From Spirit come the races of man and beast...

'From Spirit come the races of man and beast,
The life of birds, odd creatures the deep sea
Contains beneath her sparkling surfaces,
And fiery energy from a heavenly source
Belongs to the generative seeds of these,
So far as they are not poisoned or clogged
By mortal bodies, their free essence dimmed
By earthiness and deathliness of flesh.'

This is such a fascinating passage to me, for in this view 'the Spirit' is somewhat pantheistic in that is in all things and connects all things; it is also what every being returns to in death. This relates interestingly to Plato, for according to him, the spiritual is the actual reality. So for both, the physical is not permanent, but a blocking or poisoning of the essence of mankind. Once again, we see the potential window of influence Plato's thought had on Virgil. This belief that there is no need to fear death because of the resulting peace has certainly influenced our christian thought today.

Losing the fight.

I am in love with the Anead.

soldiers,
brave as you are to no end, if you crave
to face the last fight with me, and no doubt of it,
how matters stand for us each no one can see.
The gods who by this kingdom stood are gone,
Gone from the shrines and altars. You defend
a city lost in flames.come, let us die,
we'll make a rush into the thick of it.
The conqured have one safety: hope for none.

One of the most beautiful things about this story, to me, is the portrayal of war. I love it. I don't even know what to say about it other than it's brilliant. I think there's something so noble about fighting when the 'gods have departed'. Maybe because it seems like something our culture has lost. I mean we want to win- always. it's hard to comprehend fighting for the sake of something you know is lost. And yet I think it's kind of beautiful. It's like fighting for something bigger than yourself. It's a spiritual redemption of a physical fall.

The Affair

The affair of Dido and Aeneas is a curious one. It is not to different from modern-day relationships. As humans, we so many times give into our lustful nature, and that is exactly what Dido and Aeneas did. We see at the end of book four how that turned out for them. Aeneas leaves, and Dido is so heart broken over his departure she kills herself. What good does adultery provide? None. It brings deceit and heart break into life. In Song of Solomon, the beloved says, "Oh daughters of Israel, I charge you: Do not awaken love until it so pleases." She says this in three different places (2:7, 3:5, and 8:4). I presume that if she feels the need to say this on so many different occasions it's probably something we should live by. I believe their behavior was uncalled for, and they see this through the consequences of their actions. 

PS. I commented on Michelle's "The Underworld"

Aeneas as a Leader

One of the qualities that I admire the most in Aeneas is his leadership. Many great leaders love their men and are extremely tactful in battle. The difference that sets Aeneas apart from other great leaders is his compassion. This can be argued in the case of his relationship with Dido, but with his men there is no doubt. He is deeply affected when he looses one of his men. He mourns the most for Misenus when they find his body. If Aeneas asks his men to do something he is right beside them working just as hard to show them he is not just going to command them to do something and then not do it himself. Many leaders can take this power to the extreme and that is when they become tyrants. Aeneas does not want to hold his power over his men as a threat. Through Aeneas' compassion and actions, I believe he shows the best qualities of a leader.

P.S.- I commented on Katelyn Ewing's post.

Oh Dido

    Tonight I want to write about Dido.  This is the character that broke my heart, I totally wanted to take her side. She, seems, like a innocent victim.   Queen Dido is a the type of woman I would like to be, until at least an Aeneid comes into the picture.  She is well-rounded Roman woman, I mean Phoenician.  She is kind, compassionate, gracious to strangers, looks out for the good of her people. Her kingdom is happy place, busy and alive, constructing and growing, they are also up to date on current events, they serve the gods regularly.   She also has had hardships and misfortunes, so she can relate to Aeneis.  Clearly, this is a strong lady.
    Then the gods, as usual, have to go and mess with people. Dido for so long has only loved her deceased husband, but when Cupid comes, he makes her fall in love with Aeneas.  Her and Aeneas have an affair, which in her mind is a marriage. Aeneas is reminded of his mission, he leaves her.  Dido, heartbroken, falls into what is clearly a depression.  Her she has been robbed of her honor, her glory and her heart, all she gave fully to him.  Aeneas made her a tarnished woman, and now she not a fit queen.  She's left with the anger of previous suitors, an unfinished wall to protect her people, and a broken spirit.  How could one not fall into a depression?
    Killing herself was not something that impressed me, after Aeneas left, she couldn't shake him. Life was no longer worth living, and she forgot about her people, her kingdom and her sister.
   Dido, however, taught me a lesson. People can be incredible leaders, but by putting their trust in man, their lives will come to ruin. Also that the consequences of your decisions never affect solely yourself.

P.S. commented on Sam's post

Bitter Much?

One of the most interesting things that I came across in the Aeneid was the fact that Juno continued to pursue revenge on Aeneas regardless of the fact that he was fated to prevail in the end. I hate to keep ranting on the same subjects, but I could not help but getting almost frustrated at the tension between the Gods and different cosmic orders caused by their oh so human frailty. For the whole of the story up until her turnaround in book twelve, she continues to seek spiteful revenge simply because Paris had chosen Venus as the more beautiful of the two and the prophecy concerning the Romans and Carthage.   I understand that when Juno finally yields in the end and simply asks that the Latin name and language be kept,  she is, in a sense, bringing about the resolution of the story by ceasing to continue being the primary antagonist against Aeneas. My problem still remains though, that I just can't respect a god harboring that bitter a grudge against a mortal for those reasons. Although these epic tales all make great stories, I guess I'll just never be able to come to terms with their gods being so pitifully human.

PS I commented on Katelyn Ewing's

Infants in the Underworld

I'm not sure that this is a normal response, and I don't know if this detail of the underworld is really even important in the rest of the text, but in book VI around line 575 those who passes away as infants are mentioned, and I felt really bad for these children.  The first thing I noticed was the sound of the infants' wailing could be heard.  Therefore, those who died in infancy were probably destined to exist in the underworld as infants, both physically and mentally; however, if this were not the case, they were forced to exist knowing of the life that they never had the opportunity to experience. Neither situation pleasant in my eyes.  They were deprived of the opportunity to ever learn and grow.  When I picture this scene, I imagine as the infant spirits crying alone without their mothers or any type of caregiver or nurturer.  Compared with the picture that I would assume most Christians hold about the afterlife of those who pass away in infancy, it seems to me to be a drastically different situation.

P.S. I commented on Molly Gray's "Changing the Names."