The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1920-06-15
THE AENEID AS AN EPIC,
DRAMATIC AND LYRIC POEM
Essay by Miss Elizabeth Hooker,
Graduating Class, 1920, Ocala
High School

"Homere fait Virgile, dit on; 81
celia est, c'est sans dout son plus bel
onvrage. ."-Voltaire
1t is as an epic poem of national
glory and heroic action that the
Aeneid is most esteemed. Although
the Aeneid may not be of as perfect
execution as the Georgics neverthe-
less it is a work of higher inspira~
ton. In the first place, to write ma
tional epic a subject of national in
terest and Importance must be chosen.
This subject must secure the perma-
nent attention of the people to a long
narrative poem of national sentiment; !;
it must restore past history and ira
dition as well as express modern
ideas. 1t must magnify the greatness
of living men and of their ancestors,
it should be conceived on a large
scale and executed with strong work
manship.
At first it seems as tho the story
of Romulus would have been chosen
as one more appealing and firmly
rooted in the popular mind. But then
Virgil may be justified in the choice
Of this legend as one more adapted
to his genius and the purpose of his
poem. 1t was the only subject of
national significance connected with
the Homeric stories Then too, the
characters and events of the Trojan
war were especially familiar to the
Romans. His plan enabled him to
embrace the dim traditions connected
with the origin of the famous towns
and of several of the great Roman
families.
AS the Aeneid is poem inspired
by national sentiment, Virgil strives
thruout the whole to show how the
divine rulers planned the founding of
Rome and again and again assured the
Trojans of their future power and
fame. He appealed to the sentiments
of the Romans with even more power
by tracing their divine descent and
the origin of many of their ancient
customs and ceremonies.
The imperial and religious ideas of
Rome find their fullest realization in
the emperor. In endowing Augustus
with antiquity and divine ancestry he
further deified him to his country
men. The personal figure of the en-
peror is by him encircled with halo
Of military glory, of benefcient ac-
tion, divine sanction and heritage of
divine honors.
1t seems that the two chief objects
of the poem were that of raising a
monument to the glory of Rome and
Augustus, and that of writing an epic
tn JsnnrnII1an nf tho
ners and life of the heroic age The
Aeneid is first to be considered as an
epic of the Roman Empire. The firm
conviction of the Romans in their
superiority over all other nations as
serted itself most prominently in the
poetry of the Augustan age.
Many times thruout his poem, Vir-
gil tells of the promises of Jupiter of
worldwide dominion to the Romans
He foretells their greatness, the pro-
lection and favor of the gods and the
prophecy of the Julian line of en-
perOrs. In several places it is not
merely the pride of conquest which
is expressed but the higher belief that
the mission of Rome is to give law
and place to the world. By this, Vir-
gil represents the state not as only a
conqueror and civilizer but the trans
mitter of that civilization to the fu-
ture world.
In no nation was so great pride
felt in their ancestry as in Rome By
his Aeneid Virgil causes them to feel
themselves special objects of care to
Jove and other gods. Many times
Virgil was enabled to connect various
impressive ceremonies of his time
with the associations of the past.
The confidence which the Romans
felt in their superiority over other
nations was closely connected with
their religious feeling and belief. It
was Virgil's aim in the Aeneid to
show that this Roman Empire was no
mere work of human hands, but had
been built up by divine purpose and
guidance. The Aeneid expresses the
religious as well as the national SEN