Lavinia 47-60

The death of Dido


1. The story of Dido and Aeneas: re-tell it in your own words. (Unless someone has already.)

2. The story of Helen reuniting with her husband Meneleus: retell it in your own words. (Unless someone has already.)

3. Can you find any elements the two stories have in common?

4. Given what has happened so far, does it seem possible that Lavinia's story might up sad or tragic? Explain.

5. Describe the poet-ghost's and Lavinia's relationship.

Lavinia 34-47

Two representations of Virgil, who wrote the Aeneid, the great Roman epic poem about Aeneas.

Back on p. 22, Lavinia defines the word "piety": "responsible, faithful to duty, open to awe." By open to awe she means open to feeling awe before the greatness of the gods.

1. In this reading, does the monkey show piety? Explain.

OR

2. Does Turnus show piety in this reading? Explain.

OR

3. Does Amata (Lavinia's mother) show piety in this reading? Explain.

OR

4. Does Latinus (Lavinia's father) show piety in this reading? Explain.

OR

5. Does the poet, Virgil (whose other name was Maro), the one who invented Lavinia, who appears to her as a ghost (a "wraith"), show piety? Explain.

OR

6. Does Lavinia herself show piety in this reading? Explain.

Lavinia 21--top of 34

Notice that Lavinia jumps ahead in time to a time when she is married to her husband and they are looking together at his armor, hanging on the wall, especially his shield. As Lavinia looks at the shield, it allows her to see into the future.

1. Come up with a list of three adjectives to describe Lavinia as we know her so far, and give a brief explanation for each adjective. OR

2. "Could she not see that? . . . Could my father not see it?" (33) What is this "it" that her parents not seem to be able to see? Drances the advisor can see it: "Sometimes he would glance at my father, or even at me, as if to say, Do you see? He [Drances] knew what I knew . . ." What is this thing that Drances and Lavinia herself can see? It's not stated directly; can you guess? If someone has taken your guess, answer a different question.

3. Latinus, Lavinia's father, interprets the dream she has at Albunea about her grandfather (29). Explain in your onw words her father's interpretation of the dream. What about the dream has led to this interpretation, do you think? If someone has taken your guess, answer a different question.

4. Try to summarize what Lavinia is saying about the god Mars on p. 23 and pp. 30 and 31. It won't be easy.

5. When Lavinia looks at her husband's shield she sees many things. What does she see that has a connection to the part about Mars?

Lavinia 9-23

1. How many references to different animals can you find?

OR

2. What animals get mentioned in connection with Turnus? Comment.

OR

3. Does Turnus act in a a good way at the dinner?

OR

4. Why do you suppose the author has Lavinia bring so many animals into her story?

OR

5. Do you agree with Lavinia's father or mother as to whether it is a good idea for Lavinia to spend so much time in the out of doors with the daughter of the man who takes care of the king's herds? (bottom of page 14)

Lavinia 3-9

A statue of a household god, known as a Penates, from the early Roman culture.


Notice that Lavinia begins this section by explaining that she is a character in a poem, not a real person. She means this literally--she wants us to take seriously the ida that she is a character in a work of literature, and that the rules of existence differ for a literary character from the rules for a real person. Try to keep this in mind.

Prompt:

1. Can you give an example for a way in which Lavinia's childhood is difficult, even though she is a princess? (If someone else takes your example, give a different one.)

OR

2. Why do you suppose the death of her sons causes Lavinia's mother to go crazy and to be so mean to her husband and her daughter? (Leave aside biochemeical, or genetic, or other biolgocial kinds of explanations.) There's no one answer to thsi question. Speculate.

OR

3. Was Lavinia right to tell her father that it was a cat that scratched her, and not say the truth, which was that it was her mother who scratched her? Why?

OR

4. What does it say about Lavinia's character that she tells her father it was a cat who scratched her, and not the truth, that it was her mother who scratched her? We don't know enough yet to say, but speculate.

Lavinia pp. 1-2

Romulus and Remus being raised by a wolf. Romulus and Remus are decendants of Aeneas, a major character in Lavinia. Notice the importance in Lavinia of wolves.

What is your favorite word or short phrase in this reading? Explain why. If someone else has taken your phrase, come up with a different one, unless you have something new and different to say about it. Good luck!

Palace Walk 181-196

Only one prompt. You may agree with someone who has commented before you, but you must come up with your own example. Good luck!

Do you think that the author (choose one)

(a) accepts the values of the society he describes in this book without approving or disapproving
(b) approves of the values of this society
(c) disapproves of the values of this society

Explain, and give a quotation that supports your view.