The Living Universe: God and Men in Virgil's Aeneid

237 Pages·1976·4.197 MB·English

by  Agathe Thornton

THE LIVING UNIVERSE
MNEMOSYNE
BIBLIOTHECA CLASSICA BA TA VA
COLLEGERUNT
W. DEN BOER • W. J. VERDENIUS • R. E. H. WESTENDORP BOERMA
BIBLIOTHECAE FASCICULOS EDENDOS CURAVIT
W. J. VERDENIUS, HOMERUSLAAN 53, ZEIST
SUPPLEMENTUM QUADRAGESIMUM SEXTUM
AGATHE THORNTON
THE LIVING UNIVERSE
Gods and Men in Virgil's Aeneid
LUGDUNI BATAVORUM E. J. BRILL MCMLXXVI
THE LIVING UNIVERSE
GODS AND MEN IN VIRGIL'S
AENEID
BY
AGATHE THORNTON
LUGDUNI BATAVORUM E. J. BRILL MCMLXXVI
Published in New Zealand by the
University of Otago Press, Dunedin
ISBN 90 04 04579 1
© Agathe Thornton
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or
translated in any form, by print, photoprint, microfilm, microfiche
or any other means without written permission from the publisher
Printed in New Zealand
by John Mcindoe Limited, Dunedin
TO MY STUDENTS

CONTENTS
Page
Preface ix
Introduction xi
Part I
The spirit of the first century B.C. :
1. Homer. Virgil's model, as the 'educator' of
Greece and Rome; 1-19
2. The picture of the universe of an educated
Roman in the first century B.C. 20-34
Part II
The structure of the cosmos in the Aeneid:
The cosmos as described by Anchises; 35-36
The spheres of Beings in the cosmos of the
Aeneid. 36-69
Part Ill
The phases in the movement of the cosmos : 70-76
1. 1.1-1.656 the storm caused by 77-86
Juno, calmed by Nep-
tune, and 'healed' by
Jupiter.
2. 1.657-5.603 love of Dido and Aeneas 87-101
caused by Venus and
Juno, terminated by
Jupiter; Dido's death and
Funeral Games.
Inset: Books 2 and 3.
3. 5.604-7.285 firing of ships caused by 102-107
Juno, stopped by Jupiter
who sends vision of An-
chises : journey to the
Underworld; landing in
Latium; treaty with
Latinus.
4. 7.286-12.133(215) the war caused by Juno 108-139
through Allecto; interfer-
ence of the goddesses
stopped by Jupiter and
'free will' ordained and
decisively used by Tumus
and Aeneas. Aeneas' vic-
tory over Mezentius.
Latin Council. Treaty
arranging for single com-
bat between Tumus and
Aeneas concluded.
Inset: Books 8 and 9.
5. 12.136(216)-end treaty broken by Juno 140-148
through J utuma and re-
newal of battle. Single
combat now initiated by
Tumus. Juno and Jutuma
called off by Jupiter.
Tumus killed by Aeneas.
Conclusion
The plot of the Aeneid; fate and the anger of 150-158
the gods.
Appendix A: ira and furor. 159-163
Appendix B: The Nisus-Euryalus episode of 164-172
Book 9.
Notes and Bibliography 173-216
Index
PREFACE
I wish to acknowledge my indebtedness, which goes far beyond
specific references, to the following scholars : Boyance, Perret on
'polytheism', Heinze, Poschl, and Otis.
To two former colleagues of mine, Professor J. R. Hamilton
(now at the University of Auckland) and Mr I. M. Lonie, and to
my present colleague Dr. A. F. Stewart, I should like to express my
warmest gratitude for their interest and help, also to Miss Swift
of the Reference Department of the University of Otago Library,
and not least to the Council of the University of Otago for several
grants which enabled me to buy the literature I needed.
I thank the Editors of Prudentia for permission to include two
papers (the second one altered), published in Prudentia 1, no. 1
(1969) and 3, no. 2 (1971) and the Editor of AULLA XIV,
Proceedings and Papers (1972) to include a paper published in
those Proceedings.
C. Day Lewis's translation is used for longer passages, often
consulted and partly used for shorter ones.
Finally, I wish to express my gratitude to my husband for his
interest and his encouragement.