Department of Ancient Studies

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Browsing Department of Ancient Studies by Author "Backhouse, George"

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    References to swords in the death scenes of Dido and Turnus in the Aeneid
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2012-12) Backhouse, George; Kotze, Annemare; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of Ancient Studies.
    ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This thesis investigates the references to swords in key scenes in the Aeneid – particularly the scenes of Dido’s and Turnus’ death – in order to add new perspectives on these scenes and on the way in which they impact on the presentation of Aeneas’ Roman mission in the epic. In Chapter Two I attempt to provide an outline of the mission of Aeneas. I also investigate the manner in which Dido and Turnus may be considered to be opponents of Aeneas’ mission. In Chapter Three I investigate references to swords in select scenes in book four of the Aeneid. I highlight an ambiguity in the interpretation of the sword that Dido uses to commit suicide and I also provide a description of the sword as a weapon and its place in the epic. In Chapter Four I provide an analysis of the references to swords in Dido’s and Turnus’ death scenes alongside a number of other important scenes involving mention of swords. I preface my analyses of the references to swords that play a role in interpreting Dido and Turnus’ deaths with an outline of the reasons for the deaths of each of these figures. The additional references to swords that I use in this chapter are the references to the sword in the scene of Deiphobus’ death in book six and to the sword and Priam’s act of arming himself on the night on which Troy is destroyed. At the end of Chapter Four I look at parallels between Dido and Turnus and their relationship to the mission of Aeneas. At the end of this thesis I am able to conclude that an investigation and analysis of the references to swords in select scenes in the Aeneid adds to existing scholarship in Dido’s and Turnus’ death in the following way: a more detailed investigation of the role of swords in the interpretation of Dido’s death from an erotic perspective strengthens the existing notion in scholarship that Dido is an obstacle to the mission of Aeneas.