The Aeneid The Iliad The Song Of Roland - Book Report/Review Example

There is thus a lot of chaos. Howvere, the main characters occupy different positions on the hierarchy and have different roles to play. Thus while Aeneas is the undisputed leader of the Trojans, Roland is merely the nephew of the main leader of the French, Charlemagne. Essentially Aeneas occupies the same position as Charlemagne does, at least as regards his people. Of course Aeneas is not defending any "land" as Roland is; he is seeking to find new land for his wandering people. Roland is killed while mounting a heroic defense against superior numbers as he protects the rear of the French forces.

Aeneas ends his story with the killing of Turnus. The readers (or audience) never see him marrying Lavinia and founding the Roman race. QUESTION 3 Discuss the use of in medias res in "The Aeneid" and "The Iliad". How does its use foreshadow the major themes in the epics Is the same technique used in "The Song of Roland" In medias res, which means literally "into the middle of things" is the literary technique in which a narrative starts in the middle of the story rather than at the beginning as is normally the case.

In The Aeneid the story begins with the Trojan fleet in the eastern Mediterranean, trying to get to Italy. The poem reveals that it has been foretold that Aeneas will found a great case in Italy. The method of starting at the beginning of the story allows for the theme of the interference of the gods to appear, with Neptune arguing with Juno over whether he should have used the storm against the Trojans. Starting the poem in the middle also allows for the theme of constant travel through adversity to occur.

The reader is essentially thrust into the action of the piece as if he is one of the party. In medias res, which means literally “into the middle of things” is the literary technique in which a narrative starts in the middle of the story rather than at the beginning as is normally the case. The Aeneid the story begins with the Trojan fleet in the eastern Mediterranean, trying to get to Italy. The poem reveals that it has been foretold that Aeneas will found a great case in Italy. The method of starting at the beginning of the story allows for the theme of the interference of the gods to appear, with Neptune arguing with Juno over whether he should have used the storm against the Trojans.

Starting the poem in the middle also allows for the theme of constant travel through adversity to occur. The reader is essentially thrust into the action of the piece as if he is one of the parties with Aeneas. It is only when they have managed to get to Carthage that Aeneas starts to tell the story from the beginning. Beginning in the middle allows for a dramatic opening, with much unexplained that is eventually revealed at the banquet.The technique of in medias res is used to introduce the idea that the war between the two sides has been going on interminably.

The poem starts when the poem has already been going on for nine years, thus allowing the reader to be thrust into the action in a similar way as with The Aeneid. There is a type of in medias res used as Charlemagne and his army has been fighting for seven years in Spain. A traditional chronological story would have started with his entry into Spain.