Aeneid Essay 1

How successfully are Venus’ powers of persuasion portrayed in this passage?
(10)
In this extract from Book 1, we are introduced to the characters of the Venus and her father, Jupiter – here,
the goddess is appealing to the king of the Gods, asking when her son Aeneas’ fate will be fulfilled.
Virgil is successful in portraying Venus as persuasive in the description “her shining eyes brimming with
tears”, wherein her open display of emotion appeals to both Jupiter and the reader, creating a sense of
pity, which she uses to get what she wants from her father. Given that this is the first image we ever see of
Venus, the use of the adjective ‘shining’ is notable, as, before all else, she is shown to be helpless, again
building on the impression that all despair she faces is undeserved. Through this, Virgil creates almost a
pathetic quality to her character, which she repeatedly manipulates in order to persuade Jupiter into
providing her reassurance for her son’s fate.
Virgil further portrays Venus’s powers of persuasion via the rhetorical question, “what great harm has my
sson Aeneas been able to do to you?”. Here, the use of the possessive pronoun “my”, shows a new, more
maternal side to Venus, casting her as protective and thus worthy of Jupiter’s aid, making him more likely
to help her. Moreover, the use of the verb phrase ‘be able to’ references Aeneas’ weaknesses when
compared to the likes of Jupiter himself- this could be interpreted as Venus using flattery to get her way
with her father.
Venus’ powers of persuasion are also demonstrated via the use of apostrophes, such as “O father” and “O
great king, what end do you set to their labours?”, where the sycophantic tone, again, appeals to Jupiter’s
ego, further aiding Venus in her pursuit against him. Additionally, as prior demonstrated by Juno when
asking Aeolus to send a storm down to the Trojans, Venus uses others’ successes to highlight the
unreasonable hardship her son faces, indicating a more manipulative side to her methods of persuasion.
Finally, Virgil shows Venus’ powers of persuasion via the use of emotional manipulation, as seen in the line
“It is unspeakable. We are betrayed”, wherein the use of the collective pronoun ‘We’, implies that herself
and Aeneas are not the only ones who have suffered at the hands of Jupiter, placing him under blame for
an unnamed number of events. Also, the use of emotive language in the words ‘unspeakable’ and
‘betrayed’ further enhances the guilt she wishes to bestow upon Jupiter; all this combined would
undoubtedly help to almost guilt-trip Jupiter into giving Venus what she is asking for, again demonstrating
her impressive means of persuasion.
‘Cruel and manipulative’. To what extent do you agree with this description of the gods in Book 1? (20)
The Gods are presented to be cruel and manipulative in Juno’s exploitation of Aeolus’s power in order to
terrorise Aeneas and his men with a deadly storm. Here, Juno goes in ‘supplication’ to Aeolus, using
Jupiter’s influence as the ‘Father of the Gods’ in order to ask for Aeolus to send down a storm to a group of
men ‘hateful to her’. Juno asks for this to be done in exchange for her most beautiful nymph, whom she will
gift to Aeolus as his, ‘in lawful wedlock’, showing the corruption common amongst the gods, while also
displaying Juno’s disregard for the wants of others, even those she has no viable reason to want to harm.
Aeolus agrees, of course, and, though she fails in killing Aeneas, Juno succeeds in taking down many Trojan
ships, which ultimately causes Aeneas great emotional distress, creating empathy for Aeneas, highlighting
the cruelty of Juno’s actions.
However, the Gods are also shown to be just, as seen in Neptune’s intervention of the storm. Though he
initially only ‘observes’ the storm, which could be interpreted to be irresponsible and callous, he soon
becomes angry at his sister, Juno’s actions, and decides to ‘summon’ the east and west winds, showing his
power over even the elements that are not under his complete control. He goes on to lecture them on
acting without his ‘divine authority’, becoming so angry that he begins a threat against them but, as a
stateman controls his passions, so as not to appear hot-headed and without control. He ends his lecture by
telling the winds to remind Aeolus that he has ‘no jurisdiction over the sea’, and thus his powers should not
be interfering with Neptune’s own. The God then calmed the storm, helping to take the Trojan ships back
to shore- this ultimately lands Aeneas in Carthage, where the principal plot of the Aeneid begins; thus, it
can be said that Neptune is a driving force of power at the beginning of the Aeneid, and thus his actions are
justified and important, not only in terms of morality, but fate itself.
However, it can be said that these qualities pale in comparison to the emotional distress the Gods place
upon the mortal characters in the Aeneid. This is demonstrated by Venus, when she disguises herself as a
‘Spartan girl’ in order to guide her son, Aeneas, towards Carthage. She initially tries to appear as
mysterious, but this is quickly quelled by Aeneas, who sees through the façade and recognises her to be a
goddess, even if he cannot for certain place which one. Even as Aeneas begs her to ‘lighten [his] distress’,
she continues with the ruse, showing her to be apathetic towards her own son’s despair. This is ironic,
given as, when begging for Jupiter’s aid, we see Venus to be a protective maternal figure, indicating that
she only displays her more redeeming qualities when it is of personal benefit to her. Venus goes on to
describe the legend of Dido’s rise to power- though his may seem harmless, it can be interpreted as
inconsiderate towards the Trojans’ struggles, as it shows them all that they have had taken from them;
home, power and stability. Venus then continues to feign ignorance as to Aeneas’ identity, asking him
plainly, ‘who are you?’, wherein her ats of deception further the impression of her as being cold and
uninvolved in her son’s affairs. Though she is somewhat redeemed in her final, reassuring speech towards
Aeneas, it is clear that, as soon as he realises that the “spartan woman” was Venus all along, Aeneas is
angry towards his treatment under the Gods, even crying out ‘You too are cruel’ to Venus as she leaves
Overall, Virgil portrays the Gods and Goddesses in many different ways in Book 1 of The Aeneid, exploring
the duality of their actions and establishing their powers as being the driving forces to the principal plot;
however, it cannot be discounted that their actions, interference and corrupt relationships with one
another cause more harm to the world than good. They are repeatedly shown to be cold, calculating and
selfish in their pursuits, thus presenting them as cruel and manipulative.

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How successfully are Venus’ powers of persuasion portrayed in this passage?

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