Dear Neven-
Your comments about Book III were of interest. Bk. III is episodic and
fragmented. The repetitive quality is there as well;however, there is an
idea that surfaces in several episodes, the idea or theme of fatum repeatedly
revealed by Apollo. Aeneas stops at Delos where he enters the temple of
Apollo and receives the directive to seek your ancient mother. When they
have established ( or almost) a new city in Crete, the "ancient mother"
according to Anchises, the Penates appear to Aeneas informing him that Apollo
sent them and that the god did not mean Crete. When Aeneas and his men
encounter the Harpies, Celaeno utters a dread prophecy which she says she
received from Apollo. The culminating stop in Aeneas' journey is Buthrotum,
the place of the "miniature Troy" where Helenus and Andromache dwell. Here
before Aeneas' departure Helenus, inspired by Apollo delivers a lengthy
prophecy that includes many noteworthy points- safe sailing directions to
Italy, the sow, necessary prayers to Juno, a visit to Cumae, the request to
the Sibyl to chant her prophecy, rather than revealing it on leaves. Vergil
places the scene with Helenus in medias res . The geography may have forced
the issue. At the same time it offered the poet an opportunity for a
significant and emotionally charged scene (consider also the part where
Andromache offers gifts to Ascanius, and Aeneas tearfully replies in a
farewell speech, 'vivite felices, quibus est fortuna peracta/iam sua; nos alia
ex aliis in fata vocamur ....' ). Vergil has certainly employed varatio in
each scene of fatum as revealed by Apollo.
In general the poet seems to have used a "tripartite composition" by
alternating between very focused and highly charged books II, IV and VI and
those that are less so I, III, and V. Within the odd numbered books Vergil
has nevertheless included some emotional focus at some point in each of the
books.
Thank you for your consideration.
Cathy Wight
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