Aeneas Haunting in Virgils Aeneid Aeneas - amazonia.fiocruz.br

Aeneas Haunting in Virgils Aeneid Aeneas Video

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by M. J. Mattes

Interpreters of the Aeneid do not agree on much, but they will agree that this poem has been fundamentally misinterpreted by more people than any other poem in history. In reading a range of critical writings on the poem, it is hard to believe that everyone is writing about the same work.

That is, the Aeneid is a poisonous gift to Augustus, ostensibly a glorification but in fact critical, and that Virgil deliberately wrote his poem as a Trojan Horse. Thus, the confusion and disputes about the meaning of the Virgila are precisely what Virgil intended.

I do Viggils expect everyone who reads this to be immediately convinced. There is no proof, only circumstantial evidence. Virgil and Augustus whose real name was Octavian had a long, close personal relationship. The nature of this relationship must be understood in order to understand the purpose of the Aeneid. It can be argued that we will never understand this relationship; still, we must try.

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Before Augustus had gained control of the Roman government, Virgil was established as one of the greatest Latin poets. As Augustus became more powerful, he was intent on having his reign glorified through architecture, sculpture and literature. He made a major effort to recruit the best artists of his age to work for his purposes.

His methods were the usual rewards and punishments.

Augustus wanted an epic poem glorifying his reign, partly in order to match the cultural achievements of ancient Athens. He wanted Virgil to write this poem. In fact, Virgil was supported by Augustus for most of his adult life. Virgil must have appreciated these gifts, but what did he really think of his patron? We must at least consider the possibility that Virgil had mixed feelings about his project. Virgil worked on the Aeneid for 11 years. Although it does not appear to be incomplete in a significant way, Virgil said that 3 more years were required in order to complete it. He died, at age nearly 52, before this could be done.

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Based on information from Suetonius, 3 who wrote about years after Virgil died, Virgil Aneas Augustus in Greece, basically by coincidence, and shortly afterwards became sick. Augustus brought the dying man back to Italy on his ship. At his death, Virgil wanted the manuscript destroyed, presumably because he considered it unfinished. This is attested to by early historians and is generally accepted.]