Re-read from lines 375 ‘when with these words…’ to line ‘desolate haunts of wild beasts’.

How
successfully does Virgil make this passage a dramatic piece of writing? [10 marks]

In this passage, Amata, Queen of Latium, after being infected by the fury Allecto, rages through the
city in an attempt to hide her daughter, Lavinia, in order to delay her marriage with Aeneas.

Here, Virgil creates drama by foreshadowing later events in the epic. The passage begins with Amata
being taken over by ‘the maddening poison’ of Allecto’s influence. Upon this, she is described as
‘unhappy Amata, driven out of her mind by monstrous affliction’, where the epithet ‘unhappy
Amata’ mirrors the descriptions of Dido as she died in book four; this indicates to the reader that
Amata will not survive the whole epic, creating drama and pathos for the once composed Queen.

Virgil also creates drama via the use of an epic simile, where he presents Amata as ‘like a spinning
top’ in her furor. This demonstrates her rapid loss of control and frenzied nature, and the chaos it is
bringing to Latium. Moreover, Virgil goes on to describe her as ‘[like] a plaited whip when boys are
engrossed in their play’; here, it is indicated that Amata is but a pawn in Juno and Allecto’s game,
once again creating pathos for her affliction, and drama as the reader anticipates what is to come.

Virgil further makes the passage dramatic via the presentation of the Italian women as faithless and
animalistic. He describes Amata as unfaithful to her husband as she ‘hides her daughter in the leafy
woods, hoping to cheat the Trojans out of the marriage.’, subverting the expectation of the ideal
wife and Queen as she directly disobeys orders from Latinus and the Gods. Similarly, by carrying
‘animal skins’ and ‘vine shoots’, the Italian women, in their Bacchic worship are presented as
barbaric and animalistic, making the passage dramatic.

The passage can also be considered dramatic as it highlights Amata’s furor, thus linking her to the
antagonist of the epic, Juno, and to other individuals, such as Dido, who display similar villainous
passions and frenzies under the hands of the gods. Amata is described as in a ‘fever of madness’ and
in ‘bloodshot eyes’, reflecting her passion and frenzy as she screams emotively to her fellow women,
asking for sympathy and companionship, showing her isolation and desperation. Thus, the passage is
dramatic through its use of emotive lexis.

Lastly, Virgil makes the passage dramatic by painting Allecto as mischievous and nefarious. The fury
is described as ‘[driving] with the lash of Bacchus through the forest’, demonstrating her chaotic
power and love for violence as she prides herself in the discord she has created, making her a
creature to be feared; this, along with the description of her effect on the once-regal Amata, creates
drama in the narrative.
‘In the ‘Aeneid’ family and family values are presented as more important than Aeneas’ fate or
destiny.’ To what extent do you agree with this statement? You may use the passage as a starting
point. [20 marks]

It can be argued that Virgil shows family values to be important at many times throughout the epic,
such as during Dido’s tragic arc in Book 4. Throughout the ill-fated ‘marriage’, Dido is repeatedly
shown to be devoted to Aeneas, saying ‘this is the only man who has stirred my feelings’. One of the
reasons Dido pursues Aeneas is to know ‘the delight of children’; at the demise of the relationship,
she even wishes that Aeneas had ‘left her a son’ to ease her grief, showing her undying familial piety.
Similarly, the sisterly bond shown between Dido and Anna further conveys the importance of family
in the ‘Aeneid’; Anna refers to Dido as ‘O sister dearer to me than the light of life’, showing the
kindness and familial devotion they naturally feel for one another. Upon the queen’s death, Anna
claims that she has been ‘destroyed’ by the loss, where the verb hyperbolises her grief and suffering.
This is further shown in Anna’s decision to ‘clean [Dido’s] dark blood with her own dress’, showing
the ending of Book 4 to be in stark difference to the beginning, where they joyfully spoke to each
other about Dido’s love for Aeneas. Thus, Virgil uses Dido’s tragic arc to demonstrate that, in the
end, family is the most important and everlasting force, as it is the only thing Dido has at the time
her early death.

Moreover, it can certainly be argued that Virgil presents family values to be above all else, given the
treatment Aeneas gives his family during the fall of Troy, as described in Book 2. After Aeneas is
overtaken by rage at the sight of Helen, it is Venus, his mother, who convinces him to give up
fighting and escape Troy by drawing on his pietas towards his family, emotively asking him, ‘will you
not first go to see where you left your own father, crippled with age […] whether your wife Creusa,
and son Ascanius are still alive?’. Almost immediately, this causes a significant change in Aeneas,
who soon says ‘my first wish is too see my father’, showing his devotion and love for his family.
Moreover, just as he is about to leave to fight again, Creusa reminds him ‘your first duty is to guard
this house’, symbolising Aeneas’ familial obligations to his wife and son. Upon Anchises’ refusal to
leave Troy, the family decide to leave Troy for safety- here, Aeneas is shown to ‘bow down and carry
the burden of his father, son, and the household gods. Not only does this show that, to Aeneas, his
family is as important as the Gods he worships, it also demonstrates how, as Aeneas moves towards
his future, it is his family he does it for. As the epic continues, this motif is seen repeatedly- Aeneas is
reminded constantly, even by the God, Mercury, that this journey to Italy is not only for him, but for
Ascanius, who will lead Aeneas’ descendants in the formation of Rome. Therefore, Virgil shows how
family values are not only important in the Aeneid, but they are perhaps the only reason why Aeneas
pursues his fate in the first place.

However, it can also be argued that family is not the most important force in the Aeneid, but rather,
it is fate that drives everything else in the epic. As Aeneas carries Anchises and Ascanius out of Troy,
he unknowingly leaves his wife, Creusa, behind, which causes her death at the hands of the brutal
Greeks. Aeneas describes this as a ‘cruelty of the fates’, conveying his belief that it is fate that is the
cause of all of shortcomings and successes. Creusa herself admits that “it is not their will that I
should go with you”, portraying the power of divine will and fate; this seems cruel, but it is one of
the necessary losses Aeneas must suffer in order to fulfil his destiny. This is something that appears
repeatedly throughout the epic, most similarly when Aeneas is forced to leave ‘The good queen’ in
Carthage, saying “it is not by my own will that I search for Italy”, portraying his anguish at having to
leave behind yet another woman he loves. When they meet again in the underworld in Book6,
Aeneas tells Dido ‘it was the stern authority of the commands of the gods that drove me away’,
showing his painful regret towards his departure from Carthage, but also his acceptance of the
personal losses he must endure in order to fulfil his destiny. Thus, it can be argued that Fate is the
main driving force of The Aeneid and is the only thing that drives Aeneas to reach Italy.

Finally, it can be argued that Fate is much more important than family in the Aeneid, seeing as it is
referred to consistently throughout the epic. In Book 1, as Jupiter dictates his prophecy for Aeneas’
legacy unto the future of Italy, and therefore Rome, Fate is introduced as an immovable force; this is
only built upon as the epic progresses. At almost every key moment in Aeneas’ journey, Fate is called
upon, either in joy or in grief. Even the main antagonist of the book, Juno, admits in Book 7 that she
cannot deny or halt the events the fates have decreed, she can only delay them- considering Juno is
consistently portrayed as arrogant and confident in her power and influence as the wife of the King
of the Gods, the fact that she admits that Fate is not only important, but more important than her, is
notable, demonstrating clearly that it is one of the most, if not the most, integral components of the
epic; critics even argue that “in Virgil’s version of fate, everything is planned for hundreds of
thousands of years ahead”, showing its undeniable influence and importance in the Aeneid.

Overall, Virgil repeatedly shows the importance of both family, and fate, in the Aeneid; through the
losses and victories Aeneas faces, Virgil shows that Aeneas is a man endlessly devoted to his family,
and the future he will leave for them. However, it cannot be discounted that Fate is more important
than family in terms of the progression of the epic; despite Aeneas’ constant efforts to keep his
family together, or to create new lives for himself and his son, it is fate that cruelly tears them apart,
either by death or departure. Thus, it can be argued that, seeing as fate is in complete control of
Aeneas throughout the epic, no amount of familial devotion, or pietas¸ is enough to drive Aeneas,
and indeed his descendants, to their new home in Italy.