  3. Background • The Aeneid is Virgil's masterpiece, the product of eleven years of intensive work. • Legend has it that Virgil wrote this epic out of order, separating it into twelve books and working on each one whenever he pleased. • Still unfinished at the time of Virgil's death in 19 B.C., • Virgil, it seems, had declared in his will that it must be burned should anything happen to him.

  4. The Aeneid, in essence, is Virgil's answer to Homer's Odyssey and Iliad. • Much as Homer's great epics tell the story of the Greeks, the Aeneid is the tale of the founding of Rome. • Although largely fictitious, the narrative interweaves historical elements with the popular mythology of the era - a technique that speaks to the poet's power to transform the fruits of imagination into popularly accepted fact.

  5. The driving force behind the Aeneid is the will of the gods. • These beings, with their capricious tendencies and unpredictable personalities, shape the voyage of Aeneas and his companions. • Interestingly, the one thing that they cannot do (with the exception of Jupiter, king of the gods) is dictate the outcome of the events: the text repeatedly refers to Aeneas's fate as the founder of Rome, clearly playing to a Roman audience that would have enjoyed the notion of being a people destined for greatness.

  6. More abstractly, the Aeneid is ultimately about virtue: • Aeneas is an idealized hero, almost too good to be true, who embodies nearly all of the virtues most prized by the Romans of Virgil's day: • courageous, • kind, • respectful of the gods & of his ancestors, • pious, • a skilled warrior • an inspiring leader. • The epic is not only the tale of the heroic origins of the Roman people, but also a story about the triumph of morality.

  7. Your task: • Read the book given to your pod. • Draw, comic-book style, the plot of your book. • Be prepared to present it to the class. • Answer these questions on the back of your comic after the presentations: • Where do you see the importance of home in the Aeneid? • How do you see the triumph of morality in this story? • How does Aeneus fulfill the role of the weak hero, tender hero, and the hero without free will? • Why did Virgil craft such hero? • How do you see those characteristics in our heroes?

  8. The EPIC Hero Cycle • The main character is a hero, who is often possessed of supernatural abilities or qualities. • The hero is charged with a quest. • The hero is tested, often to prove the worthiness of himself and his quest. • The presence of numerous mythical beings, magical and helpful animals, and human helpers and companions • The hero’s travels take him to a supernatural world, often one that normal human beings are barred from entering. • The cycle must reach a low point where the hero nearly gives up his quest or appears defeated. • A resurrection. • Restitution. Often this takes the form of the hero regaining his rightful place on the throne

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