Invitus, Regina: Aeneas Cast as the Unwilling and Unfit Hero
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Issue Date
2011-06-14Author
Geer, Rachel Leah
Publisher
University of Kansas
Format
44 pages
Type
Thesis
Degree Level
M.A.
Discipline
Classics
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This item is protected by copyright and unless otherwise specified the copyright of this thesis/dissertation is held by the author.
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A particular instance of intertextuality that has received much critical attention is a line of the Aeneid spoken by Aeneas to Dido in the underworld: invitus, regina, tuo de litore cessi (6.460). Its striking similarity to a line from Catullus 66 spoken by a lock of hair (invita, o regina, tuo de vertice cessi; 39) has led to a variety of scholarly explanations. In this thesis I examine the major interpretations, emphasizing the readings that focus on the effect this borrowing has on our understanding of Aeneas as a character, and arguing that his quotation of this line primarily causes him to appear hesitant and mock-heroic. In order to expand the interpretation of Aeneas' words, I also examine the poem of Catullus and its feminine tone, as well as similes and descriptions of Aeneas in the Aeneid that similarly cast doubt on the appropriateness of his relationship to Dido and his adequacy as an epic hero.
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- Classics Dissertations and Theses [90]
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