all combine to form a memorable sound-picture. the highly charged epithet sonoras ending the line.the huge stretch of tempestatesque from the third to the fifth foot,.the struggle of ictus and word-accent, 260.the massive spondees (the maximum number possible),.1.53):Ī fine line, showing metrically and linguistically the noise and straining of the imprisoned winds: Virgil’s description of the ‘Cave of the Winds’ includes the following line ( Aen. Determined to sink Aeneas’ fleet, she pays a visit to Aeolia, where the wind-god Aeolus resides, ruling the storms, which are imprisoned in a cave. The sight of Aeneas about to reach his destination, however, mightily displeases Juno who sees her divinity under threat if one of her adversaries were to succeed in his quest against her wishes. 1.1–33), features Aeneas and his men setting out from Sicily for the Italian mainland. The first scene of actual narrative in the Aeneid, which kicks in after the extensive proem ( Aen. They are meant as illustrations of what a close reading of Virgil’s poetry can unearth and as encouragement to subject the verses from Aeneid 4 to similar scrutiny (or, as the case may be, interpretative overkill). To give you some idea of the returns that sustained attention to Virgil’s poetry at the formal level (metre, verse design, lexical choices, syntax) can yield, I here offer discussions of two passages, one from Book 1, the other from Book 6. Just Do It! (As Nike would put it.) There is a lot to be noticed and enjoyed.

All you need to do is to take a good hard look at the text (which includes scanning the hexameters) and to ponder how the design reinforces theme.

This is curious: unlike other aspects of Virgil’s poetry, the appreciation of formal artistry requires comparatively little prior knowledge it is more a matter of sensibility and imagination. Much of Virgil’s sophistication in interrelating content and form eludes the casual reader, and even scholars in their commentaries frequently do little more than scratch the surface of what can be discovered. Virgil’s genius manifests itself not least (some would argue: above all) in his supreme mastery of his chosen metre and, especially, in how he uses metre and formal aspects of his poetry more generally to enhance his thematic concerns.

Aeneid scanned