A Commentary on Vergil, Aeneid 3

by: Heyworth, S.J. Morwood, J.H.W.

Includes a detailed introduction covering Vergil's career, historical and literary context, the transmission of the text, and a glossary of literary terms
Offers an Appendix of major Greek and Latin intertexts containing a broad selection of relevant passages
Makes the text accessible to readers at all levels of proficiency by providing detailed help with Vergil's language
Renders a broad range of parallels readily available through generous citation of Latin and Greek alongside English translations
Illustrates the narrative of Book 3 with four maps

Description
The Aeneid, generally considered the greatest poem of Roman literature, is a story of migration, and Book 3 is at the heart of this story-the arrestingly dramatic account that Aeneas gives to the Carthaginian Queen Dido of his people's journey from the sacked city of Troy. This journey sees them encounter a series of brilliantly characterized individuals and visit some of the most extraordinary places in the central Mediterranean, both real and imaginary: shrines and volcanoes, floating islands and monsters. Yet though it is on one level a thrilling traveller's tale, it is also a profound story of a voyage from a dead past to an uncertain, but ultimately glorious, future in Augustan Rome.

This new edition contains an introduction, the Latin text, and a detailed commentary, as well as an extensive Appendix illustrating the rich variety of texts that Vergil used as his models through an ample collection of relevant passages: from the heroic voyages described in the Odyssey and the Argonautica, to tragic explorations of the aftermath of Troy's fall (especially Euripides' Hecuba, Troades, and Andromache) and texts on Delos and Etna. The introduction grounds the book in its historical and literary contexts, while the commentary itself aims to bring out the poet's artistry and learning, keeping the dramatic situation of Aeneas' story-telling in view throughout. Translations of all cited Latin and Greek and regular references to Roman history will provide readers new and old with a clear understanding not only of the original text, but also of the poet's vision of Rome, history, and humanity.

Table of Contents
Preface
Introduction
1. Vergil's poetic career, life, and times
Life and times
The Eclogues
The Georgics
2. The Aeneid: a synopsis
3. Intertexts and influences: Homer
Tragedy
Hellenistic poetry
Latin poetry
4. Style
5. Context and themes
6. Metre, scansion, and versification
7. Text and transmission
8. Glossary
Maps
1. The voyage of Aeneas
2. The Aegean Sea
3. The Ionian Sea: Western Greece and South Italy
4. Sicily
Aeneid 3: Text
Aeneid 3: Commentary
Appendix of Major Intertexts
Bibliography
Index
Index of passages cited and scanned
Index of Latin words

A Commentary on Vergil, Aeneid 3

by: Heyworth, S.J. Morwood, J.H.W.

• ISBN-13: 9780198727828 / 978-0-19-872782-8
• ISBN-03: 0198727828 / 0-19-872782-8
• Oxford University Press, Oxford, 2017