Why No Mercy? : A Study of Aeneas' Missing Virtue
(2013) In Symbolae Osloenses 87(1). p.95-133- Abstract
- When Octavian in 27 BC was given the title of Augustus, a shield was set up in the senate inscribed with four virtues; virtus, clementia, iustitia, and pietas. Aeneas, the great ancestor of Octavian, is frequently praised for pietas, virtus, and iustitia in the Aeneid. Regarding clementia, however, Vergil is conspicuously silent. Indeed, in the battle scenes of books 10 and 12, Aeneas refuses to spare enemies who ask for mercy. The author examines the arguments presented in order to vindicate Aeneas' acts, and argues that the sources cited in defence of Aeneas cannot be called upon to give a clear verdict. Instead of employing contemporary sources in a bid to exculpate Aeneas, the author uses them to explain why Vergil decided to make his... (More)
- When Octavian in 27 BC was given the title of Augustus, a shield was set up in the senate inscribed with four virtues; virtus, clementia, iustitia, and pietas. Aeneas, the great ancestor of Octavian, is frequently praised for pietas, virtus, and iustitia in the Aeneid. Regarding clementia, however, Vergil is conspicuously silent. Indeed, in the battle scenes of books 10 and 12, Aeneas refuses to spare enemies who ask for mercy. The author examines the arguments presented in order to vindicate Aeneas' acts, and argues that the sources cited in defence of Aeneas cannot be called upon to give a clear verdict. Instead of employing contemporary sources in a bid to exculpate Aeneas, the author uses them to explain why Vergil decided to make his hero merciless. He submits that Vergil has deliberately, and in accordance with his view of contemporary political events, created a merciless hero for his epic. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
https://lup.lub.lu.se/record/4519553
- author
- Damtoft Poulsen, Aske LU
- organization
- publishing date
- 2013
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- Vergil/Virgil, Aeneid, Aeneas, Mercy (clementia), Augustus, Late Roman Republic, Roman civil wars.
- in
- Symbolae Osloenses
- volume
- 87
- issue
- 1
- pages
- 95 - 133
- publisher
- Taylor & Francis
- external identifiers
-
- wos:000326013900006
- scopus:84887083231
- ISSN
- 0039-7679
- DOI
- 10.1080/00397679.2013.827490
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- 42ee6121-f0a1-4de1-affb-73fcc26aedeb (old id 4519553)
- date added to LUP
- 2016-04-01 11:07:20
- date last changed
- 2022-01-26 05:33:22
@article{42ee6121-f0a1-4de1-affb-73fcc26aedeb,
abstract = {{When Octavian in 27 BC was given the title of Augustus, a shield was set up in the senate inscribed with four virtues; virtus, clementia, iustitia, and pietas. Aeneas, the great ancestor of Octavian, is frequently praised for pietas, virtus, and iustitia in the Aeneid. Regarding clementia, however, Vergil is conspicuously silent. Indeed, in the battle scenes of books 10 and 12, Aeneas refuses to spare enemies who ask for mercy. The author examines the arguments presented in order to vindicate Aeneas' acts, and argues that the sources cited in defence of Aeneas cannot be called upon to give a clear verdict. Instead of employing contemporary sources in a bid to exculpate Aeneas, the author uses them to explain why Vergil decided to make his hero merciless. He submits that Vergil has deliberately, and in accordance with his view of contemporary political events, created a merciless hero for his epic.}},
author = {{Damtoft Poulsen, Aske}},
issn = {{0039-7679}},
keywords = {{Vergil/Virgil; Aeneid; Aeneas; Mercy (clementia); Augustus; Late Roman Republic; Roman civil wars.}},
language = {{eng}},
number = {{1}},
pages = {{95--133}},
publisher = {{Taylor & Francis}},
series = {{Symbolae Osloenses}},
title = {{Why No Mercy? : A Study of Aeneas' Missing Virtue}},
url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00397679.2013.827490}},
doi = {{10.1080/00397679.2013.827490}},
volume = {{87}},
year = {{2013}},
}