The Aeneid Miss Johnson

Book 1 Epic Poetry: song, invocation, in medias res Juno at fault for Aeneas’ troubles Rome’s claim to fame Born of Trojan blood Apparently it is Aeneas FATE to found Rome Glory Aeneas wishes he had died on the battlefield Politicians glorified Neptune compared to a great politician

Book 1 Giant wind blows them off course Blown to Libya, Africa The city of Carthage ruled by Queen Dido Aeneas’ speech reveals that he has endured similar events as that of Odysseus The cyclops, Scylla Venus appears to Aeneas disguised as a young Spartan girl and tells Aeneas of Queen Dido’s history

Book 1 Carthage is just being built This building gives Aeneas hope about the future “to trust his destiny more even in affliction” (943) Aeneas is made invisible by Venus so that he can enter the city and the Queen’s throne room without notice

Book 1 While she is keeping court, men that Aeneas had thought lost during the storm show up asking if the Queen has seen or heard of Aeneas Aeneas’ men were thought to be pirates and were attacked by the Carthagians; leader asks for mercy since they are not there to plunder Dido explained she ordered the attacks to protect her fledgling city Dido offers to allow the Trojans to stay in her city safely After this, Aeneas reveals himself to Dido, his lost companions, and the court Venus intervenes by sending her son Desire (Eros, Cupid) to Dido to make her fall in love with Aeneas Dido invites Aeneas to tell the story of his wanderings

Book 2 Trojan Horse Greeks built Trojan Horse supposedly to appease the gods for a safe journey home; especially Pallas because they had violated her temple In reality, Greeks hiding inside belly and on other side island Trojans argue about bringing the horse inside the walls Eventually convinced by a Greek warrior left behind Water snakes appear from the ocean and strangle one of the proponents for destroying the Trojan Horse Word is sent to Greek ships and Greeks released from horse’s belly Hector appears to Aeneas to wake him His fate to found Rome, taking Trojan “holy things, her gods of heart and household” Aeneas desires to gather men and fight the Greeks

Book 2 Aeneas and other Trojans dress like the Greeks Allows them to get close to the Greeks and kill them Trojans also attack them, not recognizing them Aeneas fights all the way to the palace where he tries to help the royal family- Hecuba, Priam, their many daughters Priam’s Death Suited up for war; Hecuba calls him to the alter; Pyrrhus finds them and kills Priam Seeing and hearing this, Aeneas is reminded of his father and family On his way home he runs into Helen; he tries to attack her but Venus holds him back

Book 2 Venus claims she will protect him and Aeneas realizes that Troy really will fall Aeneas’ father, Ascanius, prepared to fight and die Aeneas convinces him to run by saying that Aeneas would stay with him to fight and die Jupiter sends two signs he is helping them: (1) a fire upon Iulus’ brow; (2) lightening and thunder Aeneas carries his father and holds his sons hand Wife, Creusa runs behind While running, fear overcomes Aeneas and he flees loosing his wife in the process When he reaches relative safety he realizes she is gone and wants to go and search for her Her ghost appears and tells him “Nothing here has come to pass except as heaven willed” (973) She’s actually happy because now she will not have to be a slave to the Greek conquerers like Hecuba, Cassandra, and Andromache

Book 4 Dido, now in love with Aeneas, struggles against the love Sister Anna encourages her by saying her old husband is dead and cannot care; and having Aeneas and his Trojans in Carthage will help protect them from warlike neighbors Dido holds a second feast The city starts to fall apart because she is so overcome with love that she cannot lead them in building anymore Juno wants Aeneas to marry Dido so that Rome will never be founded While out on a hunt, it begins to rain; Dido and Aeneas shelter in the same cave Described in marriage terms; Dido believes she and Aeneas are now married

Book 4 After spending quite a bit of time with Dido Dido is not happy Jupiter sends Mercury to remind Aeneas of his Fate Worries about telling Dido he must leave Tries to do everything in secret but Dido finds out Dido is not happy Feels used Claims Aeneas cannot be of noble birth for acting so terribly Aeneas claims it is fate He also claims that they have never been married

Book 4 Aeneas seems to struggle with leaving “Duty bound, Aeneas, though he struggled with desire” “shaken still with love of her, yet took the course heaven gave him” Dido claims she wishes she could die She is essentially reduced to madness She builds a pyre When Aeneas’ ships sail away she stabs herself “She prayed then to whatever power may care in comprehending justice for the grief of lovers bound unequally by love”

Book 4 “If so Jove’s destinies require, and this, His end in view, must stand, yet all the same when hard beset in war by a brave people forced to go outside his boundaries and torn from Iulus, let him beg assistance, let him see the unmerited deaths of those around and with him, and accepting peace on unjust terms, let him not, even so, Enjoy his kingdom or the life he longs for, but fall in battle before his time and lie unburied on the Sand. This I implore, This is my last cry, as my last blood flows. Then, O my Tyrians, besiege with hate his progeny and all his race will come: make this your offering to my dust” (992-3)