Women in Aeneid and Agamemnon Book Report

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The first six books tell the story of Aeneas' trip to Italy, and his encounters with a number of people. The second part tells of the Trojan's ultimate victory over the Latin tribes. Agamemnon, one of the most famous plays from Ancient Greece, was written by Aeschylus as commentary on seduction, betrayal, and reconciliation. If Virgil and Aeschylus were to converse about women the might scratch their chins and say -- which women -- mortal or God? Greek or Trojan? Athenian or Theban?

For Virgil, every character means something to Aeneus' eventual fate. However, even the women that help him, or cause positive actions to occur are portrayed in a negative light. Oddly, this is the same for mortal and immortal women -- all portrayed in varying degrees as irrational, selfish, and emotionally driven. Thematically, this idea of women being irrational occurs near the beginning of the story when Aeneas sees Helen and has the opportunity to kill her. Remember, it was a woman, ruled by rash emotions that caused the conflict between the great states of the Ancient World.

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Dido, too, initially portrayed as a strong and thoughtful women, seems to deteriorate and is no longer able to be quite as good a rule as she once was: chanting that Aeneas, / one born of Trojan blood, had come, that lovely / Dido has deigned to join herself to him, / that now, in lust, forgetful of their kingdom, / they take long pleasure, fondling through the winter, / the slaves of squalid craving (IV: 254-7).

Women, in fact, are temptresses -- Helen's beauty caused a civilization to fall, the Gods to become angry,.....

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