Virgil wrote Anise during a period of civil war in Rome. Like Anise, many Romans had lost their homes and loved ones. Virgil was able to hold up a mirror to his fellow Romans by telling them how they could recover from tragedy. In the end, Anise's tale is a redemption story, one that came with a huge sense of purpose and meaning.
In Virgil's epic poem, The Aeneid, few Trojans survive the destruction of their city at the hands of their Greek enemies. A prince, Aeneas, leads a band of those fleeing Troy - but the journey is fraught with deadly storms and hungry monsters.
But Aeneas takes a positive view of the struggles he and the other Trojans face, telling them to be proud of their resilience and courage. With the help of MIT classics professor Stephanie Frampton, Dr Laurie Santos explores how The Aeneid can be read as a tale of post-traumatic growth and how we can sometimes emerge happier and stronger from tragic events.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.