Hello, Can you help me?

[london]

Hello everyone, I'm London and I am presently studying Literature. I need help! What are 5 characteristics of epic poetry found in The Aeneid; also please describe the shield of Aeneas and xplain its significance. Thank you!

[Opaleye]

Have you, by any chance, attempted to think about this yourself? Or even search the Internet for some information? You can't really use people from a forum as sources for your essay/assignment/exam.

However, here are some points to get you started:

Epic poetry centres around a hero - in Virgil's Aeneid he, that is, Aeneas, is of the Roman hero type, which is the antithesis to a Homeric hero, such as Achilles. The Roman hero is pious, mindful of posterity, not backward-looking, among other characteristics. (See if you can find these in the Aeneid!)

The hero of an epic poem is a figure of great national or even cosmic importance, and represents a culture’s heroic ideal: Aeneas is the son of the goddess Aphrodite and on good terms with King Priam of Troy.

In fact, it is known that Virgil was commissioned for a book that would place the Roman emperor Augustus, who was reigning at the time, in a very positive light, and it is said that he is on whom Virgil based his protagonist Aeneas and that the former subtly wedged in morsels of advice to the emperor through artistic license.

Actions appropriate to the epic include heroic deeds and battles against great odds, such as the Trojan War; real voyages, such as when Aeneas leaves Troy to find Italy and set up what would eventually become Rome; initiation of great enterprises, such as the above; exploits, great and important, and admirable actions accompanied by difficulty, temptations, and danger, such as when Aeneas is shipwrecked and stranded in Carthage, as well as his journey through the underworld later on.

I also offer you a bit of advice: if this is a general essay/assignment/exam topic about epic poetry and how it is portrayed through the Aeneid, I recommend that you compare this piece of work with other epic poems, such as Homer's Iliad and Odyssey. It will show that you have done your research thoroughly, have a good idea of what you're talking about, and you ought to impress the marker with your soon-to-be extensive knowledge.

For more information on epic poetry and the Aeneid, try these websites:
http://litmuse.maconstate.edu/litwiki/index.php/Epic_Poetry
http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/encyclopedia/a/ae/aeneid.htm
http://www.cliffsnotes.com/WileyCDA/LitNote/id-3,pageNum-55.html
http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761552645/Epic.html

And read the book itself! There are plenty of clues; all you have to do is look for them, as it's really not as difficult to spot them as you think. Good luck and work hard!

[Logos]

That was very kind of you to help london, Opaleye :)

Now and then there are requests for help posted here. Nobody is ever obliged to help anyone, but often there are times someone will step up and volunteer. And somewhere down the line you might also be helping someone else who comes across this post of yours so I thank you for doing it.

[Opaleye]

That was very kind of you to help london, Opaleye :)
What can I say, I'm a kind person. ;) Too kind sometimes, actually.


And somewhere down the line you might also be helping someone else who comes across this post of yours so I thank you for doing it.
Hey, you're welcome! Anytime, dear, anytime. :wave: Always glad to be of service. I have been told since childhood that I'm very helpful, so it seems I've retained that quality.

[Darlin]

Not sure if I should be welcoming you or saying good bye to you, london - looks like you got your answer, and a well thought out one at that. Might you be sticking around?

[Logos]

I know it's kind of disappointing when we get so many one-post wonders coming here then not returning. :confused: