70 – 19 B.C.

 Born in Mantua  Wrote pastoral poetry  Turned to writing the Aeneid, which became the national epic of Rome  Worked on the Aeneid for the last 10 years of his life  Became ill and begged friends to burn the manuscript b/c he was not happy with it  The emperor Augustus refused to comply with Virgil’s last wish and preserved the Aeneid.

 Virgil wrote during the Age of Augustus, one of the high points of Roman civilization.  He wrote the Aeneid shortly before the birth of Christ and the founding of Christianity.  His writings appealed to Christian authors and educators b/c he stressed the moral virtues of duty, moderation, and piety.

Fun Fact: Virgil was so popular and so revered in the Middle Ages that lines from his poems were used to predict the future. People would open the Aeneid and randomly point to a line, which they interpreted as a prophecy or as a guide to important decisions or future conduct.

 The Aeneid is a long epic about the wanderings of a refugee from Troy.  The first six books were inspired by Homer’s Odyssey; the last six books are modeled after the Iliad.

 Complex and enigmatic  Courageous and valiant  Deeply sensitive  Conflicted by duty vs passion  Constricted by adverse fate and human limitations

 Virgil stresses that Aeneus’s greatness involves his ability to sacrifice his own will for the public good.  He achieves great things but not without pain and loss.

The story begins in medias res – “in the middle of things” Book 1 – Aeneus’s shipwreck in Carthage and his encounter with Queen Dido Books 2 and 3 – flashbacks of earlier sufferings and adventures

 Carthage - A banquet is in progress  Dido asks Aeneus to tell about his experiences during the fall of Troy.  Aeneus recounts his peoples’ sufferings at the hands of the Greeks in a flashback.  His account includes the following: the Trojan horse death of king Priam encounters with Helen of Troy his mother (goddess Venus) the ghost of his wife, Creusa

 What false rumors did the Greeks start about the horse? (lines 1 – 8)  What is hidden in the horse’s belly? (line 12)  What conflicting opinions are held by Thymoetes and Capys? (lines 29 – 30; 32 – 36)

 “…This trick of the Greeks, a gift no one can trust,…” (line 35)  Foreshadowing – What willl happen if the Romans fail to heed Laocoon’s advice? (lines 39 – 52) “A gift from the Danaans and no ruse?” “Have no faith in the horse! Whatever it is, even when Greeks bring gifts, I fear them, gifts and all.” (lines 50 – 52)

 Who is Sinon? A spy who convinces the Trojans that the Greeks have left Troy and that the horse is left as a gift to assuage the gods.

 Twin Snakes (lines 82–05) Note imagery What did the snakes do and why? Laocoon’s son Laocoon himself (refer back to lines –111) Simile: “Sending to heaven his appalling cries Like a slashed bull escaping from an altar, The fumbled axe shrugged off.”

Roman religion placed much emphasis on animal sacrifice, proper ritual, and the interpretation of omens. Laocoon’s death is regarded as an omen. His death is regarded as divine punishment for thrusting his spear at the horse.

 Dramatic Irony lines 119 – 123  Epithets for Troy lines Fatherland Ilium home of gods

Catalog or List – an epic trait (lines ) Virgil lists the names of the principal Greek warriors to underscore their individuality.

 Who opens the horse’s belly and lets out the Greek soldiers?  Who appears to Aeneus in a dream?  Metaphor – Light of Dardania (=Troy)  Epithet – Best Hope of Troy

 Hector was Troy’s best defender.  Achilles defiled Hector’s corpse by tying it to a chariot and dragging it around the walls of Troy.

 What does Hector tell Aeneus to do?  Foreshadowing (lines ) ◦ Fall of Troy ◦ Aeneus’s caretaking of Troy’s household gods ◦ Aeneus’s founding of Rome

Lines 207 – 212 Epic Simile – comparing war to fire and flood Definition: an elaborately extended comparison relating heroic events to simple, everyday events Line 213 Metaphor – Aeneus compares self to shepherd

Lines 221 – 231 *Aeneus is out of his mind with fury *He wants to fight even though there is no hope Lines …”and it came to me That meeting death was beautiful in arms.” Dying in battle is honorable.

Panthus to Aeneus Lines 234 and 239 “The last day for Dardania has come,… Greeks are the masters in our burning city…” The situation in Troy is hopeless.

Aeneus to his soldiersLines “…Come, let us die, We’ll make a rush into the thick of it. The conquered have one safety: hope for none.” Epigram: a brief, clever, and usually memorable statement that often contains a moral Virgil was known for these and often quoted.

Epic SimileLines Aeneus and his soldiers are compared to predatory wolves.

Aeneus and his soldiers are able to defeat some Greek soldiers. They disguise themselves by putting on their uniforms and insignia. Epigram: “When gods are contrary They stand by no one.” One can’t count on the gods’ support when the gods are feeling willful.

Irony: While trying to save Priam’s daughter Cassandra, how do Aeneus and his men almost get killed by their own? ( )

Pyrrhus – son of Achilles (aka Neoptolemus) Epic Simile ( ) – Pyrrhus is being compared to a ruthless serpent. Epic Simile ( ) – The invading Greeks are being compared to a river when the dike has burst. They are an overwhelming, unstoppable force that destroys everything in its path.

Hecuba – Priam’s wife Polites – one of Priam’s sons  Priam gets his weapons and prepares to fight.  Hecuba begs him to seek safety at the altar with her and their daughters.  Polites escapes and Pyrrhus chases him. What happens to Polites?

Lines Priam chastises Pyrrhus for killing Polites in front of him. He says Pyrrhus is not worthy to be called Achilles’ son b/c Achilles showed Priam mercy when he (Achilles) killed Hector. Irony ( ) Pyrrhus mocks Priam in his helplessness. Then he kills him at the altar.

Internal Conflict ( ) Aeneus shakes from head to tie after recounting horrors.  Fear for father and wife  Pity for King Priam  Concern about his house  Apprehension about his son, Iulus  Dismay that he is alone; his men are gone  Despair that Troy has been defeated

Whom does Aeneus blame for the fall of Troy?

Internal Conflict ( ) Desire to kill Helen vs Feelings that it is cowardly to kill a woman

Who appears and tells Aeneus NOT to blame Helen? What IS the cause of Troy’s defeat? ( )

Epic Simile ( ) Troy is being compared to an ancient ash tree being cut down in the mountains.

Internal Conflict (summary) Duties as a son vs Duties as a husband

What omen appears that impacts Aeneus’s decision?

What signs of approval to leave Troy does Anchises see when he prays to Jupiter, king of the gods and lord of the sky? Thunder Falling Star

Aeneus, carrying his father, flees Troy with his son by his side and Creusa behind him.

The scene of Aeneus fleeing with his father, son, and wife was shown on Roman coins issued by Augustus.

If they get separated, they are to meet by the ancient cypress tree near the funeral mound and shrine of Ceres the Bereft.

What, according to Aeneus, causes him to lose Creusa? What does he blame this loss on? (625) What does he do about it?

Creusa’s ghost appears to Aeneus, and she says,”Nothing here has come to pass except as heaven willed.” ( ) Remember Venus’s words: “The harsh will of the gods it is, the gods, That overthrows the splendor of this place And brings Troy from her height into the dust.” ( ) *Both stress that Troy has fallen b/c of the gods’ will.

Foreshadowing ( ) Creusa’s predictions for Aeneus’s future: 1. Peace 2. Kingdom 3. A new queen