ENGL 221 Lecture 7: Into to the Aeneid notes
6 Feb 2018
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Document Summary
The narrative simply wouldn"t have the same kind of dimension. Function of the gods: 1) make actions and events comprehensible, 2) give a sense of inevitability to human action ( over-determination , 3) give a double stage to action. Recap: what greek gods are not: (consistently) good and merciful, just, exemplary for humans, omniscient, all-powerful, transcendent. Anthropomorphism: gods are represented as humans, sometimes they inspire reverence, sometimes they are shallow and ridiculous. Unlike humans, the gods lack vulnerability, death, and, in this way, the opportunity to be noble. => two parallel worlds: humans are subject to death, gods are immortal. Gods and humans: (iliad) intricate double-level action: every event at the human level corresponds to a divine action, and vice versa, while the characters only see the human level, audience sees both. Background info: from greece to rome: homeric poems: set n 12th century but composed in the 8th, greek culture: highest level in the 5th and 4th centuries.
