Arma virumque cano – Virgil
“I sing of arms and of a man…”
Virgil’s masterpiece, the Aeneid is a Latin epic poem widely regarded as one of the greatest master works of that genre. It is a retelling of the legend of the Trojan Aeneas’ journey to Italy and how the Trojans are the ancestors of Rome. It does so in 9,896 lines of dactylic hexameter. Half of the twelve books tell of wandering from Troy to Italy. The latter six of the books deal with the victory of the Trojans over the Latins and the rise of Rome.
This founding myth and national epic for the founding of Rome also explains the Punic Wars, glorifies virtue and legitimates the Julio-Claudian dynasty as the descendants of Troy’s heroes and Gods.
There is a great deal of information to go over with respect to this epic. It seems best to leave the background for now and just share the literature until the next time.
The Second book of the Aeneid may be read as a text here:
http://www.bartleby.com/13/2.html#385
Or listened to here in an audiobook format:
ALOHA PROMISES FOREVER 