Rich- I think the shield is one of the great mysteries in the Aeneid, but it is an integral part of the plot. Aeneas is about to begin fighting seriously to get his foothold in Italy- the images, like the characters in the underworld in 6, represent his (Aeneas') and Rome's destiny.
Your description of his reaction to it is, I think, good- remember that it was presented by Venus, so he IS the child there. I don't have the Latin right at hand, but the language is very powerful- the shield representing the weight of his future and giving him a reason to fight.
What I'm curious about- throwing this into a slightly different ctaegory, but on the same passage- is Virgil's geographic references. Again, i don't have the text, but why are certain places singled out, especially in the last 25 or 30 lines of book 8? I know there is connection to Augustan expansion, but anybody have any thoughts on this?
Hope that gives you some ideas.....
Jim
I do not see the reason for Virgil including the images of the shield in his work. I don't think this flows well with the rest of the poem and It seems to be almost a distraction. His reaction to the shield seems that of a child playing with a toy for the first time,,I have no idea what his reaction signifies.
Can someone shed light????..
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