The portion of Book II of the Aeneid beginning at line 57 and ending at line 194, in which Sinon convinces the Trojans that the wooden horse should be brought inside their walls, is a masterful display of deceit. We shall see that Sinon's skill consists in constructing a story that is believable in its portrayal of human psychology, appealing to Trojan prejudices, and full of pathos, and telling it in a way that is suspenseful, flattering …
showed first 75 words of 1475 total

showed last 75 words of 1475 total
…to the pathos and seeming genuineness of the narrative. Sinon concludes his tale with another direct appeal to the Trojans, begging them to take pity on him. By placing "te" at the beginning of line 141, even though "oro" is postponed until line 143, Sinon engages the Trojans early and forces them to emotionally respond to his plea. In addition, Sinon repetition of the word "miserere" and employment of the assonantic phrase, "laborum tantorum", increases the pathos.