A Classification of the Functions of Epithets in Vergil\u27s Aeneid as They Refer to Gods and Men

The Aeneid of Vergil, like its hero multum iactatus on the sea of criticism for two thousand years, remains one of the world\u27s monuments of literary art. An intensive study of any phase of Vergil\u27s epic art, while yielding tremendous cultural enrichment, presents the problem of reconciling objective analysis of points of style with interpretation and appreciation of the poem as a literary masterpiece. And, in the present work of classifying the functions of the personal epithets as they appear in the twelve books of the Aeneid it is essential to reconcile style with substance, since the problem involved is that of determining whether Vergil\u27s epithets are mere rhetorical embellishments or whether they exert a functional influence upon characterization, the national purpose of the epic, and the development of the plot. Therefore, the study presents a general discussion of the epithet as a literary device as well as the detailed analysis of Vergil\u27s use of this figure of speech in producing imperial Rome\u27s great gift to literary culture