Greek Tragedy in Vergil s “Aeneid”

Abstract

This book is a systematic study of the importance of Greek tragedy as a fundamental 'intertext' for Vergil's Aeneid. Vassiliki Panoussi argues that the epic's representation of ritual acts, especially sacrifice, mourning, marriage, and maenadic rites, mobilizes a connection to tragedy. The tragic-ritual model offers a fresh look into the political and cultural function of the Aeneid, expanding our awareness of the poem's scope, particularly in relation to gender, and presenting new readings of celebrated episodes, such as Anchises' games, Amata's maenadic rites, Dido's suicide, and the killing of Turnus. She interprets the Aeneid as a work that reflects the dynamic nature of Augustan ideology, contributing to the redefinition of civic discourse and national identity. In her rich study, readers will find a unique exploration of the complex relationship between Greek tragedy and Vergil's Aeneid and a stimulating discussion of problems of gender, power, and ideology in ancient Rome.

Sophocles: Greek Poet, World Classic

“…Sophocles was drawn on by major non-dramatic Latin poets in this period: so Virgil in the Aeneid made use of his Ajax (Panoussi 2002(Panoussi , 2009 and a recentlypublished papyrus has shown that Ovid drew on his Tereus (Finglass 2016(Finglass , 70-2, 2019; in general, see Curley 2013). Many of these poets' original readerships will have appreciated the allusions to Sophocles' plays; in time, however, Sophocles' plays were lost in the west altogether, and so such associations would no longer be apparent.…”