Character Analysis Turnus

Turnus’s character as antagonist serves a similar purpose in the second half of The Aeneid as did Dido’s character in the first half. Turnus’s militant fury is the counterpart to Dido’s erotic fury. Like Dido, Turnus is an individualist who follows his own will to the point of excess, and […]

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Character Analysis Dido

Because Juno and Venus manipulate Dido and Aeneas, Dido becomes infatuated with Aeneas. She neglects the building projects that are underway in Carthage and the city’s defense is not maintained. Virgil warns that love out of control can cause disorder, both physically and emotionally. He notes, “What good are shrines […]

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Character Analysis Aeneas

In his role as dutiful servant of fate and of the gods, Aeneas never loses sight of his goal. Aeneas is “a man apart, devoted to his mission, a dedicated man.” He tells Dido that he is “duty-bound.” Aeneas faces adversity without ever losing faith in the will of fate. […]

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Summary and Analysis Chapter 12

Meeting with John and Bernard, Helmholtz reads an anti-social poem he has composed. This reading inspires John to read Shakespeare aloud. Helmholtz’s initial delight at the poetic language turns to laughter and ridicule when Shakespeare’s ideas about love and sex clash with Helmholtz’s own social conditioning. Analysis John’s preference for […]

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