Abstract This paper looks briefly at the writings of third century bishop Cyprian of Carthage who wrote extensively on what he saw was the most important issue of the day. The paper explains that this was the unity of the Church at that time. The paper provides a brief biography of his life and relevant details of his career and then examines the issues of lapsed Christians, Episcopal schisms and Biblical evidence of Unity.
From the Paper "The treatise entitled "De Unitate Ecclesiae," or "On the Unity of the Catholic Church," by Cyprian of Carthage is an important piece of Church history, and documents a particular problem in the early Church and the ways in which it was handled (Fitzgerald). The document reflects both the life and important issues to Cyprian, but also the dire matters of the Church that had the potential to forever affect Christianity as we know it. In order to understand this document, one must also learn about Cyprian and vice-versa. Saint Cyprian, martyr and Bishop of Carthage, in Africa, in the third century AD, converted to Christianity in the year 245 or 246, at age 47 and he became bishop only 2 years after his conversion (Giles 49)."
Abstract This paper examines how in Virgil's "Aeneid" Book 4, epic and tragedy, are inextricably linked by the use of similes, the relationship between civic duty and responsibility and the intervention of fate and the gods. It looks at how Aeneas, whose epic journey carries him past Carthage, inspires love in Dido who suffers a whole range of emotion, from love, to confusion, to hatred. It also explores the tragic element with Aeneas, who must sacrifice his love for Dido to pursue his destiny to found Rome.
From the Paper "The essential basis of the tragedy is that Dido sacrifices everything for her personal love for Aeneas. She ultimately fails to understand Aeneas' argument about his duty because in her eyes personal considerations override everything else. She allows herself to be drawn into a position from which she can find no way back and has allows herself to become embroiled in a net of circumstances. The element of pathos is very great in the first half of the book as Dido allows herself to let her emotions run free, and in the second half it continues, together with a feeling of horror and terror as she becomes a typical fury of vengeance rather than a queen or woman."
Abstract This paper explains that, in his epic "The Aeneid", Virgil considered fate to be so unyielding that not even the gods themselves could intervene to prevent an event from coming to fruition. The author points out that Juno, queen of the gods and the main antagonist in Virgil's foundational fiction, is not affected by the same fate that rules over humans; nevertheless, she actively attempts to obstruct the Roman hero Aeneas in his journey to fulfill his own destiny, which Juno suspects will be responsible both for the downfall of her favorite city, Carthage, and the death of her most cherished mortal, Turnus. The paper indicates that, while it is recognized that Juno is not solely responsible for destiny's success, her actions are frequently responsible for eliciting other gods' reactions, which are more closely linked to fulfilling fate.
From the Paper "At this point, Juno recognizes that she can no longer keep Aeneas away from Italy, but decides that she might still have a chance to defeat him by stirring war between the Trojans and the otherwise welcoming Latins. To do this, Juno sends down Allecto to enrage the Latin queen, Amata, and Turnus, her favorite Latin, to oppose a wedding between the Latin Princess Lavinia and Aeneas. Allecto then ignites war as instructed by causing Ascanius, Aeneas' son, to kill a Latin stag. Amata and Turnus cry for war and the neutral Latin king relinquishes his power over the kingdom. Though Juno succeeds in inciting conflict and initially preventing Trojan occupation, her arousal of Latin furies proves to be the first in a series of events which lead to the fall of the Latin empire, clearing the way for fate to establish itself."
Abstract This paper explains that the Punic Wars were between Punic and Rome, starting in 264 B.C.E. and ending in 146 B.C.E., and were for control of the central Mediterranean Sea, which eventually resulted in Roman Empire's massive military forces subduing Carthage. The author points out a specific psychological poster made by the Romans, during the Punic Wars, to influence the Roman citizens as to the importance of the war and to imply that their participation in it would give them a sense of pride. The paper contends that this poster works because it neither belittles the enemy nor targets the wrong audience; rather, it correctly identifies its objective and glorifies its own resources instead of wrongly focusing on its enemy's attributes. The paper includes examples of Nazi and Japanese war propaganda.
Table of Contents
Punic Wars
War and Propaganda
The Selected Poster and Its Effectiveness
From the Paper "The use of this poster was all about manipulation of emotions. During the war, people are often confused as to how they should react to the situation. Sometimes the media with its various tactics steps in the picture to make people's decisions for them and to help them think in a certain manner. Their emotions are manipulated and use to politicians' advantage. We can better understand this by the help of another example. During the Nazi period, the German government wanted to win the support of nation on the issue of driving Jews out of the country and killing them. The government tried to play with the emotions of people by issuing a leaflet "The Girl You Left Behind"."
Abstract This paper shows how Virgil conveys in his epic, "The Aeneid", that fate was once considered to be so unyielding that not even the gods themselves could intervene to prevent its coming to fruition. Juno, queen of the gods and the main antagonist in Virgil's foundational fiction, is not affected by the same fate that rules over humans. Nevertheless, she actively attempts to obstruct the Roman hero Aeneas in his journey to fulfill his own destiny, which Juno suspects will be responsible both for the downfall of her favorite city, Carthage, and the death of her most cherished mortal, Turnus. This paper shows that although some may argue that Venus is responsible for foiling Juno's intentions, it is ironically Juno herself, in her actions to thwart Aeneas, who brings about the fated events she tries to prevent. This is demonstrated by Dido's death coupled with Carthage's fated demise as well as Aeneas' prophesied founding of Rome.
From the Paper "As a subsequent result of Juno's attempt to save Turnus, Turnus begins to lose support from his army and is forced to settle the war with Aeneas in a fight to the death. When the fight finally commences, Aeneas soon has Turnus pleading for Aeneas' mercy. Aeneas is initially moved by Turnus' reasoning, but spots the young Pallas' belt on Turnus' arm. This sight reminds Aeneas of Turnus' own brazen ruthlessness and Aeneas executes Turnus, which clears the way for the founding of Rome. Since Juno originally inspires Turnus to fight against the Trojans, and Turnus murders Pallas, she secures Turnus' doom."
Abstract This paper uses Livy's book "The War with Hannibal," to examine the early history of the Roman empire. Livy wrote during the time of Augustus and Julius Caesar, and his personal bias must be taken into account when looking at his portrayal of history. The author looks at the causes of the Second Punic War, the history, people and politics that shaped the decisions that were made during this war.
From the Paper "Having the one hundred fifty thousand man advantage, Rome sent half of its men to present day Spain, more specifically Masillia, and the other half the Apian Way (which was a military transport road) to fight the war in Africa. The goal of the Romans march to Spain was to conquer some of their wealth and supply of natural resources. The goal of their march to Africa was to conquer the city of Carthage and take over its government."
Abstract This paper examines heroic Trojan prince, Aeneas, from Virgil's poem "The Aeneid". It provides a summary of the epic tale of a run-away prince searching for a new fatherland, who becomes the ancient founder of Rome. The paper states that Virgil's Aeneid is a model for all leaders to follow as proven by the historical glory of Rome.
From the Paper "Aeneas was a Trojan prince who fled from the ruins of Troy to look for Italy as his new fatherland. In his voyage, Aeneas shatters the heart of Dido - the Carthaginian queen, pays a visit to the Underworld, and finds Lavinium, a city on the coast of Italy. His mother is the goddess Venus, and he is a descendant of mighty Jove. According to the mythology, the founder of Troy, Dardanus, was one of the many sons of Jupiter, with females other than Hera. The eventual founders of Rome were the descendants of Aeneas. The Aeneid, in its most basic form, is an epic poem that goes beyond glorifying Rome and her father, taking up the superseding theme of duty pertinent to the people in all societies."
Abstract This paper discusses how Virgil intends the reader to understand the apparant suicide of Dido, the lover of Aeneas, the main character in Virgil's "Aeneid" as infact murder at the hands of Aeneas. It examines how the death of Dido can actually be viewed as a murder, through the account that Virgil gives of Aeneas' actions and his psychological murder of Dido before she takes her own life and more so by how he portrays the underworld where Dido and Aeneas eventually meet again. It shows how through these theatrics, Virgil wants to demonstrate a lesson to his readers about the value of passion and love.
From the Paper "Virgil allows Aeneas to further indite himself in the matter through the answers he gives to Dido. Aeneas claims that they, ?Never entered upon the past of marriage,? (IV, 468) and informs Dido that he never ?meant to be deceitful and slip away,? (IV, 466), even though his actions support the contrary belief. As if this was not enough for poor Dido's aching heart to bear, Virgil demonstrates that Aeneas is a cold-blooded killer on and off the battlefield; Aeneas slays Dido's love by telling her, ?But now it is the rich Italian land / Apollo tells me I must make for: Italy, / Named by his oracles. There is my love; / There is my country, (IV, 476-479)."
Tags: suicide, rome, carthage, aeneas, trojan, war, death
Examines the portrayal of Dido, the Phoenician widow of Sychaeus, by Christine de Pizan in her 1405 "Book of the City of Ladies", compared to Dante Alighieri's "Divine Comedy" and Virgil's "Aeneid".
Abstract Christine de Pizan's "Book of the City of Ladies" (1405) was written to counteract the lies and misrepresentations about women's character that the author found in the male dominated world of literature. The paper shows that Pizan's main example was Dido, the Phoenician widow of Sychaeus, who escaped her brother's tyranny by fleeing from Tyre to North Africa. There she founded and ruled over the great city of Carthage. The paper explains how, in her book, Pizan went about rehabilitating Dido's reputation by recounting her great prudence as leader of her people and her constancy in love. It shows how this account of Dido counteracts, in very different ways, the versions of Dido's career in Virgil's "Aeneid" and in Dante's "Divine Comedy" in which she is portrayed as "one of the most vilified women of world literature".
From the Paper "That is all that is left of the woman who was also famous for outwitting various male leaders and for her successful founding and leadership of a great state. Clearly Dante had a somewhat different way of looking at Dido than Virgil did. For Dante she was merely the embodiment of the female sins of lust (for Aeneas) and infidelity (to the memory of Sychaeus) for which so many famous women seemed to find themselves in the second circle of the Inferno--where more women than are found than in any other circle in Dante's Hell. But in the Aeneid Dido is clearly a woman of considerable power and great accomplishments. She is also clearly seen as worthy of Aeneas and is practically a female version of the hero. She is widowed, forced to flee, founds a new city, and her descendants become a powerful civilization--under the protection of Juno. Aeneas' wife dies at the fall of Troy, he is forced to flee and, eventually, he arrives in Italy to fulfill his destiny and found a great race--under the protection of Venus."
Abstract This three-page undergraduate paper describe how Rome, the village, emerged to become Rome the most powerful Mediterranean Empire. After a prolonged series of wars and struggle, the city of Rome became one of the most famous empires of the world. The strength of the Romans shone through as they persevered to attain power. Carthage, their powerful rival, lost at Romans' hands. After attaining much power, however, Rome faltered and became weak as its influential became greedy, amoral and selfish, before leaders stood up again to make things right.
Abstract This paper examines how Perpetua and St. Antony were two of the earliest recorded and most influential figures in Christian history. It looks at how both figures had different ideas as to what it meant to be a Christian and to live a Christian life. Perpetua was more of a public figure and worked with other Christians, while St. Antony was a much more private person and chose to live his life in the desert as a hermit.
From the Paper "To Perpetua, being a Christian meant above all retaining her faith and convictions even when threatened with execution. She accepted the contempt that her father held for her, as well as the contempt she faced from the other Roman citizens. She and the five other members of her congregation were charged and sentenced to death in the sports arena during the Emperor's celebration. Perpetua, Felicitas, and the four others were to be thrown to the beasts in the arena to be killed. Although Perpetua's father repeatedly begged her to give up her faith, she refused. Before her execution, Perpetua had many visions and dreams that reassured her that she was doing the right thing; she even had a dream about Dinocrates, her dead brother, living well in his afterlife."
Abstract It is an accepted human weakness that we are not happy with the things we possess. There is a constant desire to achieve and obtain more. This paper shows how Marlowe, in his "Complete Plays", stresses this very issue by presenting three separate characters in three separate plays, all with the same tragic flaw. Each character, namely, Dido, Tamburlaine, and Dr. Faustus, exhibit a desire for the unattainable, and the plays depict their struggle and inevitable failure to obtain the impossible. In using his characters and demonstrating their flaws, Marlowe is providing a social commentary on the culture of that time.
From the Paper "In Dido's case the unattainable is Aeneas. Her desire to love Aeneus and have him reciprocate this love is so great she would abdicate her throne declaring, "now bring him back, and thou shalt be a queen. And I will live a private life with him"(Dido, Act. V sc. i line:197-98). Yet sadly the forces of destiny and fate overpower Dido and her strong love for Aeneas. While the two may share in their affection for each other, the fate of Aeneas is not to marry Dido, but rather to found the city of Rome an ocean away. Yet Dido pleads with Aeneas and in some ways fate to remain in Carthage. The importance of Aeneas to the future of Rome, his destiny, takes precedence over his relationship with Dido. Dido, nonetheless, does nothing but counter what is already destined to transpire. In fighting for Aeneas Dido is fighting against an immutable destiny, a fight that culminates with her suicide. Yet with her dying words she invokes the very fate that destroyed her decreeing, "and from mine ashes let a conqueror rise, that may revenge this treason to a queen by ploughing up his countries with the sword"(Dido, Act.V sc.i line:306-08)."
Abstract This paper examines how many of the elements of Virgil's classic, "Aeneid", are extremely reminiscent of Homer's "Odyssey" and attempts to delineate some of the scenes, methods, and manners that Virgil adapted from the "Odyssey" in formulating the construction of his own classic, great, epic work. It looks at how Virgil attempted to draw many parallels between the two works in terms of their methodology and content. It shows how both works begin in medias res, or in the middle of the action of the story, rather than starting at the initial temporal point of departure for the story, and how both epics deal with the issue of flight from Troy, although one flees in victory and the other in defeat. It also discusses how both heroes encounter women who love them and try to hold them captive because of this love and how both works ultimately are about finding a ?home.?
From the Paper "Like the great Homerian work, The Odyssey, Aeneas? story begins in media res, or ?in the middle of things.? The story does not open on the original action of the book. The Odyssey opens in this similar fashion. Instead of opening just as Odysseus is departing from Troy, the great epic begins by illustrating the scene in which Odysseus is detained by the sea nymph, Calypso. By opening in the middle of things, the story immediately keeps the readers attention and leaves the elements of the past a mystery for later discovery. Similarly, The Aeneid begins not at the temporal beginning of the story but in its middle after Aeneas has already embarked upon his journey. In Book I of the Aeneid, Aeneas gets shipwrecked on the Northern coast of Africa. It is here that he encounters Dido, the Phoenician Queen that is building Carthage."
Tags: troy, roman, empire, aeneas, carthage, trogan, war
Abstract This paper examines how "The Aeneid" by Virgil and "The Life of St. Daniel the Stylite" are both works concerning heroes of their respective times. It looks at how Aeneas, emerging from the time of Rome, is portrayed as the ideal of the Roman epic hero, whereas St. Daniel shows his tenacity as a Christian ascetic. It also explores how both these heroes exemplify the ideals incorporated in each paradigm and, as such, fill an essential need in their respective cultures.
From the Paper "The purpose of Aeneas' journey then is to found a new city, which is Rome. When meeting Dido, the queen of Carthage, he remains with her for a period. They become lovers, and Aeneas is temporarily distracted from his purpose by the pleasures of the flesh. However, upon a reminder of the gods, he does not hesitate to resume his quest. When his purpose is fulfilled, Aeneas has permanently lost what he has sacrificed, because Dido committed suicide. Thus, while some spiritual guidance is embedded in his journey, Aeneas' story concerns the physical realm. He gives up the physical to pursue a greater, but still physical, goal."
Abstract Aeneas, a Trojan prince, is destined to become founder to a city that his descendants will develop into the great Roman Empire. Aeneas exhibits Roman values that make him the ideal Roman ruler throughout Virgil's "Aeneid". Among these values is pietas (attention to duty, community, and family), courage (bravery), self-discipline, and finally, humanitas (compassion). This essay provides quotes from Virgil's "Aeneid" to show these virtues, with background testimony from Francis Cairn, a notable author of ancient Roman lore and epics.
From the Paper "Aeneas now loses his kingly qualities by not being mindful of his pietas and completely surrendering to emotion. Francis Cairn in "Aeneas and the Love Affair of Dido" asserts that Aeneas was not concerned with his duty, by stating that Aeneas had, "put his kingdom out of his mind and is enslaved to lust, lacking the royal virtues of self control and care for his people" (Cairns 49). This is proven by the way Aeneas lounges around all winter and does not pay attention to his fated duty. Jupiter, the god of thunder and hospitality gets upset with Aeneas, and sends Mercury the messenger god to remind him of his duty."
