Ep. 61 - Harry Donoghue - An Introduction To Virgil's Aeneid: Ancient Rome's Best Known Epic

Harry Donoghue is an Oxford graduate, online creator, and educator. The Aeneid by Virgil is one of antiquity's best-known works. Considered to be the follow-on from Homer's Odyssey and Iliad, the poem charts the story of Aeneas, a Trojan prince who flees the destruction of Troy and finds the first settlement in Italy, which later became Rome. But why has it stood the test of time? Why should we bother studying it? Who is Virgil and what is his background? Did he steal from Homer? How does the Aeneid echo down the ages? Can we not discard it as 2000-year-old propaganda? In this episode, we answer all those questions and so many more. After this conversation, you'll be equipped to read the Aeneid for yourself with all the required context and witness firsthand why this text has stood the test of time. Find Harry on Instagram: www.instagram.com/harryspoetryy/ Find Harry on Substack: https://harrydonoghue.substack.com/ Find me on Instagram: www.instagram.com/joe.reilly/?hl=en Watch the episode on YouTube: www.youtube.com/@JoeReillyPodcast 0:00 - 0:24 - Welcome  0:24 - 6:40 - Aeneid’s Background 6:40 - 9:30 - Did Virgil Steal from Homer? 9:35 - 16:59 - Reading Virgil Into The Story    16:59 - 17:55 - MI6 Recruiting Oxbridge Grads 17:55 - 22:50 -  Human Element To The Aeneid 22:50 - 31:10 - The Role Of Fate in Classical Works  31:10 - 37:15 -Virgil Wanting The Aeneid Destroyed  37:15 - 38:50 - Rivers of Blood Speech by Enoch Powell 38:50 - 40:55 - Out of Context Virgil   40:55 - 44:30 - Should The Aeneid Be Recreationally Read?  44:30 - 45:44 - The Big Question