“Re-gifting” in Virgil’s Aeneid

Sanjaya Thakur (University of Michigan)

Gift exchange is an important aspect of ancient hospitality and a prevalent activity throughout epic poetry.  The most famous scene of the Trojan war depicted in the Aeneid is one of gift exchange gone bad- the Trojan horse.  This paper examines gift exchange in the Aeneid, and the various forms the activity takes. I specifically focus on gift exchange between characters, considering the later fates of gifts, and gifts as gifts (in modern parlance “re-gifting”).  This paper attempts to answer why and to what effect item reuse has in the interpretation of characters and scenes.  I restrict myself to two types of exchange, gifts which have either formerly belonged to someone else, or which have previously been given (“re-gifting” in its technical sense).  I consider gift-giving in two situations- as gifts of hospitality, and as prizes or rewards.  The gift itself, the context of its presentation, and the relationship between its original and secondary uses will be analyzed.   It will be illustrated how the history a gift brings with it forces the audience to interpret the significance of the object’s new role with its past in mind.  I investigate the degree to which the history of a gift affects the character involved compared to the audience’s reading of him.  Selected passages will show that Virgil certainly did not include these items randomly or by accident, but intentionally. 

Various gift-giving scenes will be analyzed, beginning with Aeneas’ gifts to Dido in book 1.647-655.  Aeneas’ gifts consist of items previously owned by Helen and Priam’s daughter Ilione.  I will illustrate how associations with their previous owners foreshadow a similar fate to their prior possessors.  Though mere objects, these items serve to link the audience’s evaluation of Dido’s character to these figures.

Of the exchanges between characters that of Dido and Aeneas is perhaps the most fascinating.  Dido’s gifts to Aeneas are reused in a variety of contexts and reappear repeatedly throughout the epic: in book V as Ascanius’ horse is a gift from Dido, in book IX a wine bowl is a promised gift to Nisus and Euryalus, and in book XI two embroidered robes cover the fallen Pallas.  The gifts constitute a reappearance of Dido’s character which is somewhat problematic and must be reconciled after her encounter with Aeneas in book VI, a scene which seemingly ended their relationship and her role in his life.   This paper concludes with a consideration of previously owned items given as prizes for athletic contests in book V to examine if and how these items can be fit into this rubric.