1. POETIC TECHNIQUE IN THE
AENEID
Divine Quest pages 65-71

2. Existing legends
• Virgil taps into existing legend
• Aeneas in Homer
• Legend evolved 700 years
• Temples to Venus and Aeneas’ wanderings
• Romans seeking fashionable origins
• Legends told to justify Roman conquest
– Greece
– Asia Minor
– Africa
• Caesar claims Iulus

3. Virgil’s own details
• Dido a real figure?
• Virgil created her tragic character
• Historical figures and places used
– Sibyl’s cave
– Lake Evernus
– Cape Palinurus
• Ancient Greek tales about Troy woven with stories of
Italy
• Epic poetry becomes an expression of nationhood

4. Virgil and Homer
• Virgil draws much from Homer
• Books 1-6 Odyssey
• Books 7-12 Iliad
• But Aeneid far more than simple imitation
• Writing for a very different audience

5. Structure
• Not oral
• Planned, written and polished
• Unity
• Division
• Links

6. Structure
• Not oral
• Planned, written and polished
• Unity
• Division
• Links