The Archetypal and Psychological Symbolisms present in the epic The Aeneid by VirgilVirgil’s The Aeneid chronicles the adventures of Aeneas, a Trojan who escapes from the Trojan war and the Greek’s wrath and destruction. Aeneas, as blessed by the gods and goddesses is fated, together with his army, to build Rome and become the founder of Italy. He comes across several obstacles in the epic as he tries to fulfil the mission that was destined for him. The epic is pretty long and covers a vast number of adventures that both glorified the hero archetype in Aeneas.
However, the only important part that should be given due focus in the paper is the Book IV of The Aeneid, wherein Aeneas is stranded on the shores of Carthage after a storm breaks though. Take note that it is a storm which drives Aeneas to the shores of Carthage and a storm (with the Queen Dido) that will enlighten him about his purpose of the adventure and make him and leave the island.More than often, works of Literature has certain symbolisms contained that have deeper meanings than what they appear to have. Moreover, there are certain aspects of a certain example of Literature that will show a particular object, scene, character or setting that has a meaning entirely different or more profound than what a reader would regard.
When a critic uses certain literary perspectives on them, they suddenly become much clearer and more meaningful. This in turn makes a reader appreciate Literature better (Guerin, Labor, Morgan, Reesman, and Willingham 5). This belief holds true to what happened between Dido and Aeneas as they go to a hunt: “And horns and hounds awake the princely train/ They issue early thro’ the city gate / Where the more wakeful hunstmen ready wait..
.” (Virgil 157).The Queen and Aeneas goes to a hunt as what is accustomed in their culture and their times as what the royalty are occupied with. The hunt may symbolically be interpreted as the present situation that the two are in.
There is a prey and a predator but of who is the prey or the predator it is undetermined. However, there is the fact that Dido is passionately smitten and in love with Aeneas as caused by the gods and goddesses (Cupid and Venus).The Queen Dido, in her own intense emotional state, wants to hunt Aeneas in a sense that she would want a consummation of some sort. As the circumstance may be interpreted that Dido is in fact searching or hunting down Aeneas, it could also be the interpreted as a symbolism that Dido is searching for her own courage to blatantly show Aeneas her love which later on happens in the cave while the storm raged on.The storm that happens during the hunt can now be identified as the emotions that both of the characters are experiencing.
It may be concluded that storm are sometimes interpreted to be an archetype of some sort as what water symbolizes (Guerin et al. 184).Moreover, psychologically speaking, water can also be linked to the sexuality or the torrent of emotions that particular characters may be experiencing. Thus, Dido’s consummation with Aeneas in the form of their intense love making is reinforced by the storm that was taking place during their stay in the cave:Meantime, the gath’ring clouds obsure the skies:From pole to pole the forky lightning flies;The rattling thunders roll.
..The queen and prince, as love or fortune guides,One common cavern is her bosom hides.And howling nymphs were conscious of their love.
(Virgil 159)The rapture described of their love making is the actual description that Virgil uses as alluding to the storm. In simple terms, the storm is their love making.In conclusion, the hunt and the storm that took place in the epic is more than a setting or another adventure that Virgil intended for his readers to read. The description that Virgil uses in describing the start of the hunt and finally the scene wherein both the queen and the prince is found at the cave while the storm is madly brewing is in fact pertaining to the characters’ intense emotions.As what the gods and goddesses made it to happen—the consummation that the Queen Dido and the Prince Aeneas participates in is more than a description of the cave or the storm: “the trembling earth the signal gave/ And flashing fires that enlighten all the cave” (Virgil 159). Symbolisms in Literature have always played a significant and enlightening part for the readers.
As what the symbolism of the hunt and storm in the Book IV of The Aeneid alludes to, it makes readers appreciate Literature more and absorb the more profound meanings that an author has incorporated in his or her masterpiece/s.Many people may conclude that seeing symbolisms in a certain example of Literature is over reading it but more than often, there are indeed hidden meanings in elements of the work that may be judged as just being simple and shallow elements.The Queen Dido and the Prince Aeneas may just simply be hunting one day and that they got caught up in a storm and they had to take shelter in a cave. Nevertheless, there will always be underlying meanings in some things as what archetypes or psychological meanings pertain to.
The storm and the hunt can be both linked to what the Queen Dido and the Prince Aeneas are feeling and doing—the intense emotional upheaval of love.Works CitedGuerin, Wilfred L., Earle Labor, Lee Morgan, Jeanne C. Reesman and John R. Willingham.
A Handbook of Critical Approaches to Literature. 5th ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2004.Virgil. The Aeneid Ed.
William Francis Jackson Knight. Plain Label Books, 1956
