Section 6 · lines 195–207
The lie believed; the serpents come · Aeneid II · GCSE Latin · OCR J282/05
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SubjectObjectVerbGenitiveDativeAblativePrepositionConjunctionAdverbGerundive
Latin
English
195tālĭbŭs īnsĭdĭīs pēriŭrĭque͜ ārtĕ Sĭnōnis
196crēdĭtă rēs, cāptīquĕ dŏlīs lăcrĭmīsquĕ cŏāctis,
197quōs nĕquĕ Tȳdīdēs, nēc Lărĭsaēŭs Ăchīlles,
198nōn ānnī dŏmŭērĕ dĕcēm, nōn mīllĕ cărīnaē.
195Through such traps and the skill of the lying Sinon
196the story was believed, and we were taken in by tricks and forced tears,
197we whom neither the son of Tydeus nor Achilles of Larissa,
198nor ten years had overcome, nor a thousand ships.
199hīc ălĭūd maīūs mĭsĕrīs mūltōquĕ trĕmēndum
200ōbĭcĭtūr măgĭs, ātque͜ īmprōvĭdă pēctŏră tūrbat.
199At this point another thing, greater and much more fearsome
200confronts us poor wretches and throws our unsuspecting hearts into confusion.
201Lāŏcŏōn, dūctūs Nēptŭnŏ sōrtĕ săcērdos,
202sōllēmnīs taūrum͜ īngēntēm māctābăt ăd ārās.
201Laocoon, chosen by lot as priest of Neptune,
202was sacrificing a huge bull at the customary altars.
203ēcce͜ aūtēm gĕmĭni͜ ā Tĕnĕdō trānquīllă pĕr ālta—
204hōrrēscō rĕfĕrēns— īmmēnsīs ōrbĭbŭs ānguēs
205īncūmbūnt pĕlăgō, părĭtērque͜ ād lītŏră tēndūnt;
203But look, from Tenedos, over the calm deep,
204(I shudder to tell it) twin serpents with immense coils
205press down on the sea and side by side head for the shore;
206pēctŏră quōrum͜ īntēr flūctūs ārrēctă iŭbaēquĕ
207sānguĭnĕaē sŭpĕrānt ūndās; pārs cētĕră pōntum
206Their chests, raised high among the waves, and their blood-red
207crests rise above the water; the rest of them skims the sea
Style notes this section · 20Word order · 7Repetition and structure · 2Sound and metre · 3Word choice · 1Imagery and tone · 1Grammar · 6
195
insidiis periurique arte SinonisFraming word order
by such traps and the skill of lying Sinon
talibus ... Sinonis frames the line, with the treachery woven through it, which reflects the web of lies Sinon spun around the Trojans.
196
captique dolis lacrimisque coactisAlliteration
taken in by tricks and forced tears
The repeated hard c sounds in capti ... coactis make the line sound harsh, which stresses how cruelly the Trojans were fooled.
198
Tydides, Achilles, anni, carinaeTetracolon
Diomedes, Achilles, years, ships
Four great forces, two heroes, ten years and a thousand ships, are listed, and all failed where Sinon succeeded, which makes his trick seem shocking.
197
LarisaeusEpithet
of Larisa
Achilles is called "of Larisa", after a town in Thessaly near his home, a grand epic way of naming him that stresses how great a warrior he was.
198
non anni, non milleAnaphora
not ten years, not a thousand ships
non is repeated at the start of each phrase, which piles up everything that failed to take Troy, so the success of one liar seems all the more shameful.
199
maiusComparative
greater
maius, "greater", warns that something worse than Sinon's lie is coming, so the reader braces for disaster.
199
maius miseris multoque tremendumAlliteration
greater ... wretched ... much
The repeated m sounds in maius miseris multoque slow the line down, which builds a sense of dread.
200
magisEmphatic position
more
magis is moved to the start of line 200, away from tremendum, which stresses how much more frightening the new event is.
200
turbatHistoric present
throws into confusion
The present tense turbat makes the panic feel as if it is happening now, which draws the reader into the scene.
201
sacerdosEmphatic position
priest
sacerdos ends the line, which stresses Laocoön's holy role and makes what happens to him all the more shocking.
202
sollemnis arasHyperbaton
at the customary altars
sollemnis and aras frame the line, so the sacrifice is enclosed by the holy altars, which makes the attack that follows a violation of something sacred.
202
mactabatImperfect tense
was sacrificing
The imperfect mactabat shows the sacrifice was still going on, so the serpents interrupt a holy act.
204
gemini anguesHyperbaton
twin serpents
gemini (line 203) and angues (line 204) are far apart, with Aeneas' shudder in between, so the serpents are named only at the end, which builds suspense.
203
altaMetonymy
the deep
alta, "the deep", stands for the sea, a poetic word that makes the serpents' approach sound vast and ominous.
205
incumbunt pelagoEnjambment
lean over the sea
incumbunt pelago runs on from the line before, so the serpents seem to surge forward across the line break.
205
incumbuntHistoric present
they lean
The present tense brings the serpents vividly before the reader's eyes.
205
tenduntHistoric present
they make for
tendunt continues the run of present tenses, so the serpents' steady approach feels immediate.
207
superantHistoric present
they rise above
superant keeps the scene in the present, as if the reader were watching from the shore.
207
undasEmphatic position
the waves
undas ends its clause before the strong pause, which leaves the picture of the crests towering over the waves.
207
sanguineae superant undas parsSibilance
blood-red ... rise above the waves
The hissing s sounds in sanguineae superant undas imitate the hissing of the serpents and the rush of the sea.
Notes on the text 14
195
SinonisSinon
of Sinon
A Greek left behind on purpose. Pretending to have escaped from his own side, he told the Trojans that the horse was an offering to Minerva (see the background panel below).
197
TydidesDiomedes
the son of Tydeus
Diomedes, son of Tydeus, one of the bravest Greek warriors at Troy. Naming a hero by his father is a common feature of epic.
197
AchillesAchilles
Achilles
The greatest of the Greek warriors at Troy; he killed Hector, but was himself killed before the city fell.
198
mille carinaeNote
Cf. Aescylus Agamemnon 45 - στόλον Ἀργείων χιλιοναύτην
201
NeptunoNote
Laocoon was a priest of Apollo, but on this occasion was taking the place of the dead priest of Neptune
203
ecce autemNote
marks an unexpected interruption of the action in progress
203
a TenedoNote
where the Greek fleet were hiding
203
tranquilla per altaNote
the quiet sea, like the tranquil sky is a quite unexpected source of danger
204
horresco referensNote
typical of the prodigy atmosphere
204
immensis orbibusNote
Virgil carefully stresses the vast size of the serpents
204
anguesNote
A characteristically Roman portent
205
incumbuntNote
the creatures ‘lean forward over the sea’ like rowers: a fine vivid word to express both movement and effort.
207
sanguineaeNote
Ominous
207
superant undasNote
they ‘over the top’ the waves as though the seas were mountainous
Questions to think about · 3
- How does Virgil make the serpents frightening in lines 203–207?
- Why do you think Laocoön is shown in the middle of a sacrifice when the serpents arrive?
- Lines 196–198 compare Sinon with the greatest Greek heroes. What point is Aeneas making?
Between the two passages: Sinon background
The set text skips lines 57 to 194. In them, shepherds drag in a young Greek with his hands tied: Sinon. He tells the Trojans a carefully made-up story. He says the Greeks were about to sacrifice him, that he escaped, and that he now hates them. The horse, he claims, is an offering to Minerva to make up for the theft of her sacred statue, the Palladium, and it was built huge on purpose so that the Trojans could not take it into their city: if they did, Troy would one day defeat Greece. Priam believes him and has his bonds cut. The second passage begins as the Trojans accept the lie.
Vocabulary in this section · 74 wordsVocabulary tester
talis, -e such
insidiae, -arum (f. pl.) trap, treachery
periurus, -a, -um + -que lying, perjured; and
ars, artis (f.) skill, cunning
Sinon, -onis (m.) Sinon
credo, -ere, credidi, creditum believe
res, rei (f.) thing; story
capio, -ere, cepi, captum + -que capture, take in
dolus, -i (m.) trick
lacrima, -ae (f.) + -que tear; and
cogo, -ere, coegi, coactum force
qui, quae, quod who, whom
neque ... nec neither ... nor
Tydides, -ae (m.) son of Tydeus (Diomedes)
nec nor
Larisaeus, -a, -um of Larisa
Achilles, -is (m.) Achilles
non not
annus, -i (m.) year
domo, -are, domui tame, conquer
decem ten
mille a thousand
carina, -ae (f.) keel; ship
hic here, at this point
alius, -a, -ud another, other
maior, maius greater
miser, -era, -erum wretched
multus, -a, -um + -que much; and
tremendus, -a, -um terrifying, to be feared
obicio, -ere, obieci, obiectum throw in the way, present
magis more
atque and
improvidus, -a, -um unsuspecting
pectus, -oris (n.) chest, heart
turbo, -are disturb, throw into confusion
Laocoon, -ontis (m.) Laocoön
duco, -ere, duxi, ductum lead; choose
Neptunus, -i (m.) Neptune
sors, sortis (f.) lot
sacerdos, -otis (m.) priest
sollemnis, -e customary, solemn
taurus, -i (m.) bull
ingens, -entis huge
macto, -are sacrifice
ad (+ acc.) at, by
ara, -ae (f.) altar
ecce look!
autem but, however
geminus, -a, -um twin
a, ab (+ abl.) from
Tenedos, -i (f.) Tenedos
tranquillus, -a, -um calm
per (+ acc.) through, over
altum, -i (n.) the deep sea
horresco, -ere, horrui shudder
refero, referre, rettuli, relatum tell, recall
immensus, -a, -um immense, huge
orbis, -is (m.) circle; coil
anguis, -is (m.) snake, serpent
incumbo, -ere, incubui (+ dat.) lean on, press on
pelagus, -i (n.) sea
pariter + -que side by side; and
litus, -oris (n.) shore
tendo, -ere, tetendi head for, make for
inter (+ acc.) among
fluctus, -us (m.) wave
arrigo, -ere, arrexi, arrectum raise, lift up
iuba, -ae (f.) + -que crest; and
sanguineus, -a, -um blood-red
supero, -are rise above
unda, -ae (f.) wave
pars, partis (f.) part
ceterus, -a, -um the rest of
pontus, -i (m.) sea