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CA3240 Virgil’s Aeneid: Assignment A
The Trickery of Sinon
The second book of the Aeneid is narrated by Aeneas, as he tells Dido about the fall of Troy, and describes the events that led to its destruction. On the whole, Aeneas narration of events is quite fast paced, but he begins slowly when recounting the speeches of Laocoon and Sinon.
Before Sinon’s speech, Aeneas forewarns that there is immense sorrow to hear and starts by setting the scene. ... The horse could have been found out, but there is little time, as at this crucial moment Sinon suddenly appears before them.
The passage (L57-198) consists almost entirely of Sinon’s speech. Here, by characterisation and language, Virgil conveys to the reader the stratagems, unusual rhetoric and techniques used by Sinon to gain the trust of the Trojans and consequently bring about their downfall.
Sinon is introduced in line 57 of Book 2 of the Aeneid and attention to him straight away by the emphatic use of ‘ecce’, marking a sudden interruption. There is very little time for the Trojans to acknowledge Laocoon’s speech and actions fully, as Sinon appears immediately, nameless, unexplained , and seemingly unconnected with the discovery of the Horse. ... This is the first part of his deception, shown by the use of the word ‘ultro’ in L59, giving the impression that Sinon sought capture deliberately. ... This apparent vulnerability of Sinon initially aids him in his deception.
Sinon’s begins his captatio benevolentiae in line 69, and his first words are carefully chosen to lessen any doubts that the Trojans may have had. ... ’ (Virgil, Aeneid 2. ...
Select in his words, Sinon plays on the Trojans’ feelings, implying that his sense of despair is heightened by them. ... Affected by Sinon’s opening sentence, it is obvious from the outset that the Trojans will be taken in entirely as he continues with his deception. They are playing into his hands as, by feeling compassion towards him, they ask him questions, exactly as Sinon hoped. ... Sinon uses insinuatio here (one of the two types of exordium defined in Cicero’s De Inventione (1. ...
From ‘fando’ (L81) Sinon begins to answer the question ‘quo sanguine cretus? ...
In this section, Sinon is careful and select in his choice of words. ...
In line 105 it is clear that Sinon’s rhetoric is working as they are hooked and completely convinced. ...
They ask him a variety of questions and in lines 105-144, Sinon tells how he had been chosen to be a sacrifice for the Greeks to ensure their safe journey home, he escaped from Ulysses and is now before the Trojans begging for mercy. ...
Sinon weeps in line 145, and feeling pity, Priam orders him to be unchained. ... Now Sinon is in a capacity to do what he has really come to do.
Approximate Word count = 2349
Approximate Pages = 9.4
(250 words per page double spaced)
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