An important recurring image in Virgil's Aeneid is that of the serpent, which appears both realistically and metaphorically. The snake icon is a harbinger of death and a symbol of deception. These two elements represented by the serpent are important throughout the epic, but even more so in Book II because it describes how the Greeks, in ultimately taking Troy, used deception to gain access to the city. Say no to plagiarism. Get a Custom Essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get an Original EssayDespite the mighty Greek heroes like Achilles and Ajax and the large numbers of their army and navy, in the end it was the serpent-like cunning of Sinon combined with an omen of death embodied in twin serpents which proved to be the downfall of Troy. Aeneas relates: “This fraud of Autre, his accomplished lie, has conquered us; a story and false tears have captured us, which neither Diomedes nor Larisian Achilles has mastered, nor ten long years, nor all their thousand ships. (II: 268-272) Virgil does not directly use serpent imagery with the character Autre, but he emphasizes the concepts of lying and deception, which are associated with the serpent metaphor. Speaking of lies, Autre takes up the characteristics of Virgil's snake images. While Sinon's play was very convincing in favor of introducing the horse inside the city walls, two actual sea serpents serve to complete the ruse and convince the Trojans to accept the horse. Even though Laocon was the only man whose understanding of the horse's true nature was correct, the twin serpents killed him and his two sons. "Laocon had paid... for the desecration of the sacred carcass." (II: 308-310) Since he had thrown a spear at the horse in contempt before being attacked, the Trojans assumed that the horse was a divine object protected by the gods, and so they felt obliged to introduce into the city. The men become so blinded by the lies of Sinon and the deceptive behavior of the snakes, that they do not notice the "four times the arms / In the belly united made a noise" (II: 325-6) each time the horse stops. Unbeknownst to these men, these snakes were an omen that represented the utter destruction of their city. By describing the deaths of Laocon and his sons, Virgil prepares the reader for the serpent that will bring about the death of Troy itself. The serpent that destroys the city is not a real serpent, but the wooden horse, which Virgil bestows upon the serpent. -similar qualities. He describes his movement: “Mortal, full of enemies, the horse / Crawled to the breach. » (II: 317-318) Like a venomous snake loaded with deadly offspring, the deceptive machine moves through the heart of the Trojan city. The horse has taken on the role of the twin serpents, while Troy, whose destruction is imminent, takes on the role of Laocon and his sons. Virgil uses serpent imagery one last time in Book II by giving serpentine qualities to the Danaan Pyrrhus, who appears to Aeneas, "Like a serpent, hidden and swollen beneath the earth... Sliding coils renewed and shining, with a raised belly rising towards the sun and a triple tongue sparkles." (II: 614-619) This description of Pyrrhus foreshadows the death to come as it is this same Greek who becomes the scourge of Priam and his son Polits: “It was the end of the age of Priam, the destiny which removed it. » (II: 722-723) Virgil subtly leads the reader to expect worse from Pyrrhus's actions because up to this point, every image of a snake the reader has encountered has been followed by death and destruction. . The lies of Autre, the serpents of the sea, the horse of..