How important is an understanding of historical and political context when reading Virgil’s

Aeneid? (30 marks)

In my opinion, an understanding of the historical and political context is not vital to

understand and appreciate Virgil’s Aeneid. Most of the scenes and storylines are easy to
follow for readers, regardless of context. However, knowing the context behind some
scenes would of course make it more interesting and enhance the reader’s understanding.

There are plenty of scenes in the Aeneid where context is not needed. In Book 1, the reader
might be wondering why Juno is trying to sink Aeneas’ ship, but Virgil explains this - that
Juno hates Aeneas because ‘she had heard that there was rising from the blood of Troy a
race of men who in days to come would overthrow’ her favourite city Carthage, and the
judgement of Paris, and Zeus replacing her daughter with a Trojan. This scene and the rest
of the book are engaging enough that it doesn’t matter if the reader doesn’t have context –
Virgil goes on to describe Juno managing to start a storm and Aeneas’ reaction. We see
things like the relationships between the gods (Juno and Aeolus, Juno and Jupiter etc.) and
the hierarchy that exists within the immortal world when Neptune reprimands Aeolus, as
well as being introduced to the character of Aeneas and watching/analysing his reaction to
the troubling situation with the storm. Again in Book 2, the reader doesn’t need to know
anything about the Trojan war in order to understand what is happening – the story of the
Trojan horse is told, and all the reader needs to know is that the Trojans lost the war and
were subjected to a horrific sack of their city. In a particularly engaging scene, Aeneas’
father refuses to leave with Aeneas: We feel Aeneas’ frustration at his father: he and his
family have endured such hardship, having to watch their beloved city burn to the ground,
and Anchises’ refusal to get to safety is the last thing Aeneas needs right now. Virgil
emphasises Aeneas’ stress and frustration when Aeneas says ‘Death was the only thing I
could hope for.’ Earlier in the book, Aeneas has been told by Hector that his duty is to find a
new home for the Trojans. Aeneas knows he must leave as soon as possible to ensure that
he is safe and able to fulfil his duty to the gods, but Anchises’ refusal to leave means Aeneas
is faced with the heart-breaking decision to potentially leave his father behind for the sake
of fulfilling this duty. The situation is made even more complex because, although we feel
frustrated and slightly irritated at Anchises for creating another obstacle for Aeneas, we can
empathise with him: he is old and frail (therefore unlikely to survive) and does not want to
abandon the city he has spent his whole life in. Neither side is wrong here, and this
emphasises the difficult and stressful situation Aeneas and Anchises are in, making the
passage dramatic. None of this analysis needs any context and is incredibly moving. In short,
most of the scenes in this book and the Aeneid as a whole are interesting enough that the
reader wouldn’t feel like context is necessary to fully engage and appreciate the storyline.

However, certain scenes could seem strange or unnecessary to a reader if they didn’t have
context. For example in Book 8, when Aeneas is given his new shield made by Hephaestus, it
might seem strange to a reader that the description of the shield is so detailed and lengthy,
and they might not be familiar with some of the people on the shield and their stories.
Knowing that Virgil used the shield to glorify (or criticise) Rome and Augustus would greatly
enhance a reader’s understanding. In the centre of the shield, Augustus is shown ‘leading
men of Italy into battle’, referring to the battle of Actium where Augustus defeated Marc
Antony and Cleopatra. Here Virgil is clearly glorifying Augustus, almost comparing him to a
god with his ‘radiant forehead’ and celebrating his glorious win in the battle. Virgil also
makes clear that the gods approve of Augustus by saying he sailed with ‘favouring gods’,
implying that they praise his rule and think he is the good and rightful leader of Rome. Again
in Book 6 with the extremely long parade of Romans whom Aeneas sees in the underworld:
It would help to know that Virgil is glorifying Augustus by confirming his connection to
Aeneas and therefore Venus. As Spence says, Virgil ‘leads us through the Forum of Augustus
transposed to the underworld’. Understanding the intricate references in both these scenes
to the values of Rome and Augustus would greatly enhance the understanding of the
reader.

Lastly, it could be argued that because Augustus commissioned the Aeneid, it is inherently a
political book and therefore the context is vital to understand. Whilst I agree that some level
of context would help when understanding the poem, I disagree that it’s important to
understand the debate on whether Virgil was glorifying or criticising Augustus, because
scholars have been debating the matter for years and have not come to a conclusion (and
most likely never will). As Jenkyns says, there has been a division in the criticism of Virgil’s
Aeneid between ‘optimists’ and ‘pessimists’ (those who think Virgil was glorifying Augustus
vs those who think he was not). There are many arguments for and against, such as Virgil
clearly glorifying Augustus as mentioned earlier in the shield of Aeneas, but then also
potentially insulting Augustus by perhaps comparing him to Hercules (whose values did not
align with Augustus’, who believed strongly in stoicism whereas Hercules tended to show
furor). Because the issue will probably never be agreed upon and there are so many
different arguments for and against, I don’t really believe that it would benefit a reader to
understand the complex analysis behind the glorification/criticism of Augustus.

In conclusion, the historical and political context can be important at times when reading
the Aeneid. Although most of the scenes in the poem do not need an understanding of the
context to be engaging and interesting, in certain scenes like the description of the shield
and the parade of Romans, it can really enhance a reader’s understanding. However,
because scholars have never really agreed upon the issue with Virgil either glorifying or
criticising Augustus, I don’t think that it’s extremely important for a reader to make a
decision on or understand the complex arguments for each side.