Turnus is more heroic than Aeneas – how far do you agree?
Agreeing w/ statement
Turnus is heroic
- Never shown as a villain, has a decent character
- Entirety of book 12 is dedicated to him – he starts and finishes it
- He has a heroic death in battle
- In 12.9 he is compared to a lion, creating a link to Achilles and Hercules
- He ignores his families’ pleas and prioritises war over himself – parallel to Hector he
takes on doomed combat for the sake of Troy, ignoring the pleas of his wife
- There are hints that Turnus is meant to die for the good of the people – or the people
that will emerge (the Romans) – most honourable thing a Roman can do – Devitio
(thematic concept, like pathos)
- In many ways he is Roman – one of the ways we can recognise this is by his sister
Juturna who helps him
- Allusions to Greek tragedy – Turnus get the heroes end expected in Greek tragedy
- Then indeed out of his with fear Turnus said “Faunus I pray, pity me” – Aeneas
people destroyed this sacred tree – shows Turnus’ pietas and respect towards the
Gods
- ‘This man Turnus surged forward, thinking it would go unpunished, raised his whole
body onto his sword lifted high and struck’ – power of Turnus – strength in battle
- Has praise from father of Lavinia
Aeneas isn’t heroic
- Cutting down sacred tree of Faunus – shows a lack of respect for the gods
- Savage murder of Turnus, however arguably justified due to T having the belt of
Pallas, a young boy he had killed
- Inability to retrieve the sword from the stump of Faunus – ‘He could not prise open
the biting grip of the wood by any show of strength.’
Disagreeing w/ statement
Turnus isn’t heroic
- There is a certain element of weakness shown – Turnus relies on the gods and when
in the close combat he tends to flee
- Turnus doesn’t seem to be able to throw the rock – Virgil describes his arms as
trembling – The use of this rock compares to Athena in the Iliad where she
(successfully) throws a large rock in battle – takes away from heroic nature
- ‘Then what delay is there now? Or why, Turnus, are you now drawing back?’ – shows
Turnus is afraid of battle, or at least shrinking away from it – cowardly
- ‘Your fiery words do not terrify me, fierce one: the gods and hostile Jupiter terrify
me.’ – admitting he’s scared, showing vulnerability – however some heroicness in
admitting it
- Reminder of Turnus’ unnecessarily brutal death of Pallas in book 10
- A new numbness loosened his limbs with fear and his hair stood on end with and his
voice was struck in his throat (867)
- Very physical, visceral reactions to fear, hyperbole shows the extent of his weakness
Agreeing w/ statement
Turnus is heroic
- Never shown as a villain, has a decent character
- Entirety of book 12 is dedicated to him – he starts and finishes it
- He has a heroic death in battle
- In 12.9 he is compared to a lion, creating a link to Achilles and Hercules
- He ignores his families’ pleas and prioritises war over himself – parallel to Hector he
takes on doomed combat for the sake of Troy, ignoring the pleas of his wife
- There are hints that Turnus is meant to die for the good of the people – or the people
that will emerge (the Romans) – most honourable thing a Roman can do – Devitio
(thematic concept, like pathos)
- In many ways he is Roman – one of the ways we can recognise this is by his sister
Juturna who helps him
- Allusions to Greek tragedy – Turnus get the heroes end expected in Greek tragedy
- Then indeed out of his with fear Turnus said “Faunus I pray, pity me” – Aeneas
people destroyed this sacred tree – shows Turnus’ pietas and respect towards the
Gods
- ‘This man Turnus surged forward, thinking it would go unpunished, raised his whole
body onto his sword lifted high and struck’ – power of Turnus – strength in battle
- Has praise from father of Lavinia
Aeneas isn’t heroic
- Cutting down sacred tree of Faunus – shows a lack of respect for the gods
- Savage murder of Turnus, however arguably justified due to T having the belt of
Pallas, a young boy he had killed
- Inability to retrieve the sword from the stump of Faunus – ‘He could not prise open
the biting grip of the wood by any show of strength.’
Disagreeing w/ statement
Turnus isn’t heroic
- There is a certain element of weakness shown – Turnus relies on the gods and when
in the close combat he tends to flee
- Turnus doesn’t seem to be able to throw the rock – Virgil describes his arms as
trembling – The use of this rock compares to Athena in the Iliad where she
(successfully) throws a large rock in battle – takes away from heroic nature
- ‘Then what delay is there now? Or why, Turnus, are you now drawing back?’ – shows
Turnus is afraid of battle, or at least shrinking away from it – cowardly
- ‘Your fiery words do not terrify me, fierce one: the gods and hostile Jupiter terrify
me.’ – admitting he’s scared, showing vulnerability – however some heroicness in
admitting it
- Reminder of Turnus’ unnecessarily brutal death of Pallas in book 10
- A new numbness loosened his limbs with fear and his hair stood on end with and his
voice was struck in his throat (867)
- Very physical, visceral reactions to fear, hyperbole shows the extent of his weakness
