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linneak2002's review
3.0
I am giving this 3 stars based solely on my experience. I know that objectively, it is 5 stars, but I'm not there yet. I'll revisit in a few years after I've read and learned more, and see how that goes.
brad_'s review
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.25
ant55's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
A story that well deserves of classic bestowed upon it.
The journey of Aeneas is deeply completing despite being two thousand year old. His struggle between his own desires and that of the destiny bestowed upon him is very fascinating, as is his own attempt to keep his hidden anger in check.
From a historic lens this book is very fascinating into a look at Roman/Augustinian culture and how Augustus attempted to assert himself. Yet Virgil also offers interesting critiques at Roman society and what was a Roman hero, with this examination of Roman ideals very interesting.
The translation itself is of excellent quality, and allows for the clarity prose provides whilst also keeping the poetic quality of the original story.
Overall, a hearty recommendation for anyone interested in a legendary story or learning more about Ancient Rome!
The journey of Aeneas is deeply completing despite being two thousand year old. His struggle between his own desires and that of the destiny bestowed upon him is very fascinating, as is his own attempt to keep his hidden anger in check.
From a historic lens this book is very fascinating into a look at Roman/Augustinian culture and how Augustus attempted to assert himself. Yet Virgil also offers interesting critiques at Roman society and what was a Roman hero, with this examination of Roman ideals very interesting.
The translation itself is of excellent quality, and allows for the clarity prose provides whilst also keeping the poetic quality of the original story.
Overall, a hearty recommendation for anyone interested in a legendary story or learning more about Ancient Rome!
dkatreads's review
4.0
Surprisingly engaging. This is a gripping translation and the story was much more local than I was expecting.
Lots of violent metaphors of nature. Describes being speared in an absurd amount of ways. Women are portrayed unsurprisingly as meddlesome, emotionally unreasonable, and largely powerless to the fates and whims of men.
Lots to unpack about the violence of empire and the means of myth-making. But, you can also argue there are critiques of Rome embedded. Particularly the naming of seemingly every victim of violence. This was overwhelming as a reader, and I think that was the point. Every death carries a life with it, not just a body. Violence is untold destruction- Virgil wanted to tell it.
Connections to western culture abound. Worth reading as a seminal story in its formation, and worth critiquing too. Also, you can’t ignore Virgil’s sheer creativity and mastery of language. Truly impressive, though problematic no doubt.
Lots of violent metaphors of nature. Describes being speared in an absurd amount of ways. Women are portrayed unsurprisingly as meddlesome, emotionally unreasonable, and largely powerless to the fates and whims of men.
Lots to unpack about the violence of empire and the means of myth-making. But, you can also argue there are critiques of Rome embedded. Particularly the naming of seemingly every victim of violence. This was overwhelming as a reader, and I think that was the point. Every death carries a life with it, not just a body. Violence is untold destruction- Virgil wanted to tell it.
Connections to western culture abound. Worth reading as a seminal story in its formation, and worth critiquing too. Also, you can’t ignore Virgil’s sheer creativity and mastery of language. Truly impressive, though problematic no doubt.
klayperson's review
5.0
Given my otherwise more than standard depth on Greek and Roman mythology and epic poetry, I realized that until now I'd never finished the Aeneid and largely written it off as a result. I heartily repent for the error here and consider it not only worthy conversational successor to the Odyssey and Iliad but necessary for reading much later works in a wider perspective.
avaar0se's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Aeneas is a character who's development fluctuates throughout the book , SPOILER yet Virgil's 'rushed' ending of book 12 leaves Aeneas portrayed in a state of Furor , a trait that was highly frowned upon within Rome and an argument can be made as to whether his Furor is driven piety . In addition Juno is a bitch throughout the epic and then in book 12 she has a fast change of heart and I find it questions the integrity of book 12. I enjoyed the Aeneid however the ending is one that leaves a lot of questions unanswered and leaves Juno 'guilt free' for destroying many people and even driving some of them to suicide.
arcyeus's review
3.0
After reading [b: Iliad|1371|The Iliad|Homer|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1625333695l/1371._SX50_.jpg|3293141] and [b: Odyssey|1381|The Odyssey|Homer|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1390173285l/1381._SY75_.jpg|3356006], my personal favourite would be The Aeneid. Though Virgil attempts to imitate and emulate Homer, his combination of Illadic and Odyssean elements into 12 books removes the repetition of endless death and war in the Iliad and nostos in Odyssey. Homer also writes at a far remove of even his time while Virgil manages to sync mythology with the historical rise of Rome. Out of the books I loved Book 6 because of his presentation of the different realms of the Underworld such as Tartarus and Elysium. He also uses the concept of souls in Elysium waiting to be reincarnated to expound on the history of notable figures in Roman history.
13delathauwere's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
informative
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
4.0
nawa's review
2.0
read this for school so it was a struggle to get through >< my two stars are for dido and book four alone
"Once more Dido tried to raise her heavy eyes, but failed. The wound hissed round the sword beneath her breast. Three times she raised herself on her elbow. Three times she fell back on the bed. With wavering eyes she looked for light in the heights of heaven and groaned when she found it." HHHDNHHDJD!!!!!!!!
"Once more Dido tried to raise her heavy eyes, but failed. The wound hissed round the sword beneath her breast. Three times she raised herself on her elbow. Three times she fell back on the bed. With wavering eyes she looked for light in the heights of heaven and groaned when she found it." HHHDNHHDJD!!!!!!!!
shadybanana's review
4.0
I got this book from an old bookshop because it was purple and i thought it was kind of related to the Iliad and the Odyssey. I knew Virgil was like a Roman counterpart to homeboy Homer.
Then for more than a year, the book in its purple grace, sat on various shelves in my room as I decided if I even wanted to read it. There was something about the reedy texture of the pages and about Aeneas (something to do with surviving the sack of Troy, and being like this literal nepo baby of the olympians), that discouraged me.
And yet I overcame my Roman xenophobia and started reading it.
To start off, it didn't feel as epic. Maybe Virgil is just no Homer. Or maybe after decades of reading thousands of reiterations of the sack of Troy and the Greek contingent and its heroes, its hard to root for their sworn enemies. Except Hector. Hector was a good boy.
The most fascinating aspect of this book to me was how it complemented many tidbits that I had gathered of mythology and stories around that time from podcasts, or other books. Reading about Dido made me realise that this arc from Aeneid translated to the many wars that Carthage fought with the Roman empire in the real world and gave birth to Hannibal. The description of Aeneid's shield and the prophetic visions in it, and the others throughout his quest for a land: delineating the spread of a great empire and of a lineage of emperors that the world would know for a very long. The mention of Alba Longa, the Caesars and the many Roman wars, made this book more than just a mythology book to me. It also made me think about Virgil and I imagined him sitting and narrating this story sometime while the Roman empire was at its zenith. I wondered for the thousandth time while reading mythology how such stories travel and are recreated and retold and saved for the present age. I read 'Remus' By T.P Wiseman last year, and it was a really in depth book about the origin of the Roman empire as we know it today. But maybe in too depth. However I understood some aspects of it better retrospectively after reading the Aeneid. The evidence of Lupercalia and Evander, mention of the Palatine and Aventine hills as well as the varying accounts of stories of the same events among the Greek and Roman mythologies.
I think its kind of funny that today we know the Roman empire to be one of the greatest empire and yet it is the Greek mythology that seems to be more mainstream? It took me a while to figure out that Juno was Hera and Saturn was Cronus. I just think its really interesting how the same power figures have such different representations across different mythologies especially when it comes to Aphrodite and Venus.
I liked the ending at the end. Kind of neat. It felt like a tidy tying up by the storyteller. Virgil found the best way to explain the latin language and the democratic nature of the Roman empire without lessening the greatness of Aeneas and his merry band of warriors and their founding of another Troy in italy. Oops spoiler alert? Not really. The tiny bit where the King Latinus sends envoys to Diomedes felt like a nice throwback, and him saying: "Bro we messed up trying to sack Troy and all of us paid the price for it (cc: Odyssey), please just accept him as king." was...nice. Logical.
A couple other points.
The color purple is associated with royalty, and I cant imagine that notion being built anywhere else but in ancient Rome where the darker shade of it was only reserved for royalty. Which also probably started after some oracle told Aeneas to do sacrificial rituals for Olympians at coasts in specific purple garbs.
Every time I read about Turnus, I imagined Mars from Dota 2.
Best consequence of this book? I am motivated to play Hades again.
Then for more than a year, the book in its purple grace, sat on various shelves in my room as I decided if I even wanted to read it. There was something about the reedy texture of the pages and about Aeneas (something to do with surviving the sack of Troy, and being like this literal nepo baby of the olympians), that discouraged me.
And yet I overcame my Roman xenophobia and started reading it.
To start off, it didn't feel as epic. Maybe Virgil is just no Homer. Or maybe after decades of reading thousands of reiterations of the sack of Troy and the Greek contingent and its heroes, its hard to root for their sworn enemies. Except Hector. Hector was a good boy.
The most fascinating aspect of this book to me was how it complemented many tidbits that I had gathered of mythology and stories around that time from podcasts, or other books. Reading about Dido made me realise that this arc from Aeneid translated to the many wars that Carthage fought with the Roman empire in the real world and gave birth to Hannibal. The description of Aeneid's shield and the prophetic visions in it, and the others throughout his quest for a land: delineating the spread of a great empire and of a lineage of emperors that the world would know for a very long. The mention of Alba Longa, the Caesars and the many Roman wars, made this book more than just a mythology book to me. It also made me think about Virgil and I imagined him sitting and narrating this story sometime while the Roman empire was at its zenith. I wondered for the thousandth time while reading mythology how such stories travel and are recreated and retold and saved for the present age. I read 'Remus' By T.P Wiseman last year, and it was a really in depth book about the origin of the Roman empire as we know it today. But maybe in too depth. However I understood some aspects of it better retrospectively after reading the Aeneid. The evidence of Lupercalia and Evander, mention of the Palatine and Aventine hills as well as the varying accounts of stories of the same events among the Greek and Roman mythologies.
I think its kind of funny that today we know the Roman empire to be one of the greatest empire and yet it is the Greek mythology that seems to be more mainstream? It took me a while to figure out that Juno was Hera and Saturn was Cronus. I just think its really interesting how the same power figures have such different representations across different mythologies especially when it comes to Aphrodite and Venus.
I liked the ending at the end. Kind of neat. It felt like a tidy tying up by the storyteller. Virgil found the best way to explain the latin language and the democratic nature of the Roman empire without lessening the greatness of Aeneas and his merry band of warriors and their founding of another Troy in italy. Oops spoiler alert? Not really. The tiny bit where the King Latinus sends envoys to Diomedes felt like a nice throwback, and him saying: "Bro we messed up trying to sack Troy and all of us paid the price for it (cc: Odyssey), please just accept him as king." was...nice. Logical.
A couple other points.
The color purple is associated with royalty, and I cant imagine that notion being built anywhere else but in ancient Rome where the darker shade of it was only reserved for royalty. Which also probably started after some oracle told Aeneas to do sacrificial rituals for Olympians at coasts in specific purple garbs.
Every time I read about Turnus, I imagined Mars from Dota 2.
Best consequence of this book? I am motivated to play Hades again.