Aeneid 10

Interesting in this chapter was the slaying of Lausus, and the subsequent fall of Mezentius. Both are brave fighters and face Aeneus. Lausus is too brash, however, and does not have armour to stand up to Aeneus. Mezentius, though wounded, bravely charges Aeneus on his horse. When he meets his death, he does so bravely, without begging, but also very acceptingly once he is beat. Perhaps this is an admonition of countries conquered by Rome. Yes, they fight bravely, but they do best if they just accept their fate and allow themselves to be dominated, to accept the inevitable and to not beg for their lives, their culture or their people, but accept Roman rule.

Aeneid 9

Battle breaks out heavily. I found interesting the description of the man who was killed that was a "friend of the muses," Cretheus. This served to give a human side to the Trojans who are being massacred in that section of the passage. The gods continue to mettle with with the outcomes of battles but are responsive to the prayers of the soldiers. Echoes of the Iliad resonate as Apollo goes down and assumes a human form. Lots of descriptions of gore mark a sharp contrast to the so far prosaic nature of the book. This is the first major battle.�

Aeneid 8

There is a lot going on in this chapter, and I'm not really sure what's happening. Alliances are being forged and leadership taken. The drums of war appear to be sounding and it's lining up to be a bloody event over a girl (and perhaps a fear of being led by some foreign leader). Like in the Iliad, some armor is formed by gods and given to the divine hero. Is this a Greek nation state with Greek rulers? Why are the alliances being formed? I'm probably going to have to read this again.

Aeneid 6, 7

Aeneid 6
The descent into the underworld is marked by progressions. There are levels, it seems, where souls must pay a price for their sins. The encounter with Dido is interesting, she still scorns him, even in death. I suppose the curses she put on him may still stand? The encounters with dead heroes were also interesting and helped to link this back to the Iliad. It was funny when the Greeks started to freak out with what happened. It was also funny that Caesar has suddenly been added to the god list. A great sense of tying nationalism to religion.

Aeneid 7
Once again, things are going alright when the gods begin to interfere again, just as Aeneus is about to marry into a kingdom. Why does this happen? The gods spur a man on to jealousy for the king's daughter that is being promised to Aeneas. What is this really about if there were no gods here? It seems that a country to trying to keep their own national identity and cultures. However, since our hero (who represents Rome) is taking over, obviously he is in the right and the other people are only acting that way because gods are meddling with them. This almost seems banal on the part of Virgil; it borders on propaganda.

Aeneid 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

I'm reading the new Fagles translation of the Aeneid by Virgil and it's a joy to read. I highly recommend it. It's not as fast reading as the Lombardo Iliad was, but it's got a more classical tone to it. I actually like it a little better than all of the modern idioms. Still, I wonder what the Lombardo translation of the Aeneid would look like. Without further ado, my commentary on the Aeneid.

Aeneid 1
I'm only into the first chapter of the book, and already, Hera (or should I say Venus) is scheming against Jupiter (Zeus) and planning to meddle in the lives of men and women. Now, she is planning for Dido and Aeneus to be together so she can set a trap. What is the trap? I'm not sure... a war between Carthage and Rome? Once again, the motivation was a beauty contest.

This is an interesting continuation of the Iliad. Sometimes, I get the feeling that this is like someone trying to write a sequel to a book with a dead author, like if someone were to pick up Lord of the Rings right now, and other authors have done with Dune. Unfortunately, it just never quite feels the same, and this is especially true here, where two different cultures rest in a strange sort of amalgamation that just isn't the same as the original.

Aeneid 2
A bloody slaughter of Troy. It is certainly a different perspective from the one we are given in The Iliad. Here we see the merciless slaughter of Priam, and the Greek's unrelenting conquest of the city. Gone is Achilles mercy and patience, this is man and war. It was interesting to see how the gods were blamed by Aeneus' mother. Helen was not given a very sympathetic portrayal in this version either. Even the Trojans blame her for the war. Why? She was a traitor, and traitors were not looked well upon. Perhaps this has something to do with the nationalism of Rome?

Aeneid 3
This book had some interesting mythological references: the harpies, the gorgon, the cyclops... why were these all absent in The Iliad? Is this simply a Roman invention? The harpies are also able to prophecy... are they some kind of divine creature?

Aeneid 4
The tragic queen... she was driven mad with rage having fallen so in love Aeneus because of cupid. The gods seemed to engineer some kind of plot against fate, but fate would have none of it. Fate urges on Aeneus even when there may have been a chance to spare some of the tragedy. Why couldn't he have listened to Anna and stayed for a bit? I suppose the fates consider the founding of Rome to be more important than one individual's suffering. Perhaps this is a metaphor... the suffering of conquered kingdoms is inevitable. The suffering of individuals in the growth of Rome is simply a price to be paid for the glory of a kingdom decreed by the fates?

Aeneid 5
Sometimes the gods seem like they are scapegoats for irrational behavior. The women, tired of sailing from place to place, want to settle, and so they burn the ships down in an emotional outcry. Are they really doing this on behalf of the gods? Did Aeneus really leave his “lover” because the gods told him or did he just get wanderlust? The function of the gods really seems to be different from the Iliad in some ways in that they are more manipulative.

The wrestling match in the funeral games was perhaps a predictor of the rise of Rome. The old man who won the match seems like Troy, who in its youth, was powerful and strong, but will rise again even in its old age and win the day, just as the old man did.

Aristotle: On Poetics

Aristotle stresses how imitation is a natural thing for human beings to do. Actors, dancers, tragedies and comedies, and people enjoy watching other people imitate other people. Therefore, we have poesis, the act of creating something. Comedy imitates the inferior. Epic poetry, on the other hand, imitates great. It has speech and meter. He elevates tragedy above epic poetry. Tragedy imitates action because being happy or miserable come from ones actions. The people in the tragedies are more devices for the actions to be carried out. Tragedies seem to be plot driven then, in his estimation instead of character driven like the modern emphasis is. He likes stories to have a beginning, a middle and an end.

Aristotle thinks that stories ought to have a consistent single action, and that all of the parts must contribute to this whole. Poesis is about stuff that could happen. Poetry is concerned with universals while history with particulars, according to Aristotle. He hates episodic poetry! He would not have liked modern day TV shows.

I wonder if the notion of "recognition" is from the philosophy that we have all the knowledge of the world inside our heads and are working on "recovering" it, and this is part of the role of the poet. He talks about conflict and resolution, modern day terms, as conflict and unraveling.

He's a formalist in the sense of how he is concerned with meter, and prescriptive in his definitions. I wonder if, being a formalist, he is an idealist, and being an idealist, is where the idea of recognition comes from. Need to study up on Aristotle again.

Epic poetry, he describes has a greater magnitude of impact than regular tragedy. Yet, he seems to think tragedy is the higher art form.

Iliad 21, 22, 23, 24

Iliad 21
The endgame has been written and is being played out. There is no more room for mercy or goodwill that may have come earlier, at least, in the eyes of mortals. For now Achilles brings death and destruction whereever he goes. Though the gods continue to mettle. The clash of the elements, fire and water suggest dialectical tensions in the heirarchies of the gods that mirror the tensions between individuals and between states. Achilles seems to have the stronger gods on his side in this battle.

Iliad 22
Hector knows he is no match for Achilles, but even as he thinks about it, he decides to run away. They run 3 times around the city. Their doom has been decided by the fates, and then resigned to by the gods. Hector's death is brutal. Achilles spares him no mercy, even in death. Achilles seems to be almost inhuman, purely consumed by rage. Helen blames the fates for the destiny of herself and Hector, and mourns the future of her child. I was really struck by the lack of restraint shown by Achilles when he seemed able to restrain himself so much earlier on, but I guess he was already resigned to dying and so he didn't fear the consequences anymore of his actions.

It was creepy how Zeus laughed and was having a ball during all of the battles.

Iliad 23
The funeral games provide a nice bit of relief for the tired and mournful Acheans. Even Achilles seems to lighten up some. The gods continue to mettle, however, even in the games, just as they did in war. It seems that watching men compete and seek to dominate is entertainment, whether it be in sport or war. Yet, it seems that in war, sometimes it goes deeper, at least when they have familial connections to the humans or see things as dishonorable, in Poseidon's case. It was nice to see the characters acting as they normally would. Nestor was given a cup in honor of his oldness and talked about when he was a young athlete. There was even some humor in this chapter, which most of the book has been devoid of, except for some darker humor.

Iliad 24
The gods remain concerned with the fates of men. In this case, they are concerned about Hector's body and Achille's grief; although they disagree on what's more important. Ultimately, even Achilles is moved to pity Priam and give the body back for ransom. Priam is not too trusting though, and leaves in the night so they may have Hector's funeral. The last chapter was one of the most human, moving scenes in the whole book for both the Trojans and the Acheans.

Iliad 16, 17, 18, 19, 20

Iliad 16
It was further revealed in this chapter that even Zeus is subject to the fates, though he may oppose them. The consequences of opposing them are not revealed, but it is definitely looked down upon by the gods. Zeus had to witness the death of his own son, and did not pull him out of harms way in the manner of other gods and men in earlier chapters. Perhaps this restraint is evidence of Zeus' heiarchal placement above the others gods? Patroclus finally falls in this chapter to Hector, but we know the Hector's death is only moments away.

Iliad 17
A bloody battle ensues over the fallen body of Patroclus. The similes continue to build up the image of an offended lion who has put up with the death of a cub and continued attack, though the lion must stay at bay, it continues to build in anger. This foreshadows, I believe, the coming of Achilles to the battle who will turn the tide. The animal imagery is incredible. Even more so is the picture of Achilles' horses, who weep for the loss of Patroclus. Zeus even hears their cries and instills in them a deadly fire with which they burn to fight the enemy. The war has become very animal like in humans as well. It is a bloody contest of honor... two sides fueled by continued stimulation from the gods like cocaine, they are determined to burn themselves out until the bloody end. It would seem the gods almost wonder what they have done as they watch their favorites die bloody deaths.

lliad 18
In a moment of temporary respite from battle, the Greeks barely get Patroclus out of the battle, with the two Ajaxs' holding off a swarm of Trojans. Achilles mourns the loss of his comrade and is roused to battle, though he grieves through the night with the other Greeks for the loss of a great man. Hephaestus forges the great armor for Achilles. A shield that represents the culture, the struggle of life and all that is being fought for. Crafted 5 layers thick, this shield is nothing to laugh at. It is almost like a nuclear weapon in the hands of an angry, powerful giant, and Thetis is taking it to Achilles.

Iliad 19
Achilles is stricken with grief and rage such that he can't think rationally. Thankfully, Odysseus helps get the troops a meal. Here, it is revealed that Agamemnon is not necessarily to blame for his insult to Achilles, but rather it was a trick of the meddling gods. Now, the dispute is out in the open. Many women and gifts are given to Achilles, but he knows he is going to die anyway, so it doesn't really matter, although I was surprised he didn't care to see Breichius, his wife. Athena helps Achilles get some nourishment for the battle and he puts on his god-forged armor, ready to unleash his fury on the Trojans who are about to lose the war.

Iliad 20
The gods now enter into battle, picking sides, and it is not clear what Zeus has ordained, though we know the Greeks will win. Achilles enters the battle with rage. It becomes clear that the gods who support the Trojans think like the trojans. Like the earlier chapter when they sent warriors into battle that would not survive, Apollo sends Aeneus into battle against Achilles knowing he will not survive and not planning on helping him. This makes a worse case for the Trojans. The gore described magnifies and signifies the rage of Achilles, his godlike wrath and destruction.

Iliad 15

In this chapter, the glory of the Trojans seems to meet its highest point so far. Hector is aided by the gods to come back to war, and does so, striking fear into the hearts of the Acheans. They are pushed back to their ships, where the battle is taken. The battle rages on and many die. Ajax (one of them) rallies the Greeks in an incredible series of leaps from ship to ship. Zeus makes it known that this is the extent of the Trojan glory and they will start to lose now to the Acheans. However, Hector is given glory and honor. Also interesting was the bit at the start of the chapter about Hera convincing the gods to let Zeus be Zeus. I would have liked to see Poseidon have a deathmatch with Zeus, however, and I wish the story had taken this path. Poseidon seems to be more honorable, although the younger, and therefore not as favored by the fates.

Iliad 14

A lot is happening in this chapter. Agamemnon gets a little anxious and wants to leave the battle, but not to be so. Hera, meanwhile, launches a plot to seduce Zeus and distract him from the battle while Poseidon continues to be the god of metal and wreak havoc. I thought it was interesting that Zeus can be manipulated in this way. Up until now, he seemed pretty unswayable.

Iliad 13

Poseidon should be called the "god of metal". He's awesome in this chapter, rousing the Achaens to battle. He's sick of Zeus's inactivity in watching the men get slaughtered. It was interesting, when the Ajax's form up a fighting column, they use the best armour they can find. Though they strip armor off of fallen enemies for pride, they also do it for more practical reasons. When Idomeneus took down Othryoneus, he seemed particularly taunting and bloodthirsty. The war seems to be getting more personal. Menelaus criticizes the Trojans for being too warlike.