Cassandra in The Aeneid II

Virgil

Book Two of Virgil’s Aeneid, the recounting of the Greek’s infiltration of Troy and the following battle, possesses a certain air of doom from the start. As soon as the reader notices the “…horse of mountainous size” [1], The Trojan horse’s reputation precedes itself and the text instills a sense of deception and doom. Cassandra’s appearances in this book, although brief and scattered, are the personification of this impending Trojan doom. [2]Cassandra embodies this doom not only because of her unheeded prophecies and the consequence of ignoring them, but also due to the similarities one can find between Cassandra and Helen of Troy.

Cassandra’s first appearance is when she tries to warn the Trojans of the Greek treachery as the horse is brought into Troy. Virgil, who writes the portion from a Trojan voice, blatantly states his awareness of Cassandra’s curse as she predicts their fate, but almost intentionally ignores it despite his knowing better. [3] This interesting mix of author’s omnipotence and character’s perspective provides a sense of folly towards the Trojans. They are blissfully unaware of the danger despite the rather obvious warning sign, and Virgil’s knowledge of Cassandra’s curse makes their impending destruction even more painful to watch.

Cassandra’s other notable scene in The Aeneid II is her ‘rescue’ by the Greeks. As she’s dragged from the temple[4] (albeit in a somewhat violent manner), we see the attempted intervention of her fiancé Corbeus. Motivated by his passionate devotion for Cassandra [5] He lunges into battle against the Greeks and is the first to fall in the following battle [6]. Corbeus’ death only served to reinforce the idea of Cassandra being a vessel of doom and destruction, both for the society she tried to warn and the warrior whom she tried to marry. [7]

Virgil uses one more technique to portray Cassandra’s unfortunate reputation for despair and destruction – he highlights parallels between Cassandra and Helen. Helen’s infamy stems from the thousands of lives lost and cities destroyed for the sake of her return – and how her argued complacency and vanity only exacerbated the situation. Virgil’s interesting descriptions of Cassandra never explicitly compare her to Helen, but the connection does seem intentional. He first emphasizes Cassandra’s lineage to the Trojan’s throne and establishes her as royalty [8], just like Helen. Cassandra is then taken (just like Helen) and Virgil focuses on her physical descriptions, like her “streaming hair” [9] and “burning eyes” [10], and “gentle hands” [11] -- while she may not be another Helen, Virgil implies that she is a beautiful woman and a describes her like any war prize. This capture and objectification, however brief, did echo a lot with Helen’s own myth. And just as Helen’s disputed role in the war makes her appear culpable for its destruction, Cassandra too is implicated (to the point where she is worth capture).

While Cassandra’s visions do not establish the same guilt for the war and defeat of Troy as Helen’s beauty, she does become another female figure used to personify Troy’s ultimate fate and suffering. Cassandra’s literary role as doom-bringer is not limited to Aeneid II, however – it becomes even more prevalent in Seneca’s Agamemnon[12] , another text to be explored in our quest to know Cassandra.

[1] Virgil, The Aeneid Book II, Line 15

[2] Fuchs, Page 22

[3] Virgil, Lines 46-48

[4] Virgil, Lines 402-408

[5] Fuchs, Page 26

[6] Virgil, 408 & 425

[7] Fuchs, Page 27

[8] Virgil, 341-348

[9] Virgil, 403

[10] Virgil, 405

[11] Virgil, 406

[12] Fuchs, 22-23