MHughes976
Fri, 09 Sep 2005 09:12:20 -0700
Aeneas uses the deer hunt to steady his nerves and reassert some feeling of being in control after the storm, which had brought him near death both from the waves and from the depression or despair that is never too far from him. Hunting is an expression, rather therapeutic in effect, of human control over nature. But hunting, because it is a display of power, is also a possible occasion of discord, even an opportunity for ruthlessness. Venus' rather charming appearance as a huntress, showing off her legs, presumably the best in the universe, conceals the sternness of her purpose. Juno has been hunting the Trojan remnant like animals, now it is Venus' turn to strike back by hunting and trapping Juno's courageous and loving devotee, Dido. The imagery continues with the wounded deer, whose status as private property is not recognised, in Book VII. V always treats nature as a political subject. The reasons why scenes are beautiful and useful is always in part political f! rom E1 onwards - again, V treats politics as, to a major extent, an expression of religion. 'Divini gloria ruris' is a natural, political and theological idea. - Martin Hughes ----------------------------------------------------------------------- To leave the Mantovano mailing list at any time, do NOT hit reply. Instead, send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the message "unsubscribe mantovano" in the body (omitting the quotation marks). You can also unsubscribe at http://virgil.org/mantovano/mantovano.htm#unsub