American Journal of Philology

Abstract:

This paper explores the poetic interplay between the poet and angry goddess Juno, the two metacharacters in the Aeneid, that is central to the composition of Vergil's epic poem. In addition to the conflicting characterization that links both figures with the epic as well as elegiac genres, their agonistic relationship evokes a typically elegiac discourse between the poet-lover and his dura puella that is known to play a role in his poetic language. The power dynamics of elegy that Vergil has reproduced in the subtext of the Aeneid closely associate Juno's metapoetic role with the process of creating a new Roman epic. In fact, Juno is unveiled as a dominant figure within the poetic discourse who not only animates the poet's talent but essentially shapes his poetic project and allies it with the masculine genre of the epic.