Livi

       According to the preface of Livi, his purpose for writing this is to bring history to life in his poetic style of writing. Also, he says that he is writing this because he will receive much satisfaction to contribute to the writing of the annals of Rome. And finally, he is writing this because there there is a lot of good that comes from studying the past, because in light of its truth, you can see see examples of what happens in different situations.

Aeneid Book 2 Summary

       Book 2 of the Aeneid is Aeneas' retelling of the Trojan war to all of the banquet members. He tells first of how the Greeks had made a massive horse as a "gift" to the Trojans. They were persuaded to accept it by Sinon. however, the horse was really holding many Greek troops, so when the horse was in the city, they jumped out and massacred the town, including king Priam and his family. Then, Aeneas sees helen in a vision, and realizes how this is all her fault, and decides to kill her. However, before he sets out to do so, his mother, Venus, appears to him, and tells him to leave the city immediately.
       Aeneid goes to his father's house to bring him along with him as he escapes. His father will not come until there appears a sign, which is a tongue of fire on Aeneas' head, at which point they both agree to set out. Aeneas takes his wife and child with them on their escape, however his wife gets left behind in all the commotion. Aeneas runs back into the city to find her, only to find that she is dead, and he encounters her ghost. The ghost of his wife tells him to keep running from the city, and that his destiny belongs elsewhere.

The Aeneid Book 1

       Book one of the Aeneid starts out after Troy has been defeated, and tells of the rage of Juno, going into the backstory of how Juno was upset about Paris' unjust decision on the beauty of the goddesses, and how she led a campaign against Troy. We see also that Aeneas and his men are heading to Italy and fleeing Troy so as to start a new city. Juno is angry, and asks the god of the wind (Aeolus) to send a tempest on the sea to destroy them. however, when Aeolus sends this, Neptune god of the sea is outraged because the sea is his jurisdiction. Neptune calms the storm, and Aeneas and his mean reach the closest shore. Aeneas' goddess mother comes to earth in human form to talk to him, and tells him how to reach the queen's palace. Aeneas and his men arrive at the palace and bow before the queen, to which she extends hospitality. Meanwhile, Venus asks her son Cupid to shoot an arrow of love into queen Dido so as to stall her while Aeneas is at her palace.

       The author uses a lot of narrative to show the plot. it is interesting because the story is told by a narrator (probably omniscient) but we do not see much more than what the narration tells us. We learn about the plot as the characters learn about it as well.

Early Rome Questions

1. To what extent should the Etruscans be credited for the success of Rome?

2. What do you think is the cause of the Romans' high regard for one's city, family, and gods?

Book Ends of the Iliad

       Book 24 of the Iliad is a resolution of conflict in the Iliad. What is the first word of the Iliad? Rage. Throughout the whole book, one of the biggest themes is the rage of Achilles, and the repercussions of it. The rage of Achilles is finally resolved in book 24 in a subtle but drastic turnaround in Achilles' character. The author write, "He feared that, overwhelmed by the sight of Hector, wild with grief, Priam might let his anger flare and Achilles might fly into fresh rage himself." For the whole narrative, Achilles had been using his rage to deal with his problems- in and out of battle. Now, we see a new side of him that wants to control his rage, and end the conflict that was an overarching theme of the whole book.

Iliad Book 22 and The Poetics

Iliad Book 22:
       7. Hector was tricked by Athena because Athena disguised herself from Hector by taking the form of his brother. then she tricked him by persuading him to fight Achilles because she (in the form of his brother) would have his back. then, when Achilles threw his spear, and Hector dodged it, Athena betrayed him and took the spear back to Achilles so that he could kill him.

The Poetics:
       Epic poetry follows with tragedy because they are both of long length, and they are about people that should be taken seriously. They differ because epic poetry is a subset of tragedy, and elements that epic poetry has are found in tragedy.