Bk I: 1-11 Invocation to the Muse
Virgil: possible test questions
1. Bk I: 1-11 Invocation to the Muse I sing of arms and the man, he who, exiled by fate, first came from the coast of Troy to Italy, and to
Lavinian shores – hurled about endlessly by land and sea, by the will of the gods, by cruel Juno’s remorseless anger, long suffering also in war, until he founded a city and brought his gods to Latium: from that the Latin people came, the lords of Alba Longa, the walls of noble Rome.
Muse, tell me the cause: how was she offended in her divinity, how was she grieved, the Queen of Heaven, to drive a man, noted for virtue, to endure such dangers, to face so many trials? Can there be such anger in the minds of the gods?
* Give a brief overview of the context of the passage. * Explain the significance of the phrase “arms and the man”. What / who are the two themes referred to here? * Who is the speaker, whom does he address, and why? * What is the reason for Juno’s remorseless anger? Who is the object of her anger? * Who is the man “noted for virtue” and why? * How is this passage typical of epic poetry?
2. Bk I: 257-296 Jupiter’s Prophecy ‘Don’t be afraid, Cytherea, your child’s fate remains unaltered:
You’ll see the city of Lavinium, and the walls I promised, and you’ll raise great-hearted Aeneas high, to the starry sky.
…
But the boy Ascanius, surnamed Iulus now (He was Ilus while the Ilian kingdom was a reality) will imperially complete thirty great circles of the turning months.
…
From this glorious source a Trojan Caesar will be born, who will bound the empire with Ocean, his fame with the stars,
Augustus, a Julius, his name descended from the great Iulus.
You, no longer anxious, will receive him one day in heaven, burdened with Eastern spoils: he’ll be called to in prayer.
Then with wars abandoned, the harsh ages will grow mild:
White haired Trust, and Vesta, Quirinus with his brother Remus will make the laws: the gates of War, grim with iron, and narrowed by bars,
1. Bk I: 1-11 Invocation to the Muse I sing of arms and the man, he who, exiled by fate, first came from the coast of Troy to Italy, and to
Lavinian shores – hurled about endlessly by land and sea, by the will of the gods, by cruel Juno’s remorseless anger, long suffering also in war, until he founded a city and brought his gods to Latium: from that the Latin people came, the lords of Alba Longa, the walls of noble Rome.
Muse, tell me the cause: how was she offended in her divinity, how was she grieved, the Queen of Heaven, to drive a man, noted for virtue, to endure such dangers, to face so many trials? Can there be such anger in the minds of the gods?
* Give a brief overview of the context of the passage. * Explain the significance of the phrase “arms and the man”. What / who are the two themes referred to here? * Who is the speaker, whom does he address, and why? * What is the reason for Juno’s remorseless anger? Who is the object of her anger? * Who is the man “noted for virtue” and why? * How is this passage typical of epic poetry?
2. Bk I: 257-296 Jupiter’s Prophecy ‘Don’t be afraid, Cytherea, your child’s fate remains unaltered:
You’ll see the city of Lavinium, and the walls I promised, and you’ll raise great-hearted Aeneas high, to the starry sky.
…
But the boy Ascanius, surnamed Iulus now (He was Ilus while the Ilian kingdom was a reality) will imperially complete thirty great circles of the turning months.
…
From this glorious source a Trojan Caesar will be born, who will bound the empire with Ocean, his fame with the stars,
Augustus, a Julius, his name descended from the great Iulus.
You, no longer anxious, will receive him one day in heaven, burdened with Eastern spoils: he’ll be called to in prayer.
Then with wars abandoned, the harsh ages will grow mild:
White haired Trust, and Vesta, Quirinus with his brother Remus will make the laws: the gates of War, grim with iron, and narrowed by bars,