Ap Latin Caesar & Virgil Essay
Krystin Kowalski
Miss Sampson
AP Latin
30 April 2013
Essay
Caesar and Vergil discuss the motivations behind the actions of their characters in battle. Caesar describes what encourages his characters to engage in battle while Virgil describes the reasoning behind Aeneas and the other survivors for retreating from the siege. In the passage from Caesar it is obvious that the soldiers are hesitant to engage in battle according to Caesar in line 1 “atque nostris militibus cunctantibus” (and our soldiers were hesitating). The soldiers were hesitant because they are not use to fighting in the water especially since it is deep in line 1 “propter altitudinem maris” (because the altitude of the sea). I know that it is reasonable for them to be hesitant based on the prior knowledge I have from reading this book because these soldiers end up drowning while they fight because their armor is too heavy compared to the enemy who are used to fighting in water.
Caesar describes how a fellow soldier motivates his comrades to engage in battle by challenging their loyalty to the legion in line 3 “nisi vultus aquilam hostibus prodere” (unless you wish to give up the eagle to the enemy). This quote is what initiates the motivation because their values as a Roman is loyalty to each other, their people and government so the last thing they would want is to betray their legion by allowing the enemy to capture the eagle, which symbolizes their legion and superiority. This soldier continues his speech by encouraging patriotism from his comrades in lines 3-4 “ego certe meum rei publicae atque imperatori officium praestitero” (I certainly will perform duty to the republic and the commander). This quote is the message to the rest of the soldiers that they must fulfill their duty as Roman soldiers and he makes it even more powerful by leaping off the ship and charging into the deep waters toward the enemy in line 4 “se ex navi proiecit atque in hostes” (he himself leaped from the ship
Miss Sampson
AP Latin
30 April 2013
Essay
Caesar and Vergil discuss the motivations behind the actions of their characters in battle. Caesar describes what encourages his characters to engage in battle while Virgil describes the reasoning behind Aeneas and the other survivors for retreating from the siege. In the passage from Caesar it is obvious that the soldiers are hesitant to engage in battle according to Caesar in line 1 “atque nostris militibus cunctantibus” (and our soldiers were hesitating). The soldiers were hesitant because they are not use to fighting in the water especially since it is deep in line 1 “propter altitudinem maris” (because the altitude of the sea). I know that it is reasonable for them to be hesitant based on the prior knowledge I have from reading this book because these soldiers end up drowning while they fight because their armor is too heavy compared to the enemy who are used to fighting in water.
Caesar describes how a fellow soldier motivates his comrades to engage in battle by challenging their loyalty to the legion in line 3 “nisi vultus aquilam hostibus prodere” (unless you wish to give up the eagle to the enemy). This quote is what initiates the motivation because their values as a Roman is loyalty to each other, their people and government so the last thing they would want is to betray their legion by allowing the enemy to capture the eagle, which symbolizes their legion and superiority. This soldier continues his speech by encouraging patriotism from his comrades in lines 3-4 “ego certe meum rei publicae atque imperatori officium praestitero” (I certainly will perform duty to the republic and the commander). This quote is the message to the rest of the soldiers that they must fulfill their duty as Roman soldiers and he makes it even more powerful by leaping off the ship and charging into the deep waters toward the enemy in line 4 “se ex navi proiecit atque in hostes” (he himself leaped from the ship