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A Study of the Text, Language and Imagery of Vergil's Aeneid9 176-502

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A Study of the Text, Language and Imagery of Vergil's Aeneid9 176-502 Durham E-Theses A study of the text, language and imagery of Vergil's Aeneid9 176-502 Donaldson, Sarah Jane How to cite: Donaldson, Sarah Jane (1992) A study of the text, language and imagery of Vergil's Aeneid9 176-502, Durham theses, Durham University. Available at Durham E-Theses Online: http://etheses.dur.ac.uk/6010/ Use policy The full-text may be used and/or reproduced, and given to third parties in any format or medium, without prior permission or charge, for personal research or study, educational, or not-for-prot purposes provided that: • a full bibliographic reference is made to the original source • a link is made to the metadata record in Durham E-Theses • the full-text is not changed in any way The full-text must not be sold in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders. Please consult the full Durham E-Theses policy for further details. Academic Support Oce, Durham University, University Oce, Old Elvet, Durham DH1 3HP e-mail: [email protected] Tel: +44 0191 334 6107 http://etheses.dur.ac.uk ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS My thanks are due to my supervisors, Professor A.J. Woodman and Dr J.L. Moles, for their encouragement, their patience and all their invaluable advice. A STUDY OF THE TEXT, LANGUAGE AND IMAGERY OF VERGIL'S A £"A^£/Z) 9.176-502 BY SARAH JANE DONALDSON Submitted for the qualification of M. Litt 1992 ABSTRACT Tills tiiesis consists of a Commentary on Vergil's Aeneid 9. 176-502, using the OCT, edited by R.A.B. Mynors (Oxford, 1972 reprint). It is made up of two parts: Introduction and Commentary. The Introduction comprises sections on tlie characters of Nisus and Euryalus (as they appear in the text and the literary precedents that influenced their depiction); the relationship between them and its ramifications; their position in the Aeneid; tlieir 'type' in the Classical Tradition (with particular attention to their characterisation as warriors); the response of a Roman audience to them and what Vergil's own perception of them might have been in the light of his own supposed homosexuality. The Commentary is divided into five Sections: 1: 176-313 — Plarming and preparation 2: 314-366 — The'^Apicrceiai of Nisus and Euryalus 3: 367^49 — The deaths of Nisus and Euryalus 4: 450472 —Interlude 5: 473-503 — Epilogue: the lament of Euryalus's mother. Each section consists of a brief introduction and commentary on the text contained in it. As a whole, the Commentary deals with textual criticism, the text's relation to the rest of the Aeneid and the works of other Classical authors and the significance of these allusions (with particular attention paid to tlie close parallels witli tlie Homeric Doloneia: Iliad 10). It also deals with the underlying imagery of the homoerotic, elegiac and Platonic ethos of what is essentially an epic and martial setting, and of tlie influence of divine and external forces on the action of the characters. The copyright of this thesis rests with the author. No quotation from it should be published without his prior written consent and information derived from it should be acknowledged. A STUDY OF THE TEXT, LANGUAGE AND IMAGERY OF VERGIL'S AENEID 9.176-502 BY SARAH JANE DONALDSON Submitted for the qualification of M. Litt. to the University of Durham, Department of Classics Year of submission: 1992 DEC 1992 Declaration of authorship The material of this thesis is solely the work of the author and none of it has previously been submitted for a degree in this or any other University or institution Statement of copyright The copyright of this thesis rests with the author. No quotation from it should be published without her prior written consent and information derived from it should be acknowledged. ui LIST OF CONTENTS Page INTRODUCTION — THE CHARACTERS 1 Nisus 1 Euryalus 9 The relationship between Nisus and Euryalus 13 Their position in the Aeneid 22 Their'type'in the Classical Tradition: 27 (a) Nisus as a warrior 27 (b) Euryalus as a warrior 31 A Roman perspective 34 Vergil's perception of Nisus and Euryalus 38 COMMENTARY 42 Section 1: (176-313) Planning and preparation 42 Introduction 42 Commentary 45 Section 2: (314-366) The 'Apioxeiai of Nisus and Euryalus 144 Introduction 144 Commentary 148 Section 3: (367-449) The deaths of Nisus and Euryalus 195 Introduction 195 Commentary 197 Section 4: (450-472) Interlude 265 Introduction 265 Commentary 266 Section 5: (473-503) Epilogue — the lament of Euryalus's mother 281 Introduction 281 Commentary 284 BIBLIOGRAPHY 303 INTRODUCTION — THE CHARACTERS The narrative of Aeneid 9. 176-502 concerns the fortunes of two young waniors, Nisus and Euryalus, their opioxeuxi and deaths. This introduction examines the characters from several aspects: each one as a separate character, their relationship with one another, the part they play in the Aeneid, their 'type' in the classical tradition and what expectation this would raise in Vergil's audience, and what Vergil's attitude might have been to them (on the basis of his description of, and comments on, them in the text). This last topic is particularly hazardous. There is considerable risk of confusing the poetic persona with the real poet (if indeed the latter can be extrapolated from the text at all). Great caution must also be exercised before accepting in full the details in the later Lives of Vergil, most of which were written some considerable time after his death, by which time an extensive legend would have grovm up around so famous a poet. These details particulariy concem Vergil's possible homosexuality, as inferred by Donatus from Eclogue 2, and the question of how this aspect of Vergil's character might affect his framing of his literary characters. NISUS We must envisage Nisus as being somewhere between the age of eighteen and his early twenties if the standard Greek scenario set forth by K.J. Dover can be taken to apply in this case (Dover, 1978, p. 171): ... in general the pursuit of eromenoi was characteristic of the years before marriage. The relationship between the two men seems to have this kind of flavour, an impression reinforced by the Platonic allusions (see Makowski, 1989 passim). There is a set group of standard elements to such a friendship, such as the ip(ii\izvoq being in die flower of his youth, and the epacrrnq being older and more experienced, and these are all referred to within the first eight lines of the episode (176-183). Nisus, the epoccrrnq, has already gained a reputation for his skill and prowess (176 acerrimus armis). He is cleariy older tiian Euryalus, to whom he says (272) tm vita dignior aetas, but still young enough to feel that he must justify his youth to the council of Trojan warriors (235 neve haec nostris spectentur ab annisi quaeferimus). Vergil does not give any physical description of him, but this is typical, or at least very characteristic. He will paint a character by allusion in such a way that a picture is built up in the imagination of the reader without any defmite physical detail being given. Vergil does, however, give a clear psychological portrayal: Nisus is, first and foremost, warlike by nature (176 acerrimus armis). While being besieged, his strongest desire is to do something to relieve the tedium as he cannot bear to be still and passive. Doing sentry-duty is not enough for him, as he himself states (186): outpugnam aut aliquid iamdudum invadere magnum mens agitat mihi, nec placida contenta quiete est. However, despite his essendally dynamic character, he is neither unreasoning nor imprudent. He may wish to expose himself to great danger, but he is initially unwiUing to allow Euryalus to accompany him. This unwillingness arises both from the practical reasoning that he would like someone to avenge him and to ransom his body should he fail, and from the 'moral' reasoning that he is unwiUing to cause grief to Euryalus's mother should anything happen to Euryalus (211-218). He also calls a halt to the slaughter as he feels that they are losing sight of their goal (354-355). Nisus is also capable of rational speculation on the nature of the gods and their influence on men. However, it is this speculation that causes him to overreach himself and indulge the thought of his independence of the gods (185 an sua cuique deus fit dira cupido), thus in effect provoking divine ^Qovoq as can be seen from his ultimate fate (see also Dodds, 1951, esp. pp. 29ff). There is even a hint of daemonic manipulation behind his uttering of these words because, although his thoughts are not, of themselves, impious, he is simply not aware of the inherent danger of seeking freedom from the jealous gods and so in his musings he leaves himself vulnerable to external influences (see Commentary 185 for the implications of dira cupido). As soon as the cupido which leads to the formulation of his plan is identified as dira, it casts a shadow over the subsequent story: this 5ua())rm.ux before a dangerous undertaking courts disaster. This is what makes the denouement of the episode so poignant: throughout there is an uneasy feeling that all will not be well. As J. P. Vemant and P. Vidal-Naquet express it (p. 27): The particular domain of tragedy lies in (the)... border zone where human actions hinge on divine powers and where their true meaning, unsuspected by even those who initiated them and take responsibility for them, is only revealed when it becomes a part of an order that is beyond man and escapes him.
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