The Aeneid (Penguin Classics)

Rating:
Summary: Fortune favors the bold
Review: David West renders this classical work accessible with a flare and sensibility that is truly rare. In so doing he brings this masterpiece from the realm of scholars into the hearts and minds of students worldwide. West captures the pure power and scale and grandeur of Virgil through his enormous talent for rendering epic poetry into prose. And for me the words ring true through the accessible prose style of West. He is worthy of great credit for opening this ancient, mystical tale of war and peace, adventure and love, quest and conquest to students who can benefit from its richness. In many ways Aeneas is an ideal man: smart, strong, bold and existentially insatiable. Because so much can be learned from this one epic work, West has done us a great favor in the boldness of his vivid prose. Purists and elitists may advocate looking elsewhere. But for my money, Virgil comes alive in the fortunately forged prose of West. His rendering of this astonishing tale has left an indelible mark for the better in my life. Personally, I feel that I am a richer man intellectually because of the talent with which West enabled me to connect with Virgil.

Rating:
Summary: "Somewhere In Between Prose and Verse"
Review: For individuals less inclined to reading verse, David West's prose translation will come as a long-awaited relief. David West does not discard those elements that make Virgil so pleasant to read, and suprisingly manages to convert and preserve the original song and eloquence that marks the beauty of Virgil's great classic, the Aenied. In contrast with other editions this is moderately recommended.

Rating:
Summary: A Diamond in a Decade of Epics
Review: In a decade in which epics such as "The Lord of the Rings" and "Troy" have gained enormous popularity in theaters, Virgil's "The Aeneid" remains one of the greatest epics ever written. From the passionate affair between Aeneas and Dido to Aeneas' duty and quest to establish the new Troy (i.e., Rome) the reader will not only be entertained, but also thought provoked with the various concepts presented by Virgil. Virgil's expertise in the art of poetry is hardly ever matched by anyone past or present, thus establishing his epic for generations to come. You are at a serious loss if you do not read this classic text.

Rating:
Summary: A Diamond in a Decade of Epics
Review: In a decade in which epics such as "The Lord of the Rings" and "Troy" have gained enormous popularity in theaters, Virgil's "The Aeneid" remains one of the greatest epics ever written. From the passionate affair between Aeneas and Dido to Aeneas' duty and quest to establish the new Troy (i.e., Rome) the reader will not only be entertained, but also thought provoked with the various concepts presented by Virgil. Virgil's expertise in the art of poetry is hardly ever matched by anyone past or present, thus establishing his epic for generations to come. You are at a serious loss if you do not read this classic text.

Rating:
Summary: A ho-hum translation of the incredible epic
Review: PEOPLE--it is a poem! Don't be fooled by its commonplace appearance...

Rating:
Summary: The best Aeneid translation I have read...
Review: The Roman Empire did not rise in a day. Over centuries it had to rely on sharp forged metal, professional soldiers, patriotic women, ambitious leaders, famine, surplus, and ingenuity. But these aggregate forces waxed and waned under its emperor. If the emperor was a nincompoop or a mamma's boy, the Empire suffered. If the emperor was a shrewd man who realized the burden of having all the power of the ancient world, the Empire flourished. The Aeneid was written during the reign of Caesar Augustus, a time when the empire flourised. Augustus was a man able to lead the Empire after the chaos when the Senate stuck it to Julius. There were lands to conquer, tribes to humiliate, slaves to be had. Augustus was smart enough to realize he had to sell the concept of Manifest Destiny to Rome, especially to the countless women who would have to watch their husbands, brothers, and boys go far away and not return. His friend, Virgil, came right into play. Probably at Augustus' prompting, Virgil wrote The Aeneid. If you read beyond the intriguing story (and excellent translation) you will see it is a propaganda tool for the ancient emperor. Peppered with reasons to expand and why you should hate Carthage, The Aeneid was a glorious, slick way to sell one of the most difficult ideas of any emerging powerful society. It worked.

Rating:
Summary: What to Dodo and Dido have in common? Both are extinct...
Review: This book is written clearly and vividly. The characters of Aeneus and Turtunus are created richly throughout the book. Aeneus and the rest of the characters in the epic are guided by the meddling gods. For they determine the outcome. I also liked how the book ended on a climax,