Discuss Aeneid 1.1-33 as an epic opening

1. Discuss Aeneid 1.1-33 as an epic opening (2,000 words)

Virgil’s Aeneid is one of the most famous works of ancient Rome and tells the story of Aeneas, a Trojan warrior, who is destined by fate to found a new city following the sack of Troy. This mission is not without its difficulties and, due to forces outside of his control, Aeneas spends many years wandering before he finally reaches Italy. The opening of any narrative is an important way to outline important themes, set the tone and introduce key characters and the opening of the Aeneid is no different in this respect. However, this essay seeks to establish the what constitutes an epic opening and question whether the first thirty-three lines of this extended poem fit the criteria for it to be considered as such and place Virgil alongside the great epic writers such as Homer and Ennius.

The definition of an epic poem is not completely straightforward. Whilst in metrical terms, the sole characteristic of an epic poem, and therefore an epic opening, is verse in successive hexameters, the genre has acquired a narrower definition throughout the ages. Nowadays, according to the Oxford Classical Dictionary, epic refers to “hexameter narrative poems on the deeds of gods, heroes and men”.^[1] These long poems also frequently tell the legendary tales of national heroes, praising the deeds of mythical ancestors and provide the contemporary reader with a model of behavior to emulate.^[2] The style and language used in an epic are also key features and these include the use of grandiose similes, archaic language and detailed descriptions. At the time of writing the Aeneid, Homer was the well established father of epic, having written both the Odyssey and the Iliad, and had established the norms of this genre.

Firstly, it is important to establish whether the content that is dealt with in these opening lines fits with that of previous epic works. Due to the inextricable link between the epic genre and Homer, allusions to the Greek author and his works run through the Aeneid and are present in this passage. The first (and most discussed) nod to his predecessor comes immediately in the first two words “arma virumque”^[3] as this phrase recalls both the start of the Iliad and also the Odyssey which, respectively, deal with the theme of war and the tale of one man and his tasks and so each word of this phrase can be said to correspond to a famous Homeric work. Furthermore, both works of Homer begin with a single word which introduces a key theme of the poem, in the Iliad this is “wrath”^[4] whereas in the Odyssey, Homer uses the same vocabulary as Virgil and beings the poem with the term “man” (andra)^[5] and so it can be said that the structure of the sentence mirrors Homer’s way of immediately setting out key themes which the epic work will deal with. Not only does this short phrase invoke Homer but it also establishes the structure of the twelve book narrative poem that is to following by suggesting that half of this epic (VII-XII) will be “Iladic”, and therefore tell of wars, whilst the other half (Books I-VI) will be “Odyssean” and deal with wanderings of a hero.^[6] Therefore, the purpose of this two-word opening phrase not only immediately indicates that epic themes will be dealt with but sets out the narrative framework.

The involvement and actions of the gods is one of the epic genres defining characteristics and, like Homer, Virgil introduces this aspect of the poem in his proem. In particular, the hostility of an angry deity causing trouble for the hero is a theme which recurs throughout the Odyssey, for example when Poseidon “continued to rage unceasingly against godlike Odysseus”^[7], and in the Iliad where Hera continuously involves herself in order to make trouble for the Trojans on account of her love for the Greeks. The opening lines of Virgil’s epic explicitly states that Hera’s hostility towards the Trojans will continue through Juno (“savae memorem Iuonis ob iram”^[8]) and will be the reason why the Trojans are forced to wander aimlessly for years until reaching the shores of Italy.^[9] The setting out of divine intervention as a key theme is also not solely found at the beginning of Homeric epic but also in the opening of Apollonius’ Argonautica as, upon seeing Jason, Poseidon “arranged for him the ordeal of a very arduous voyage”.^[10] Through these examples it is clear that writing of Juno’s anger in this passage (and the storm that Aeolus will conjure up on her command shortly after) are in keeping with the tradition of the content of epic openings.

As previously stated, it is not solely the content that the poem deals with which establishes it as part of the epic genre, but also the stylistic elements and Virgil is in keeping with this in a number of ways. The epic tone is of importance, created through specific choices of language and Virgil adopts this authoritativeness in line 15 in saying “quam Iuno fertur terris magis omnibus unam”^[11] as “fertur” keeps the narrative tone objective and is part of the “language of tradition and authority” according to Feeney.^[12] Archaic language also adds to the solemn style of writing and the archaic genitive form is a particular mark of this epic style.^[13] Examples of this in the opening lie in line 4, “vi superum saevae memorem Iunois ob iram”^[14] as “superum” and “Iuonis” as are both antiquated genitive forms, used commonly in epic. Homeric’s stylistic influence can also be seen in Virgil’s writing in line 18, “tenditque fovetque”^[15] as the “-que…-que” phrasing is typical of epic, found in Ennius as well as corresponding to the Greek “τε… τε”, commonly seen in Homer.^[16] 

The ekphrasis, a passage which breaks from the narrative in order to describe a scene. is another key epic stylistic device.^[17] In this opening passage, the scene described is that of Carthage and Virgil follows traditional Homeric models to begin his ekphrasis by saying “urbs antiqua fuit”^[18], the same language and line positioning which Homer uses in the Iliad 6.152 to describe Ephyre.^[19] Here, it is significant that Virgil choses to describe Carthage, a city against whom Rome waged many savage wars, once against Hannibal and again, when it was razed to the ground, and so this would strike a contemporary Roman audience. By emphatically placing the word “Karthago”^[20] at the beginning of line 13, emphasis is further added to this place which Virgil, later in book 1, will twin with Rome and develop the story of Dido to add an etiological aspect to this epic and explain the reason for the hostility between the two cities.

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