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AP Latin · Unit 6: Course Project & Latin Poetry

6.2 Poetic Devices in Latin

Sound

Alliteration repeats initial consonants; assonance repeats vowel sounds; onomatopoeia imitates sound. Vergil uses sound to mirror meaning — galloping rhythm for horses, harsh sounds for war.

Word arrangement

Chiasmus arranges words ABBA; anaphora repeats a word at the start of lines; a golden line places two adjectives, a verb, and two nouns in a balanced pattern.

Figures

Simile (extended in epic), metaphor, personification, and hyperbole heighten description. Vergil's famous similes compare battles and emotions to storms, fires, and beasts.

Key terms

alliteration / assonance
repeated consonants / repeated vowels
chiasmus
ABBA word arrangement
anaphora
repeating a word at the start of lines
golden line
two adjectives, a verb, two nouns in balance
epic simile
an extended comparison, a hallmark of Vergil

Try an AP-style question

Latin

Quadrupedante putrem sonitū quatit ungula campum.

What device imitates galloping hooves here?

  1. Litotes
  2. Anaphora
  3. Chiasmus
  4. Onomatopoeia
Show the answer

D. Aeneid 8.596.

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