Friday, September 5, 2008

Primum Pensum

Consider book 1 of the Aeneid from the beginning to line 440. Trace the appearance of "furor" in the book so far and describe how furor functions in Vergil's work thus far. Give at least three examples from the Aeneid. Cite the Latin (with line numbers), translate literally, and make your case.

15 comments:

James_H said...

In Aeneid, Vergil uses word 'furor' frequently, and the word has a significant importance in Aeneid. The word 'furor' means madness, and it is one of the main themes of the epic. By personifying, Vergil uses the word to delineate the fundamental human nature, the fury and madness. In Book One of the Aeneid, Vergil uses this word three times, in line 150, 294, and 348.
The first appearance of word 'furor' is in line 150: "iamque faces et saxa volant—furor arma ministrat." Literally, it means 'and torches and stones fly, and the fury, or madness, provides arms.' This use of word furor shows Vergil's theme of violence and fury of people.
Line 293-294, "dirae ferro et compagibus artis claudentur Belli portae; Furor impius intus," also contains word furor. These lines are translated as 'the awful gates of war will be closed with irons and bindings; The impious Fury within.' Here, the fury inside is describing the human nature of violence within ourselves and especially the Romans in the Civil War.
Last, the last appearance of word furor is in line 348, "Quos inter medius venit furor." This line means 'To whom the fury came in between'. Here, the word furor is used to describe the feud that arose betwwen Sychaeus and Pygmalion, a feud, or violence, that is based on the lust of gold.

anqi2 said...

In all of the appearances of "furor" in the Aeneid, Book One, Lines 1-440, the word is greatly emphasized to show the depth that rage can have. "Furor" appears three times: in lines 150, 295, and 348. In each appearance, the word is accentuated with the use of literary devices; personification of "furor" is used in lines 150 and 295 while a diaeresis frames "furor" in line 348. By doing this, Vergil successful manipulates the Latin language to give the greatest stress to "furor," indicating the immense power it contains.

Up to line 150, Vergil has written about the altercation between Juno and Aeneas. Juno, who loved the land of Carthage, held by the Tyres, felt that Aeneas threatened the well being of the city when he set sail to overthrow the Tyrian stronghold. She incited the winds to throw Aeneas' ships way off course, as far away from Latium as possible. Neptune steps in to quell Juno's rage, calming the seas. Vergil describes the quarrel as "iamque faces et saxa volant, furor arma ministrat" (Line 150- "and now torches and rocks fly, rage provided the weapons"). Here, "furor" is personified, alluding to the powers Juno used to throw off Aeneas. Because "furor" is personified to the powers of a god, the power is immense.

In line 294, "furor" is again personified, but this time in a more savage way: "Furor impius intus, saeva sedens super arma, et centum vinctus aenis post tergum nodis, fremet horridus ore cruento." (Line 294- "impius Fury within, sitting on top of savage weapons, and bound with one hundred bronze knots behind his back, he will roar horribly with his mouth bloody"). This personification is used to contrast between the personification used in line 150; here, it is depicting the madness of civil war while also alluding to the immense power it has, thus the need for Rage to be bound with one hundred bronze knots.

In line 348, "furor" is used in "quos inter medius venit furor" (Line 348- "rage came in between them"). It is used to describe Pygmalion's lust for gold; it is so great that he would sacrifice his sister, Dido, for it. Vergil uses a bucolic diaeresis, or the emphasisof the word following the fourth foot, to show the depth of his lust.

"Furor" in Vergil's Aeneid is a great indicator of how Vergil has mastered the Latin language to give the most meaning and depth to the text. For eample, Line 150 shows the immense power of Rage, while line 294 draws a vivid mental image of Rage. "Furor" is certainly an important word in Vergil's Aeneid.

Unknown said...

Furor is a passion so great as to be raging. The examples of furor in the Aeneid are used in places of extreme description where a normal adjective wouldn’t provide as much clarity as furor does. The first appearance of furor is in line fifty-one of book one.
loca feta furentibus Austris
Vergil writes: “The place abounding of the raging Southern Wind.” This phrase is directly meant to show the violence and fury of the wind. This intentional use of furor over something like lenitas or clemens was explicitly used to display the power and strength of the winds, because they are so passionate in what they do and move as to be a raging force.
furor arma ministrant
The second occurrence of furor to explicate is in line one hundred fifty of book one, Vergil says “rage provides to them weapons.” This use of furor to show how passionate a crowd, here “them”, can be when they are overcome by rage, that they can turn anything into a weapon. This mob mentality that arises from when people become riled up and are overcome by furor so much that by their raging alone they can be provided with weapons.
In line two hundred ninety-four Vergil shows his distaste for this furor, probably because of his experience with the emotion during the civil wars, commenting on it:
furor impius intus
Describing this passion as a “wicked rage within” shows how the passion that is caused by furor is not a loving kind-hearted passion, but rather a vicious one. This passionate rage is exactly what I believe Vergil meant by his selective use of furor—only using it in places of extreme passion that by their very nature were only explained in their entirety by a furious passion.

Unknown said...

The concept of furor appears many times throughout Vergil’s Aeneid. Furor is described as a feeling of passion, fury, and rage. Furor is an important idea in the Aeneid and is often portrayed in a negative manner by Vergil. This is evident in lines 148 -150: “Ac veluti magno in populo cum saepe coorta est seditio, saevitque animis ignobile volgus, iamque faces et saxa volant—furor arma ministrant”, which is translated, “Just as happens when a rebellion arises in a huge crowd, and the ignoble crowd behave violently because of their anger, now torches and rocks fly through the air, frenzy fuels the fight;” These lines show the dangers of furor by telling how fury helps flame the fire in the heart of the people. Frenzy causes these people to turn into a ferocious mob, flinging whatever comes in hand. This negative depiction of furor is also evident in line 348: “Quos inter medius venit furor.” This is translated “Frenzy came between them.” This line is in context to the conflict between Sychaeus and Pygmalion. Pygmalion's frenzy eventually leads to him murdering his sister’s husband in order to obtain power and riches. These acts influenced by furor come to show its negative effects.
Vergil illustrates a picture in the Aeneid of furor by using personification to make it human-like. Evidence for this can be found in lines 294-296: “Furor impius intus, saeva sedens super arma, et centum vinctus aenis post tergum nodis, fremet horridus ore cruento.” These lines translated mean: “Wicked Furor within, sitting above fierce weapons, and chained with a hundred bronze knots fastened behind its back, cries out wildly with bloody lips.” This description of furor “centum vinctus aenis” and “fremet horridus ore cruento” paints a horrific picture of a monster or a demonic creature. This further indicates Vergil’s portrayal of furor as a malicious thing.

aimee said...

1.148 Ac veluti magno in populo cum saepe coorta est
1.149 seditio saevitque animis ignobile vulgus
1.150 iamque faces et saxa volant, furor arma ministrat;
Translation: And just as often when in a huge crowd with rising savage rage and rebellion in the hearts of the common people, torches and rocks now fly; rage provides the weapons.

1.294 Furor impius intus,
1.295 saeva sedens super arma et centum vinctus aenis
1.296 post tergum nodis, fremet horridus ore cruento.
Translation: Within wicked madness, rage crouched over weapons and in a hundred knotted bronze bonds behind his back, growl wildly through his bloody mouth.

1.348 Quos inter medius venit furor.
Translation: Into their mist, rage came.

Furor can mean madness, rage, fury, passion; furor, excitement; prophetic frenzy, inspiration; passionate love. When Vergil uses the word, he uses it as the first four definitions. The first passage uses furor as madness and fury. He compares the madness of the sea to the madness of an enraged crowd; both exist in a state of chaos. A stormy sea causes more or less the same amount of damage and devastation as an angry mob with rocks and torches; in order for something like that to exist there has to be some sort of madness present. The madness with the sea is Juno’s jealously and anger; in the crowd it could be any number of things.
In the second example furor is the rage. The rage could be what caused him to “growl wildly through his bloody mouth.” Rage could be what got him in to this predicament. But there are no doubts that Vergil does a wonderful job getting across the frustration, the anger, the passion; the rage.
The last passage is passion. Pygmalion’s passion for gold came in between him and his sister. Pygmalion was so willing to destroy his sister’s life just so he can have his gold. Passion ruined the lives of many; destroying something just as all the other words used to define furor.

CommanderPike said...

Furor: madness, rage, and fury, these are three key elements found when reading the first 440 lines Virgil’s Aneid. All of which are very close synonyms of each other, yet each meaning is vastly different from the other. Furor appears three distinct times in the first 440 lines of the Aneid. “Ac veluti magno in populo cum saepe coorta est seditio, saevitque animis ignobile volgus, iamque faces et saxa volant—furor arma ministrat” - “As often, when rebellion breaks out in a great nation, and the common rabble rage with passion, and soon stones and fiery torches fly (frenzy supplying weapons).” [147-150], “Furor intus, saeva sedens super arma, et centum vinctus aenis post tergum nodis, fremet horridus ore cruento” - “Rage will roar frighteningly from blood-stained mouth, seated on savage weapons, hands tied behind his back, with a hundred knots of bronze.” [294-296], and “Quos inter medius venit furor”- “Because madness came between them” [348].

The first passage uses furor as madness. Virgil is emphasizing two related madnesses - the madness of the sea and the madness of the crowd, both of with are in a current state of chaos. A violent storm causes similar damage and devastation fueling the angry mob even more as they carry rocks and torches. The madness with the sea is Juno’s anger &jealously.

In line 294 Virgil uses the word “furor” in a more descriptive and savage way than used in the previous line 150. These two lines go into great, bloody, detail of how one is sitting atop savage weapons, mouth dripping with blood, as the captive, tied with 100 bronze knots, roars loudly. This is however a personification of the madness and bloody rage of the civil war.

The last line, 348, Furor is used to describe Pygmalion's savage lust for gold, and the lengths he will go through to obtain it.

Timmy said...

Much of Book I of the Aeneid involves the “furor” or the anger of people or gods. At times it seems almost as a battle of hotheads arguing with each other. “Furor” is a versatile word and has a multiple, different definitions ranging from “madness” and “fury” all the way to “inspiration” and “passionate love.” Vergil tends to use the word to describe the former definitions throughout his text to describe the madness in the events that unfold.

Vergil first uses the word in line 150 saying “iamque faces et saxa volant—furor arma ministrat;” meaning “And now torches and rocks fly—madness supplying weaponry.” He shows that the battles of men are not caused by rational thought, but by blind fury. Vergil again uses “furor” in line 292-294 in Jupiter’s prophesy to Venus stating “dirae ferro et compagibus artis / claudentur Belli portae; Furor impius intus…fremet horridus ore cruento,” which means “The dire gates of War will be closed by iron and by tight fastenings, inside impious Furor with a blood-stained mouth roars frighteningly.” Vergil extends his ideas further by personifying the word into Rage, a being who is imprisoned behind the gates of war. With the peace he describes, Vergil shows that this madness will not exist anymore and will be banished forever. His last use of the word comes in line 348 when he writes “Quos inter medius venit furor” meaning “Madness came in the middle between them.” He describes Pygmalion’s rash action of killing Sychaeus without considering any of the consequences.

Vergil writes the Aeneid remembering the civil war that had just passed in Rome. Rage and passion were some of the key motivators in the bloodshed, and so he uses his writing and the word “furor” to reflect events in his life. All three times he uses the word “furor” he shows that the “madness” caused people to act irrationally without thinking, much as during the war Vergil witnessed.

KyleP said...

Furor is the idea of fury and passion with disregard to pietas, or honor and duty. Throughout the first 440 lines of Book I of the Aenied, the first part of furor (fury) is portrayed primarily through Juno’s strong opposition to Aeneas’ fate, while the second part (passion) is shown by Aeolus accepting Juno’s bribe of Nymphs in return of helping Juno hinder Aeneas’ progress towards his fate.
Right from the beginning (lines 3-4) Vergil introduces Juno’s fury: “…multum ille et terris iactatus et alto/ vi superum saevae memorem Iunonis ob iram” Which is translated, “[Aeneas] thrown about endlessly on land and sea, by the will of the gods, by cruel Juno’s remorseless anger,”
Later Vergil goes into more detail about how Juno realizes her “remorseless anger.” She approaches Aeolus, the king of the winds, and tells him to basically detroy Aeneas’ fleet: (lines 69-70) “incute vim ventis submersasque obrue puppes,/ aut age diversos et disiice corpora ponto.” Which is translated, “Add strength to the winds, and sink their wrecked boats, or force them apart, and scatter their bodies on the sea.
This is directly followed (in lines 71-73) by Juno spelling out the reward for Aeolus if he follows her orders: “Sunt mihi bis septem praestanti corpore nymphae,/ quarum quae forma pulcherrima Deiopea,/ conubio iungam stabili propriamque dicabo,” Which is translated, “I have fourteen Nymphs of the highest beauty: of whom I’ll name Deiopea, the most beautiful in looks, joined in eternal marriage, and yours forever,” This represents the other side of furor (passion and lust). Juno is trying to appeal to Aeolus’ furor in order to carry out her own furor towards Aeneas. I separated this passage into two because it involves both sides of furor.
Furor is a strong concept Vergil elaborates upon. Juno uses other people’s furor as a means of reigning down her rage onto Aeneas. Later furor is realized by the passion involved with the “marriage” of Dido and Aeneas.

pranav2 said...

The Aeneid details Aeneas’ journey from Troy on his quest to found Rome. The story contains many recurring aspects such as war and love. One of the most common themes is demonstrated by the word “furor,” madness or frenzy. The various passages in which “furor” occurs are used by Vergil to connect the epic with a central theme.
The first time furor occurs is in lines 148 to 150 of book one: “Ac veluti magno in populo cum saepe coorta est seditio saevitque animis ignobile vulgus iamque faces et saxa volant, furor arma ministrant.” This is transalted as, “And just as when, in a huge throng often rebellion rises up, and the common mob is violent with anger because of their anger, and now torches and rocks fly, madness lends arms.” Vergil here personifies furor to describe the madness of the seas before Neptune calms them. Here furor is shown as craziness and confusion where Aeneas and his friends are helpless and must endure whatever troubles they are faced with.
Furor also shows up in the passage where Jupiter is conforting Venus. In lines 293 and 294 Vergil says, “Furor impius intus saeva sedens super arma et centum vinctus aenis post tergum nodis, fremet horridus ore cruento.” This can be translated as, “ Within impious Fury, sitting on top of savage arms, and bound behind his back with a hundred brazen knots, will roar wildly with a bleeding mouth.” Again Vergil personifies the idea of Furor. Here also furor is used as madness, but in a different sense. Whereas in the last passage it described the fury in the oceans, here it is used to show the madness in the Roman Civil Wars. Vergil believes Civil War is ver cruel, as can be seen with his description of “impious fury.” It also shows how Fury is a very powerful thing, as it must be controlled by one hundred knots.
The final appearance of furor is in line 348: “Quos inter medius venit furor”—“In the middle of them came Madness.” This sentence is found in the story about Dido and the fight between her Pygmalion and her husband Sychaeus. In this passage, Furor is again used as a personification to represent the rage and hostility that developed between the two men. Unlike the other passages, here furor is shown more as hatred or jealousy. Pygmalio acts irrationally, blinded by Fury, and kills Sychaeus.
Vergil uses the word “furor” many times in the Aeneid to show the madness in the time of the Roman Civil Wars. He uses his epic to reflect on all of the rage going on during this time period.

Yayu2 said...

From the beginning of book 1 to line 440, the word "furor" appears three times in lines 150, 294, and 348. The "furor" in line 150 is part of the sentence "Ac veluti magno in populo cum saepe coorta est seditio saevitque animis ignobile vulgus iamque faces et saxa volant, furor arma ministrat." (And just as, often, when a huge throng is seized by a vast uprising, and the rabble rage in their hearts, all slaves to passion, rocks and firebrands flying, rage provides them arms.) Neptune has just driven away the clouds that Juno entreats Aeolus to unleash on the Trojan fleet. Juno loves her city, Carthage, so when she heard that the Trojans will bring down her beloved city, she is outraged. In lines 42-45, she "Ipsa, Iovis rapidum iaculata e nubibus ignem, disiecitque rates evertitque aequora ventis, illum exspirantem transfixo pectore flammas turbine corripuit scopuloque infixit acuto." (She herself hurled Jove's racing lightning from the clouds, she shattered a fleet and whipped the swells with gales. Then as he gasped his last in flames from his pierced chest she snatched him up in a cyclone, impaled him on a pointed rock.) Juno's rage is already clearly evident from the start. So when she goes and pleads with Aeolus, the Trojans were left with little hope until Neptune intervened and saved them. Furor functions in the work as something that connects the book and gives the story. In these lines, rage is personified and transforms whatever implements are at hand into weapons. It is an important recurring theme in the poem. If it wasn't for the fact that the Trojans will bring down Carthage and cause Juno's wrath, there would really not be any story to tell. The story of Aeneas starts with his difficult journey through the sea and his time spend at Carthage. The love affair causes Dido to commit suicide and to leave her country with no leader. Juno's wrath is a way of setting up the story.
In line 294, it says, "Furor impius intus, saeva sedens super arma et centum vinctus aenis post tergum nodis, fremet horridus ore cruento." (Within, wicked Rage shall sit on his ferocious weapons, bound behind his back by a hundred brazen knots, monstrously roaring out from his bloody lips.) These lines come at the end of Jupiter's long speech to Venus as he tries to pacify her worries. The word "furor" brings a vivid personification of the madness of civil war; however, Jupiter says it will be locked behind the Gates of War. The passage further outlines the hardships faced by Aeneas as he tries to fulfill his destiny. The angry fury that spurs all the hatred and problems is still there, but there is hope as Jupiter says Juno will come around and cherish Aeneas.
Then, not too many lines after that, Vergil uses the word "furor" again in line 348 when he says, "Quos inter medius venit furor." (Between Sychaeus and her brother dividing fury came.) Vergil focuses extra attention on furor and ille, the word that comes right after furor, by having a strong diaeresis. He also uses the word "impius" in line 349 to connect with the furor in line 294. The passage explains how Dido's brother and husband broke into a feud, and her husband was murdered by her brother. This event prompted Dido to run away from Pygmalion and establish the city of Carthage. So once again, the word "furor" furthers the story and connects the events together.
Furor truly acts as an important theme that pervades through the entire story. There have been many instances where even if the word "furor" is not used, the rage and fury is still described. Its immense powers are vividly described and emphasized each time with literary devices. In a way, a story would be short and boring if there were no problems and anger, so furor is an important part of the poem that makes the story function and interesting to read.

jane said...

There is much "furor" present in book one of the Aeneid. "Furor" is defined as rage, and so far in book one of the Aeneid, rage and fate have been mixed together.
One example of this rage can be seen in lines 65-70: " Aeole (namque tibi divum pater atque hominum rex et mulcere dedit fluctus et tollere vento), gens inimica mihi Tyrrhenum navigat aequor, Ilium in Italiam portans victosque Penates: incute vim ventis summersasque obrue puppes aut age diversos et disice corpora ponto." This is literally translated as "Aeolus, for it was to you the father of the gods and the king of men has granted to calm the waves and to raise it with a wind. A nation hateful to me sails the Tyrrhenian sea bringing Troy and its conquered penates into Italy. Strike violence into the winds and bury the ships so that they are sunk, or drive them all over and scatter their bodies on the sea." In lines 65-70 it is unquestionably clear that Vergil is illustrating "furor," which is the start of the Aeneid book 1. Juno is outraged that a Trojan fleet is destined to take over her loving Carthage, and she attempts to stop the gods' will by reaching out to Aeolus, the god of the four winds. It is evident that Juno wishes with a fiery passion for Aeneas to not reach Carthage, even if it means death will overcome Aeneas and his comrades. Although, Vergil does not directly incorporate the word "furor" into lines 65-70, this is unmistakeably where all of the rage and anger originates.

Another example of this rage can be seen in line 108 itself. Line 108 reads: " Tres Notus abreptas in saxa latentia torquet," which is literally translated as "Notus twists the three ships having been caught up into the hidden rocks." This short, yet powerful line shows that the fury has begun. Aeolus having accepted Juno's request begins to dictate the winds, which accentuates the rage of Juno. It almost seems as though the winds themselves are tempestuous, however one should not forget that the "furor" is still all caused by Juno.

Lastly, Vergil demonstrates "furor" in book one of his work by actually inserting the word into a story that Venus tells Aeneas. In the midst of trying to soothe Aeneas' anxiety, Venus, disguised, begins to tell the story behind Tyre. Venus says this, "Quos inter medius venit furor," (line 348) which can literally be translated as "between the middle of them came a madness." This madness was formed from Pygmalion's jealousy of Sychaeus' wealth. Pygmalion ended up killing Sychaeus without thinking twice about his heartbroken sister, Dido. When reading the Aeneid book one in different parts at different times, one may easily confuse the situation because Vergil has such a smooth transition from one point to another. However, the Aeneid is based on "furor" and Vergil does not drift away from this theme. The "furor" Juno felt towards Aeneas and his comrades and the "furor" Pygmalion felt towards Sychaeus all end up tying together. The word "furor" is an interesting word with many roads branching off of it. This word may have been an angry rage in the beginning, but it may have the effect of unraveling things in the end.

hope2 said...

In the Aeneid, furor is often associated with Juno and her anger against the Trojans, who will one day take over her precious Carthage. The first reference to her occurs in line 4: "saevae memorem Iunonis ob iram" or "on account of the unforgetting anger of savage Juno", describing why Aeneas and his men suffer so much. From that point, furor is associated with Juno and enemies of the Trojans.
The next appearance of furor comes with the storm Juno convinces Aeolus to send in hopes of destroying Aeneas' fleet. Aeolus' cave is described in line 51 as "feta furentibus Austris" or "teeming with raging (south) winds". This immediately associates the winds with furor, even describing them with a word from the same root. The raging storm that they proceed to cause is a manifestation of Juno's furor. It is later compared to an angry mob for which "furor arma ministrat" or "rage provides weapons" (150). Again, this personification shows that Juno's rage creates and "arms" the storm.
However, her furor is countered, first by Neptune, who calms the storm, and then by Venus, who begs Jupiter to help Aeneas. He promises that Aeneas will prevail despite of Juno, even predicting that Aeneas' line will bring about an age when Furor is finally defeated: "centum vinctus aenis post tergum nodis" or "bound behind his back with one hundred bronze knots" (295-296).
Carthage, Juno's city, is also closely associated with furor. In line 14 it is describe as "asperrima belli" or "most savage of war", linking it with Furor's savagery and warmongering. Dido herself has just escaped from the furor of her brother who killed her husband because "quos inter medius venit furor" or "furor came into their midst" (348). Although the gods cause the Carthaginians to put aside their fierce ways and welcome the Trojans, their connection with furor foreshadows conflict with Aeneas.

Vague Sanity said...

Furor itself literally means “fury” or “madness”. Among the many themes of the Aeneid, perhaps the most prevalent and significant theme is that of furor. Indeed, throughout the first 440 lines of book 1 of Vergil’s Aeneid, this furor, or fury, repeatedly creates sedition among the family of the gods; this dispute over the fate of Aeneas between Juno and Venus is a divine image which parallels the previous Roman Civil Wars, but also Rome’s eternal problem with civil war. Vergil also uses the concept of Furor to express not only the frequent irrationality of the acts of human beings when engulfed with fury, but also those of the gods, showing in a way that even divine beings can be overcome and consumed by fury. Additionally, to Vergil, furor itself is held in a negative light (furor is destructive) and is cause of undesirable outcomes in all its occurrences within the Aeneid.
Juno, who perhaps is the very embodiment of furor, first appears in lines 3 and 4: “multum ille et terris iactatus et alto vi superum saevae memorem Iunonis ob iram” or translated “much he has been tossed both on the earth and on the sea by the power of the gods, on account of the lasting (unforgetting) anger of cruel Juno”; here, the very dispute among the gods is established by this expression of Juno’s rage and determination to remain cruel and lasting in her anger towards the Trojan peoples. By holding bitterness for Venus’s son, Juno also holds bitterness towards Venus; this hints at later tension and the feud that will arise amongst the gods in relation to Aeneas and his fate.
In lines 56-58, blinded by such fury and lasting hatred, the effects of her anger compel Juno to confront Aeolus, God of Winds, to assist her in her revenge upon the few remaining Trojans: “Aeolus sedet celsa arce, tenens sceptra, mollitque animos, et temperat iras” or “Aeolus sits in his high citadel, holding scepters, and softens their spirits, and calms their wrath”; here, their refers to the winds over which Aeolus holds command. Then in line 70, when Juno gives command to Aeolus, her true intentions for the son of Venus are revealed: “disice corpora ponto” or “scatter their [the Trojans] bodies in the sea”. The winds themselves are earlier described as raging and in turn Aeolus as their overseer; however, Juno is above Aeolus and thus influences him to stir his winds for means of fulfilling Juno’s own desires distorted by her passionate fury. In a way, Aeolus thus enters any such godly dispute on the rise, by granting Juno her request.
The wrath of Juno against Aeneas does not go unnoticed by the greater gods; thus, as the Trojan ships are being mercilessly exposed to the raging sea (the fury of Juno), Neptune realizes (line 130) “nec latuere doli fratrem Iunonis et irae” or “nor did the tricks and wrath of Juno escape the notice of her brother” and consequently intervenes in lines 148-152 “Ac veluti magno in populo cum saepe coorta est seditio, saevitque animis ignobile volgus, iamque faces et saxa volant—furor arma ministrat; tum, pietate gravem ac meritis si forte virum quem conspexere, silent, arrectisque auribus adstant” or “and just as often when sedition is arisen among a great people, and the ignoble crowd rages in its heart; and now torches and rocks fly-- madness hands out the weapons; then, if by chance they have seen some man dignified by piety and worthy of merit, they are silent, and they stand near him with attentive ears”; here, Neptune is perceived as the faithful, respected man while sedition breaks out amongst the crowd. This sedition is that of the gods; however, it parallels closely the Roman Civil Wars. The simile in these lines also serve as the first actual appearance of furor within the Aeneid, but is certainly not furor’s last.
Skipping ahead in the Aeneid, furor again is literally expressed in line 294, “Furor impius intus, saeva sedens super arma, et centum vinctus aenis post tergum nodis, fremet horridus ore cruento” or “impious Fury, sitting on top of cruel arms, and bound with a hundred brazen knots behind his back, shall roar horribly with his bloody mouth”; Reassuring Venus of Aeneas’s fulfillment of his decided fate (to end up in Italy), Jupiter uses this image of Furor to portray the true passion, rage, fury, madness, insanity, of civil war. Jupiter also explains that “quin apera Juno…. Referet consilia in melius” (279, 281), “moreover harsh Juno, shall change her counsels for the better”. Here Juno is again described as ‘harsh’; however, the promise of Juno’s change of heart and the end of civil war seems to hint that, although furor is overwhelming and powerful, it is not eternal.
Furor appears lastly in line 348, “quos inter medius venit furor” or “between whom a mutual fury came”, referring to the dispute between Sychaeus and Pygmalion, in which the wicked Pygmalion slays the husband of his sister (Dido), blinded by love of gold. In a way, this ties Dido closely with the gods. Dido herself in fact appears god-like (maybe even a human counter-part to Juno), and is one of the few women of the Aeneid whose emotions and thoughts are portrayed.
Thus, Vergil creates an image of the sedition between the divine beings and parallels it to the sedition amongst his own people. Through this image, Vergil is able to express and reflect on the Civil Roman Wars, clearly shedding negative light on the irrationality of human nature and furor itself.

Hedrick413 said...

Furor in the Aeneid is an important concept and, while it isn't always a blind, unthinking, rage of irrationality, it does always deal with some sort of frenzy, with varying degrees of control.
Book I.39-41, "Pallasne exuerere classem Argivum atque ipsos potuit summergere ponto unius ob noxam et furias Aiacis Oilei?" In English, "Could Pallas burn the Argive's fleet and also themselves be able to submerge in the sea Ajax, the lesser son of Oileus, from wrongdoing and furies?"
Here Juno is complaining about how Minerva was able to kill faithful followers of Juno for a slight wrongdoing, while she herself is unable to stop Aeneas, the son of her least favorite goddess. This is a prime example of furor. Minerva is seen in the midst of a murderous rage, and Juno is yelling about how she can't carry out her much more justified furor, despite the fact that she knows that Aeneas is protected by fate and Jupiter himself has already forbidden her from outright attacking Aeneas.
Book I.191-192, "tum vulgus et omnem miscet agens telis nemora inter frondea turbam;". Translated, "then the herd and all scattered were being made by weapons in the woods between the foliage, disturbed."
This passage shows us Aeneas causing some furor among the deer he is hunting, throwing their entire herd into confusion and chaos. Alliteration plays a large role in this section as well, as the regular appearance of the 't' sound with usually two or three syllables between suggest periods of stillness followed by quick, loud, interjections and stillness again, akin to both how animals often flee (run, hide, run, hide) and how hunters hunt (stalk, kill, stalk, kill), both examples of somewhat more controlled furor, a tamed frenzy if you will.
There are other passages that strongly feature furor, usually in allusions to previous battle with the Greeks, but these two passages show the full range of furor- from divine temper tantrums to quick and fast impromptu hunting expeditions.

CommanderPike said...

A few weeks ago we began reading Book 2 of Virgil's Aneid. In the opening scene of the book Aneid is sitting down getting ready to tell Dido about the unspeakable suffering's of Troy, how the Greeks tricked the Trojans and destroyed their Kingdom, and how no one could talk about such things before tearing up.

[3-8] infandum regina iubes renouare dolorem Troianas ut opes et lamentabile regnum eruerint Danai quaeque ipse miserrima uidi et quorum pars magna fui quis talia fando Myrmidonum Dolopumue aut duri miles Ulixi temperet a lacrimis. Literally: " ‘O queen, you command me to renew unspeakable sufferings: how the Greeks took the riches of Troy and destroyed their lamentable kingdom, which I was a great part. What Myrmidon, or Dolopian, or the fierce warrior Ulysses, could hide tears in telling such a story?"

This statement by Aeneis, and ultimately by Virgil, already gives bias to his depression of the great war. In line 3, he describes the defeat of Troy by the Greeks as an “unspeakable suffering” - (Infandum Dolorem). In line 4 Virgil uses the word Lamentabile, which comes into English literally as Lamentable. He describes the kingdom of Troy as a kingdom to pity. I would see him saying “look at all you have taken from us already, we’ve suffered enough, please spare us and leave us alone.” This is the way Aeneis wants Dido to see Troy, a once great power was now stripped of all its gloriousness and is left with nothing, but the fact that they still stand. Lastly, in line 12 Aeneis tells the audience, or Dido rather, how he begins to shake in sorrow as he is forced to recall this.
[12] quamquam animus meminisse horret luctuque refugit incipiam - “though my mind shudders at the memory, and recoils in sorrow, I’ll begin.” [“Order” in the brief summary just prior to the literal translation was a reference to how Dido ordered (iubes - you order me) to tell of this story]

All of these uses of vocabulary clearly shows a definite emotional attachment toward retelling of the Great-War accounts.


Now you would be lead to believe that Aenies, a formidable warrior, would not be so emotionally depressed by war. Sure, no one likes war, especially wars within countries or empires themselves, but in our culture today, a warrior as great as he, would not be brought down as much as he is just by war. We would expect him to “stand and fight” and show no emotion but courage. However in Virgil’s Aeneid, Aeneis is two people. He is himself, a great hero, as Virgil typically portrays him to be, and he is a reflection of Virgil’s personal feelings toward the society that Virgil is experiencing in his own life.

Just prior to the time the Aenied was being written, a Great Civil war had gone on, and Virgil was never a fan of warfare. He hated the thought of any of it, and in lines 1-56 he is reflection his own personal feelings through the voice of Aeneis to the reader. Aeneis is sad and brought down by the Greeks defeating the Trojans, because Virgil hated the idea of the entire Civil war that had gone on in his life time. Thus Aeneis is simply a reflection of Virgil’s own emotion toward war, and because war brings the saddest emotion out of Virgil as to does it Aeneis.