Memoria troyana e identidad romana en Eneida. Una lectura de los diálogos entre Júpiter y Venus (I, 223-304) y entre Júpiter y Juno (XII, 791-842)

Abstract

In this paper we aim to study the dynamics of memory and forgetting implied in the dialogue between Iupiter and Iuno in Aeneid XII, 791-842. We will examine the definition of Romans presented by Iuno (and especially her request that Troy must be casted into oblivion) taking into account that identity is not a given, but the product of constant configuration and negotiation. Secondly, we propose to examine the common traits between this passage and the dialogue between Iupiter and Venus in I, 223-304, in which the relationship between the Trojan past and the future of Aeneas’ city is also discussed. Even when some scholars have analyzed these passages in terms of opposition, pointing out irreconcilable contradictions in what Iupiter states at the beginning and at the end of the poem, we understand that these variations can be considered as part of the process of negotiation between memory and forgetting that every definition of identity implies.