The Aeneid Chapter 8
By Amelia and Raj
Main Characters
Turnus
Warrior from Latinum who
has roused an army to fight off Aneas and his followers.
CHARACTERS
Aeneas
Warrior from Troy who
is destined to build a great city on the shore of
Pallas
King Evander
Son of King Evander Pallas is a young warrior who goes with Aeneas to learn the art of war
The King of Pallanteum, he becomes a friend of Aneas and offers support to fight the Latinians
GODS
Juno (Hera)
Jupiter (Zeus)
GODS
The Queen of the gods and wife of Jupiter she hates the Trojans because they are destined to destroy Carthage, her favorite city.
The King of the gods, Jupiter is the closest to fate, he makes sure Aeneas is able to fufill his fate, he is presented as logical and level-headed compared to the goddesses
Venus (Aphrodite)
Velucan (Hephastus)
Goddess of love she is also Aeneas' mom and does her best to help him.
God of fire and metalsmithing he is the husband of Venus and is deeply in love with her.
Summary Book 8
- King Evander shows Aeneas through the city, pointing out landmarks and telling him old stories
- Aeneas and the Pallateums go to sleep, but Venus is worried about her son
- Venus pursuades her husband Vulcan to make armor for Aeneus
- King Evander tells Aeneus that he should recruit some of the nearby cities
- King Evander entrusts his son Pallas to Aeneas
- Aeneas and his new recruits ride out, they are met by Venus who gives Aeneas his new armor
- The armor depicts the future glories of Rome
- Turnus gathers forces to fight against Aeneas
- Aeneas is upset about having to go to war. He dreams that the sea nymph Tiberinus comes to him
- Aeneas sails easily to Pallateum with the help of Tiberinus
- Aeneas meets with King Evander and Pallas, King Evander promises to help Aeneas
- King Evander invites Aeneas to participate in their sacrifice to the great hero Herculues
- The Store of Herculues: An evil monster named Cacus inhabited a neighby cave, he killed many people and could belch fire. Hercules fought Cacus and deafeated him by ripping out the top of the mountain and raining spears down on Cacus
Portrayal of Women
ANALYSIS
- Jupiter is portrayed as "typical" man (level-headed, logical etc) while the goddesses, Juno and Venus, are emotional
- Venus manipulates Vulcan by using sex to convince him to make armor for her son Aeneas, it's a degrading plotline
- There is a lack of women in this chapter, all the main human characters are men
Forgiveness
FORGIVENESS
- Theme of forgiveness of the wrongs done during the Trojan War.
- Aeneas: "I was not alarmed at the thought that you are a leader of greeks, an Arcadian and joined by blood to the two sons of Atreus, for I am joined to you by my courage and by the holy oracles of the gods..."
- Supplication to Hera
Quote 1
"The Trojan hero [Aeneas], descendent of Laomedon, saw it all [Turnus rallying his army] and great tides of grief flowed in his heart."
QUOTES
Interesting because a hero isn't typically sad to go to war, compares with Hector, who is one of the only other main characters who doesn't relish killling.
Quote 2
"Hercules was past all patience. He threw himself straight down, leaping through the flames where the smoke spouted thickest and the black cloud boiled in the vast cavern. ˇThere, as Cacus vainly belched his fire in the darkness, Hercules caught him in a grip and held him, forcing his eyes out of their sockets and squeezing his throat till the blood was dry in it."
QUOTE 2
The story of Hercules is a main focus in book 8. This passage is incredibly gory, it sounds like something one would read today. It's interesting that such ruthless violence was so celebrated.
Quotes 3
QUOTE 3
"The goddess took him gently in her white arms and caressed him, and caressed him again. Suddenly he caught fire as he always did. The old heat he knew so well pierced to the marrow of his bones and coursed through them till they melted, as in a thunderstorm when a fiery-flashing rift bursts the clouds and runs through them in dazzling brightness. His wife knew and was pleased. She was well aware of her beauty and she knew how to use it."
THis depicts sexism and shows how women and many gods have full control in determing the fate and destiny of mortals.
The Iliad
ASSOCIATIONS
- Goddess giving armor to son: In The Iliad Achillies mother Thetis convinces Hephastus to make a new set of armor for her son, in The Aneid Aeneas' mother Venus convinces Vulcan (Hephastus) to make a new set of armor, both Achillies and Aeneas win their respective battles
- Juno/Hera grudge: The goddess plays a big role in both books because of her grudge against the Trojans. It all stems back to Paris not picking her in a beauty contest, connects to sexist portrayl of women as emotional and manipulative
Gilgamesh
GILGAMESH
- Dreams: Aeneas is given a message from Tiberinus in his dreams, similarly dreams were used as a form of communication in Gilgamesh, Enkidu and Gilgamesh both recieved prophetic dreams
The Ramyana
THE
RAMAYANA
- Stories within stories: The Ramayana included many stories within stories, in Book 8 there are two stories within stories, the tale of Hercules as told to Aeneas by King Evander as well as the tales of the land of Pallanteum
- Leaving home country: Rama was exiled and had to leave his home country, Aeneas had to leave Troy in order to fufill his destiny and build Rome
Questions
Do you think the portral of Venus in this chapter is a positive or negative representation of women?
QUESTIONS
How do you guys think the story of Hercules relates to the overall story happening in Book 8?