The form of this play starts out very classically, and in many ways it bears a strong resemblance to Vergil's Aeneid. The journey into the underworld, the passage through the gate of horn, as well as the rhyme scheme, echo those of Vergil's classical work. The descriptions of the battles also seem to borrow from The Aeneid quite a bit - certain Latin phrases seem to literally be translated into English straight from the text. He even refers directly to a section in Book X of the Aeneid with "Pede pes et cuspide cuspis." When the Viceroy despairs, he appeals to Fortune in a very similar way to Aeneas" appeals to Fortuna and his mother, Venus. I find it very interesting because the Aeneid is largely about vengeance as well - Juno's attempts at revenge on Aeneas, as well as the outbreak of Turnus's revenge on Aeneas for stealing what was to be his wife and kingdom. The plot Balthazar and Lorenzo turn against Horatio is certainly more Elizabethan in nature (Turnus just waged war), but as a Latin major, the comparison is hard for me to ignore. The argument between Horatio and Lorenzo reminds me of another classical work too - the argument between Ajax and Agamemnon over the spoils of the Trojan War in Homer's Iliad. In that context, Bel-Imperia could be likened to Helen or Cassandra - she drives men to war and murder for pursuit of her love. Both classical women were captured as part of the spoils, and Bel-Imperia is here treated mostly as an object by the men who seek her. It all leads me to think that Thomas Kyd drew a lot of inspiration from classical literature. .
