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Pathos
Definition of Personification
Personification is a type of figurative language in which non-human things are described as having human attributes, as in the sentence, "The rain poured down on the wedding guests, indifferent... read full definition
Personification is a type of figurative language in which non-human things are described as having human attributes, as in the sentence, "The rain poured down... read full definition
Personification is a type of figurative language in which non-human things are described as having human attributes, as in the... read full definition
Key Examples in The Aeneid
Personification
Explanation and Analysis—The Sibyl's Cavern:
When Aeneas visits the Sibyl of Cumae in Book 6, the narrator describes her cavern as "pierced by a hundred tunnels, a hundred mouths with as many voices rushing out, the Sibyl's rapt replies." In addition, the Sibyl herself describes the cavern as a house with a mouth of its own. By presenting the cavern as a sort of medium of the Sibyl's utterances and describing this cavern through personification and metaphor, Virgil adds to the mystery of the character's prophetic abilities.
Related Themes:
Book 7
Explanation and Analysis—Tiber:
As the Tiber often features in prophecies about Aeneas's fate, the river becomes a motif representing both the Italian landscape and the Trojans' sought-after homeland. At the start of Book 8, Virgil develops the motif further by personifying the river through the god Tiberinus. Tiberinus's warmth towards Aeneas signals that the Trojan hero has made it to the land he's destined to settle.
Related Themes:
Book 8
Explanation and Analysis—Tiber:
As the Tiber often features in prophecies about Aeneas's fate, the river becomes a motif representing both the Italian landscape and the Trojans' sought-after homeland. At the start of Book 8, Virgil develops the motif further by personifying the river through the god Tiberinus. Tiberinus's warmth towards Aeneas signals that the Trojan hero has made it to the land he's destined to settle.
Related Themes:
