[cliff Notes] Cliff Notes - Aeneid 3q735v

BARRON'S BOOK NOTES VIRGIL'S THE AENEID Virgil (Publius Virgilius Maro) was born in Mantua, a rural town north of Rome n ear the Alps. Even though Virgil's birth in 70 B.C. came in the middle of a cent ury of political turmoil and civil war in Rome, life in Mantua was relatively pe aceful, and Virgil's father, who was a prosperous Roman citizen, could afford to give his son a good education in the basics, especially Greek and Roman literat ure. When Virgil was about 17, his father decided that he should be a politician , or possibly a businessman, and sent him to Rome to study rhetoric (the art of public speaking). But Virgil was shy and hated having to make long, flowery speeches about things that didn't interest him at all. Instead he wrote poetry on the sly. His first a nd last attempt to argue a case in court was an embarrassing failure, and Virgil decided he didn't have a future in politics. He left Rome and went to live by t he beautiful Bay of Naples where he studied philosophy. This was probably a good idea because Roman politics could be dangerous, even fa tal. The Roman Republic's government was collapsing in civil war and mobs often rioted in the streets. Rival generals brought their troops home from foreign war s and used them against each other, each one trying to rule Rome his own way. Th en in 44 B.C. Julius Caesar, the great Roman dictator, was assassinated and Rome was plunged into its worst political crisis--one that lasted more than a decade . Virgil was 26 years old at that time. Ever since his birth in 70 B.C. there had been nothing but this frightening chaos. He, and many other young men of his gen eration, were totally fed up with Roman politics. Virgil stayed in Naples and sp ent these years studying philosophy and writing poetry about the joys of country living. These poems, called the Eclogues, became an instant hit in Rome and wer e read aloud at fashionable dinner parties. By the age of 33, Virgil was rich an d famous. Virgil followed up the Eclogues with the Georgics, a book of poems abo ut farming. Then in 31 B.C., something happened that completely changed Virgil's feelings ab out Rome and about what he wanted to write. The Emperor Augustus finally managed to end the civil wars that had plagued the city for so long and restored order and peace. For the first time in his life, Virgil had hope for the future of his country, and he felt deep gratitude and iration for Augustus, the man who ha d made it all possible. Virgil was inspired to write his great epic poem, the Ae neid, to celebrate Rome and Augustus' achievement. He had come a long way from h is early days writing about nature and hating politics. Virgil was clever. He didn't just write a story about Augustus. He wanted to mak e Romans proud of their history and their vast empire. He also wanted to show ho w Augustus was the most recent in a long line of great Roman leaders--strong, de dicated to their city, and willing to make great sacrifices for it. So the very beginning of Virgil's poem tells how Aeneas and a small band of exiles traveled for years and fought bravely to build the city that would become Rome, the capit al of the greatest empire in the world. As you read, you'll see that there are m any parallels between what Aeneas does and what Augustus did. For example, Aenea s fights a civil war in Italy and finally puts an end to the killing and chaos t here, just as Augustus did in Rome. You'll also see Aeneas fall in love with a b eautiful African queen who resembles Cleopatra, the great Queen of Egypt, who ma rried Marc Antony (one of Augustus' rivals), and who also tried to seduce August us.

But the Aeneid is more than just a political poem about Rome. Like all great wor ks of literature, it has a universal meaning. In many ways Aeneas is a man in se arch of himself and a new identity. In the beginning of the poem, he wishes that he could just stay home and keep out of trouble but, by the end, he is willing to do everything possible for the future of his people. You might see a parallel here comparable to Virgil's own wish, as a young man, to stay out of the politi cal uproar of Rome and his emergence as Rome's national poet. As you read the Aeneid you'll also learn a lot about Roman mythology, and about what Virgil believed was the role of fate and the gods in men's lives. You'll se e that Virgil wasn't just out to praise Rome's achievements. He believed that Ro me and Augustus were destined to rule the world. However, he also worried about the people who got in the way of that destiny, often through no fault of their o wn. Some of the characters you might like best are those, like Dido and Turnus, who are hurt by Aeneas' triumphs. Virgil's own experience of the horrors of civi l war made him understand that there are always good and bad on both sides of an y conflict. You're going to see that Virgil was a great writer and a superb storyteller. You 'll read about terrifying dangers, great battles, and even a ionate romance. (For a short time, when Virgil was young, he was a soldier. His vivid descripti ons of war prove that he had had firsthand experience.) You'll also see Virgil's early love of nature in his beautiful descriptions of the sea and the countrysi de. Virgil worked on the Aeneid for eleven years. This epic poem reflects his great skill and care in writing, and his tremendous knowledge of Greek literature, whi ch he had studied ever since he was a boy. The Emperor Augustus knew about the p roject and asked to read some of it while it was in progress. Of course he loved it! When Virgil was 51 years old, in 19 B.C., he took a trip to Greece to visit some of the places Aeneas had visited. He got very sick, and Augustus brought h im back to Italy where he died. Virgil told his friends to burn the Aeneid becau se there were still parts he wanted to rewrite. Fortunately, Augustus intervened and the Aeneid was saved. It became Rome's national epic almost immediately and is now considered one of the greatest works of Western literature. ^^^^^^^^^^THE AENEID: THE PLOT For seven years, a great warrior named Aeneas leads a small band of fellow Troja ns around the Mediterranean, looking for a place to build a new city. They were exiled from the city of Troy when the Greeks conquered it and burned it to the g round. Fate has decreed that they will be the founders of Rome, but they are hav ing a hard time getting there. A goddess named Juno, hates them and will do anything to prevent them from reach ing Italy. They are almost there when she whips up a great storm that blows them off course. They end up in Africa, at a city named Carthage, which is Juno's fa vorite city. Carthage is ruled by Queen Dido, who is beautiful and kind. She wel comes them to Carthage and invites them to a great banquet. At the banquet, Aeneas tells Dido his whole sad story. First, he describes how t he Greeks finally conquered Troy by hiding inside a giant wooden horse and trick ing the Trojans into pulling it into the city. He then tells how his mother, a g oddess named Venus, warned him to flee, and told him that he was fated to establ ish a new city for his people. Even though Aeneas would rather have died fightin g for Troy, he obeys the goddess and follows his fate. He carries his aging fath er, Anchises, on his shoulders and holds his little son, Ascanius, by the hand. His wife dies at Troy. Aeneas tells Dido how he and the other Trojan exiles built a small fleet and beg

an sailing around the Mediterranean looking for their new home. But they misunde rstand omens that tell where the new city will be, and they keep trying to settl e in the wrong place. Each time some disaster strikes, forcing them to move on a gain. Along the way, Aeneas suffers another tragedy when his father dies. Aeneas finishes his story by telling Dido that the Trojans had just figured out that t hey were supposed to go to the west coast of Italy to build their new city when Juno's storm carried them to Carthage. Meanwhile Aeneas' mother, Venus, is so worried that Juno may make Dido turn agai nst Aeneas that she makes Dido fall ionately in love with him. Dido is so in fatuated with Aeneas that she completely forgets about her reputation and her ki ngdom. For a year, Aeneas, forgetting all about Italy, stays happily with Dido. But then, Jupiter, the king of the gods, scolds him for neglecting his fate and the future of his country. Aeneas, who always obeys the gods and does what's bes t for his country, immediately leaves for Italy. Dido, wild with grief and anger , accuses him of betraying her. When Aeneas answers only that he must obey the g ods, Dido kills herself in despair. After leaving Carthage, the Trojans stop in Sicily and honor the anniversary of Anchises' death with great funeral games. Finally, the Trojans get to Italy and Aeneas takes a magical trip to the underworld to visit his father. Anchises show s him the glorious future that lies ahead for the Roman Empire, and Aeneas sees a parade of great statesmen and generals who will be born in the future. Until t his time, Aeneas has been doing what fate and the gods command. Now, for the fir st time, he's really inspired by the future of his new city and he stops wishing he were back at Troy. But the Trojans still have plenty of trouble ahead in Italy. When they first lan d near the site of what will be Rome, Latinus, the king of the native Latins, we lcomes them, and tells Aeneas that he is destined to marry Latinus' daughter, La vinia, and to start a great new race from the mingling of Latin and Trojan blood . Juno is still furious at the Trojans, however. Although she knows that Aeneas is fated to build his new city and to marry Lavinia, she can delay those events an d make the Trojans pay heavily for them. She sends an evil goddess, Allecto, to poison the Latins' minds against the Trojans. In particular, Allecto infects a w arrior named Turnus with an uncontrollable ion for war. He had planned to ma rry Lavinia himself. At first, the Trojans are outnumbered and Aeneas goes to get help from other cit ies, including one that is built on the exact spot where Rome would later be bui lt. When he returns, there are many ferocious battles between the Latins and the Trojans. Finally, to stop the needless bloodshed, Aeneas challenges Turnus to f ight him alone. After some delays caused by Juno, the two great warriors meet. I n the final scene Aeneas wounds Turnus and Turnus its that he was wrong. Neve rtheless, Aeneas kills him, either out of anger or as justified punishment for a ll the violence Turnus has caused. ^^^^^^^^^^THE AENEID: SIMPLIFIED TROJAN GENEALOGY Teucer ^^^^^^^^^^THE AENEID: Dardanus ^^^^^^^^^^THE AENEID:

Ilus

Assaracus

^^^^^^^^^^THE AENEID: Laomedon

Capys

^^^^^^^^^^THE AENEID: Priam m. Hecuba

Anchises (w/ Venus)

^^^^^^^^^^THE AENEID: Andromache Paris Deiphobus Polydorus Cassandra m.

m.

Hector

Helen

^^^^^^^^^^THE AENEID: Creusa m. Aeneas m. Lavinia ^^^^^^^^^^THE AENEID: Ascanius

Silvius

(Iulus) ^^^^^^^^^^THE AENEID: Silvius Aeneas ^^^^^^^^^^THE AENEID: SIMPLIFIED GENEALOGY OF JULIUS CAESAR AND AUGUSTUS * Numitor c. Julius Caesar d. 85 B.C.

Mars m. Rhea Silvia

^^^^^^^^^^THE AENEID: Romulus

Remus

^^^^^^^^^^THE AENEID: Julia m. Atius Balbus

Gaius JULIUS CAESAR

^^^^^^^^^^THE AENEID: Atia m. C. Octavius ^^^^^^^^^^THE AENEID: c. Julius Caesar OCTAVIUS Augustus 63 B.C.-14 A.D. * Julius Caesar claimed descent from Ascanius (Iulus)

102-44 B.C.

^^^^^^^^^^THE AENEID: AENEAS Aeneas is a great survivor. He's one of those people who can lose everything and still start over again. He goes from being a victim of the Greeks at Troy to be coming a conqueror in Italy. He starts out as an unhappy and unwilling exile and becomes the founder of a great city. Aeneas is the first hero in Western litera ture who changes and develops. His struggles help him discover who he is and wha t he thinks is important. Is Aeneas great because his fate made him great or is he great because he had th e courage and determination to live up to the role fate handed him? There is a s ide to Aeneas--particularly in the first four books of the Aeneid--that isn't ve ry impressive, even if you can understand why he feels the way he does. He's sad , tired, always waiting for his father or the gods to tell him what to do. But A eneas always fulfills his duty to his family, to his country, and to the gods, e ven when he's depressed. He is never selfish. He always puts his responsibility to others first. If you have to name one quality that defines Aeneas, it is this devotion to duty, a quality the Romans called pietas or piety. This quality kee ps him going even when he would rather forget about his fate. Ultimately, this s ame quality makes him accept, even welcome, that fate. Because, when Aeneas fina lly realizes that all his efforts will make the glorious Roman Empire possible, his love of his family and his country are fulfilled. The result is that the Aen eas you see at the end of the Aeneid is determined, sure of himself and confiden t that he knows what's right. He has become a great leader who is able to impose order on people who display more selfish and unruly emotions. Aeneas achieves his self-control at a stiff price to himself and, often, to othe rs. He leaves Dido, a woman who rescued him and his Trojans and who loves him de eply, with no explanation except that he must follow his fate to Italy. You may decide that he's a cold-blooded achiever. Or you may decide that Aeneas felt ter rible pain at leaving Dido and was able to leave only through the heroic mastery of his feelings. Aeneas is a great warrior, able and willing to brutally kill h is enemies, but he is often horrified by death. Even in the last scene of the Ae neid, where Aeneas kills his most bitter rival, Turnus, you see that he has a mo ment of pity. Aeneas does not just live in the moment. He lives with a strong sense of history . He re his past in Troy and he sees the future in store for his people. Aeneas' own life shows the terrible price men pay to build great civilizations. He has to suppress his own feelings in order to bring order. Some readers also s ee Aeneas as a link between the classical world of heroes, which ired strong but often selfish individuals, and the later Christian era with its greater emph asis on comion for other people. Aeneas would not be great at a party. He never cracks jokes. His complete devoti on to duty can be a little dull. Virgil may have made him this way, in part, bec ause Aeneas was supposed to represent Augustus, who was a very reserved, even co ld, person. Another reason that Aeneas may not seem like a real person is that V irgil didn't want you to think of him that way. After all, Aeneas is the son of a goddess. He is partly divine or partly a myth himself. Aeneas is larger than l ife. Virgil turned him into a model of a great leader--firm, stern, but comi onate. He is a symbol of the great Roman virtues of duty and leadership. ^^^^^^^^^^THE AENEID: DIDO Of all the characters in the Aeneid, Dido is probably the one you might relate t o most. She's the most human. She's beautiful, generous, kind, and successful. S he has strong emotions. She's the queen of a bustling city, Carthage. When you f irst see her, she offers a welcome relief from Aeneas' endless problems. But she

ends up killing herself. What goes wrong? On the simplest level, Dido's story is the classic story of unrequited love. She loves Aeneas more than he loves her. For a year they have a ionate affair a nd everything is great. But then Aeneas decides he has to leave. His respect for the gods and his duty to his people are stronger than his love. But nothing is more important to Dido than her love for Aeneas. She burns with love. She is tot ally distracted. When Aeneas finally leaves, she becomes alternately bitter, vin dictive, and pathetic, as she curses Aeneas and then begs him to stay. She is a victim of uncontrolled ion. Where did this ion come from? Is it Cupid's fault for wounding her with his arrow? If so, then what happens to Dido is not her fault. She's the victim of th e gods and of Aeneas' fate to go to Italy. Part of Virgil's theme here is simply that life is terribly unfair to some people. Virgil wants you to feel sorry for Dido. After all, she got a raw deal. But is there more to it? Do you really believe that Cupid was entirely to blame or was Dido ready to fall in love? Is ion part of her nature? The first time we see her we see that she is an extremist. She wants to stay up all night to h ear Aeneas' story. Her vow never to remarry after her first husband died also se ems a little drastic. Even her sister Anna thinks so. Whatever started it, this excessive ion destroys Dido. For one thing, it mak es her irrational. Aeneas' story should have warned her that he would eventually leave for Italy. A more rational person would at least have asked him what his plans were. Instead, Dido gets "married" in a mock ceremony in a cave--something only she believes is a real marriage. Dido falls in love with Aeneas, in the first place, partly because she is so imp ressed with all his heroic exploits. She is a great person and she ires anoth er great person. That's the basis of their love--the mutual respect of two peopl e in similar situations. But, while they're having their love affair, both of th em lose sight of the things that made them great. Dido forgets about ruling Cart hage; she forgets about her reputation and about the kind of example she is sett ing for her people. She forgets about her vow never to marry again. Aeneas also forgets about Italy but, with a little help from Jupiter, he takes up his duties again. Stiff, when Aeneas leaves, Dido doesn't return to her duties as queen. S he sinks into despair because not only has she lost Aeneas, she's also lost her self-respect. This is at least one reason why Dido commits suicide. No one can l ive without self-respect. But why doesn't Dido return to ruling Carthage the way Aeneas returns to his res ponsibilities? You'll see that at the end this never occurs to her. She's too fi lled with despair. She does briefly consider trying to get someone else to marry her. She even considers following Aeneas to Italy. But we have to respect her w hen she realizes that either of these choices would be pathetic and would cause her to lose even more of her self-respect. Dido kills herself out of frantic despair, but also as a way of restoring her se lf-respect. It is her last great act. Do you respect Dido for having the courage to kill herself or do you think it's the final sign of her madness? Whichever answer seems right to you, you'll agree that Dido's tragedy shows the terrible destructive power of uncontrolled ion. In this way she is like Juno and Turnus but, in another way, she is totally different. They are angry and vi olent, lashing out at others, but Dido is ruined by love. In the end, she does c urse Aeneas and predict a great war between Carthage and Rome, but Dido never ac tually hurts anyone but herself, and this makes her tragedy the greatest in the Aeneid.

^^^^^^^^^^THE AENEID: TURNUS Turnus is a daredevil. If he were alive today, he might be the person who drag-r aces on Main Street at 3:00 A.M. to show off. He's incredibly competitive. He ma y not care that much about what he's fighting for, but he's proud of being a gre at warrior and he isn't going to let anyone get ahead of him. Turnus isn't a nasty person. He doesn't really mean to cause as much harm as he does. Because he never really stops to think about the consequences of his actio ns, everything he does is incredibly destructive. That's why Virgil always compa res him to a wild animal. And that's Turnus' great flaw. You'll see that Virgil is no pacifist. He thinks that war and killing can be justified. He does not criticize Aeneas for fighting for his people and their right to make a home in Italy. But Turnus is mostly fi ghting for himself. Turnus never considers the possibility of a reasonable compr omise with the Trojans. Even after his allies want to make peace, Turnus cannot stop fighting. But is Turnus to blame for this? Literally, the story tells you that Turnus is s et on fire with lust for war by Allecto's blazing torch. Is this ion somethi ng that Turnus couldn't help? Or was it in his personality all along; and is All ecto only a symbol for why it heated up? (This is the same question we asked abo ut Dido and Cupid.) You might think that the second answer sounds more reasonable. We no longer beli eve that evil goddesses like Allecto really exist. But there is another way of t hinking about whether or not Turnus is to blame. In some ways he is just defendi ng his country from invasion by a foreign army, the Trojans. What is wrong with that? What would your reaction be if a foreign army arrived in the United States and said, "Oh, by the way, we're here because the fates told us to come"? If yo u think about it that way, what Turnus does is perfectly reasonable, and he's in nocent because he has no way of knowing that Aeneas really is right about his fa te. He doesn't know that Aeneas will win. If he could have known that in advance , of course there would have been no reason to fight. But he can't know that Aen eas will win until close to the end. To his credit, when Aeneas is about to kill him, he realizes that he was wrong and its it. You get an interesting insight into Juno when you think about Turnus this way. O ne of the things wrong with Juno is that she keeps fighting fate. That's irratio nal on her part because she knows what the fates have in store. But Turnus reall y doesn't know. So what is evil in Juno becomes tragic in Turnus. He's doing the best he can but he doesn't realize that he's on the losing end of history. You can also compare Turnus to Dido. They are both victims of uncontrolled i on and of Aeneas and his fate. Dido's misfortune is that she lives in a country where Aeneas isn't meant to stay. Turnus' problem is that he lives in a country where Aeneas is supposed to stay. But Dido harms only herself while Turnus kills many innocent people. And that makes a big difference. Dido is purely tragic, b ut it's hard to know exactly what to feel about Turnus. Still another way of looking at Turnus is that he is the old-fashioned hero, the rugged individualist, who can never accept any authority other than his own. He cannot live in a peaceful, civilized state like the new order that Aeneas will start. There is no place for people like Turnus in Rome because they're the kind of people who start civil wars. ^^^^^^^^^^THE AENEID: JUNO

If you're really unlucky you may have met someone like Juno. She could be a dist ant relative who comes to the annual family reunion hopelessly overdressed and w ants you to tell her how great she looks. You have to flatter her or she'll pest er you all evening. She re all insults--real or imagined--and she talks a bout them for hours. She can't imagine what she ever did to deserve such disresp ect. When the party's over, she still insists that no one paid any attention to her. But Juno's even worse than this because she's a real troublemaker. She doesn't j ust talk about how angry she is, she acts on it. Since she's a goddess (and marr ied to Jupiter) she can cause big trouble. If she wants a storm she can get it, and when she wants an evil demon, like Allecto, to drive people crazy all she ha s to do is call. Juno never controls her feelings. She simply lets everything ou t--and it's all bad. The strangest thing is that Juno, despite her ruthlessness, never gets what she wants. Have you ever noticed how true that is about angry people? They just go f rom one fight to another, but they never seem to win. Why is that? One reason is that they are often irrational. They pick fights they can't win. They're also v ery self-destructive. They're so angry that they don't realize that their plans will backfire and produce exactly what they don't want. A good example of this i s Juno's invention of a mock marriage between Dido and Aeneas in order to force Aeneas to stay in Carthage. Aeneas leaves anyway and Dido's life is ruined. Why is Juno so angry at the Trojans? She has one petty reason--she lost a beauty contest--and one good reason. Carthage is Juno's favorite city and Rome (which the Trojans will found) is destined to destroy Carthage. That sounds like a rath er good reason to be furious, and it is. However, no one, not even Juno, can cha nge that destiny. It's inevitable. It's a part of fate and in Virgil's world eve n the gods can't change fate. So, in fighting fate, Juno is doing something basi cally irrational. She's fighting a battle she can never win. All she can do is m ake trouble. This gives you a clue to what Juno symbolizes in the Aeneid. She is a force for disorder. Her uncontrolled rage does nothing but cause misery and death. Her wea pons are found in nature: storms and fire on one hand, ions in men on the ot her. Thus, one way you can view Juno is as a symbol of violent and destructive f orces that are always present in the world. Juno will never stop on her own, but after her anger has burned itself out a bit , she will obey a command to stop from a god more powerful than she. That's Jupi ter, her husband and the king of the gods. Similarly, you'll see that the effect s of her rage on men like Turnus can eventually be controlled by other men, like Aeneas, who are strong enough to impose order. ^^^^^^^^^^THE AENEID: VENUS The goddess Venus is Aeneas' mother. Like all mothers, she would like to see her son succeed. In fact, she wants him to succeed so much that she doesn't really care how hard it may be on him. For example, Venus agrees with Juno's scheme to have Dido and Aeneas marry in a mock ceremony. Venus doesn't care because she kn ows that Aeneas will have to leave anyway. But she doesn't stop to think about A eneas' feelings when he has to leave. Venus isn't very warm. She's not intereste d in having long chats with her son, and she enjoys tricking him by disguising h erself. Like Juno, Venus loves to intervene in human affairs and helps Aeneas out of sev eral difficult spots, but like Juno she can't change the basic course of fate. A ll she does is restore the balance after Juno has tipped it against Aeneas. But Venus' actions never restore order; in fact, they sometimes make matters worse.

She's just another competing force against Juno. While she's not angry and destr uctive like Juno, she's not particularly irable, either. Basically, Venus is concerned only about what she wants. If people like Dido get hurt in the process , Venus doesn't care. In Roman mythology Venus was the goddess of love. It's no accident that she's Ae neas' mother. After all doesn't his great sense of responsibility come from his love of his family and country? But in Virgil's world you also see that love isn 't necessarily as positive an emotion as we think it is today. Venus is responsi ble for Dido's uncontrollable ion. And Venus herself seems to be more a godd ess of self-interest than one of true love and generosity. ^^^^^^^^^^THE AENEID: JUPITER Jupiter is the only god in the Aeneid who acts the way you would think a god sho uld. He's calm, rational, impartial. But in one way he's very different from wha t you would think a god should be. He's not particularly interested in goodness. His major interest is to see that everything goes according to fate. As a resul t he, unlike Juno and Venus, tends not to intervene unless things get seriously out of control. Jupiter is the only god who really has the power to change things. For example, he can stop Juno from making trouble. He doesn't simply try to foil her the way Venus does. In some ways you might decide that there really is only one god, Jup iter, in the Aeneid and that the other gods are just symbols of natural and huma n forces. You may ask why Jupiter doesn't intervene sooner and stop Juno from her futile b ut destructive efforts to change fate and prevent Aeneas from reaching Italy. If you think of Jupiter as a personality instead of a god, it's easy to understand why. He's married to Juno and has learned to indulge her a bit. It's easier for him to let her defuse her anger on the Trojans than to have her raging around h im all day. But even if you view Jupiter as a god, his delay suggests that he hi mself is also a part of nature. He represents a basic force toward order but oth er chaotic forces also exist (like Juno) and he must let them run their course. Jupiter and the forces of order may ultimately win, but there may have to be a t hunderstorm before the sky clears. Juno has to rant and rave for a while before her anger can abate. Virgil also uses Jupiter as a way of giving official and religious approval to t he Roman Empire. When Jupiter predicts that the Roman Empire will reach the star s and that it will last forever, Romans of Virgil's day must have felt that thei r power over the world was not only right but inevitable. ^^^^^^^^^^THE AENEID: ANCHISES Anchises is Aeneas' father. When you first meet him, he is an old man, stubbornl y refusing to budge from burning Troy. That's where he's lived his life; that's where he's going to die. Only after he sees two impressive omens, which say that his grandson is destined for great things, is he willing to go. Aeneas carries him out of the city on his shoulders. Anchises is literally and symbolically a burden to Aeneas. Aeneas loves and resp ects his father very much. But Anchises is basically rooted in the past, even th ough he becomes a fervent er of the Trojans' search for a new city. Anchi ses makes mistakes--he sends the Trojans to Crete, which is relatively near Troy , instead of sending them to Italy. This shows that Anchises can't think radical ly. He's not up to a big change. He's naive. He thinks that the future will rese mble the past. His naivete is shown by the fact that, unlike Aeneas, he doesn't seem to worry that much. He doesn't have doubts about the future. Anchises must

die and go to the underworld before he will understand how different the future will be. Anchises symbolizes the old life and the old ways of Troy. Aeneas loves and respects these things, just as he loves and respects his father, but he mus t leave them behind and go on alone to find a totally new life in Italy. Anchise s' death symbolizes that he remains a Trojan, a man of an earlier era. ^^^^^^^^^^THE AENEID: LATINUS Latinus, king of the Latins, is the first native king Aeneas meets in Italy. Lat inus has heard many omens that his daughter Lavinia is destined to marry a stran ger, and that together they will start a new race that will rule the world. So L atinus is well disposed toward Aeneas when Aeneas first arrives. But Latinus has not reckoned with the fact that his people are opposed to sharin g their kingdom with strangers. He completely overlooks the problems that will a rise from his refusal to let Turnus marry Lavinia, as he had planned to do. Even though Latinus wants to do what is in line with fate, and his wish to welcome A eneas to Latium is a rational act, he does not have the authority to enforce his wishes. He can't even explain his plans convincingly to his wife. Finally, he a llows himself to be bullied into making war against the Trojans. Latinus is an old man who has lost most of his power. You can see him as a real person and feel sorry for the terrible trap he is in, but you can also see him a s a symbol of the weakness of the Latin society before Aeneas' arrival. Latinus' inability to control his people strongly suggests that the Latin people needed a new leader. This fact helps Virgil justify or overlook the fact that the Troja ns were invaders of Italy. Latinus can also be compared with other senior citizens in the Aeneid. Like Pria m, the king of Troy right before the Greeks destroyed it, he makes fatal mistake s that lead to the fall of his city. He also resembles Anchises because he wishe s for the right things but he doesn't know how to attain them. Just as Priam and Anchises belonged to the old world of Troy--a world that must die--so Latinus b elongs to the old world of Italy--one that must die to make room for Rome and it s new order. ^^^^^^^^^^THE AENEID: EVANDER Evander is a very symbolic character. His city, Pallanteum, is on the exact spot where Rome will be built. Evander illustrates some of the qualities that the Ro mans were particularly proud of. Pallanteum and its king are simple and rustic, without finery or luxury of any kind. You know that Americans ire the pioneer s for being able to survive in the wilderness. The Romans liked to think that th ey had these same types of people in their background, too. When Aeneas sleeps o n a bed of leaves in Evander's tiny hut, he shows that he has given up the old l uxuries that he may have enjoyed in Troy or in Carthage with Dido. Evander also becomes a substitute father figure, replacing Anchises. Aeneas trea ts him with great respect and his family loyalty is transferred to a father with roots in Italy. Evander also shows the greatest of Roman virtues: good politica l judgment. He knows how and where Aeneas can find allies. ^^^^^^^^^^THE AENEID: SETTING The Aeneid is set in the middle of the 12th century B.C. after the fall of Troy. Troy was in Asia Minor, in what is now Turkey. In Book II you see how Troy, whi ch was a wealthy, fortified city filled with temples and palaces, is destroyed b y the Greeks. The first six books of the Aeneid describe how Aeneas and a small band of Trojans are forced to flee Troy, They spend more than seven years sailin

g around the Mediterranean Sea in primitive wooden boats trying to find Italy. F inally, after many detours and disasters, they arrive on the west coast of Italy . The Trojans land at the mouth of the Tiber, the same river that flows through pr esent-day Rome. When the Trojans arrive, there are several small, simple cities (nothing like Troy) in the surrounding countryside, which is called Latium. At f irst the king of the biggest city, Laurentium, is willing to share his land with the Trojans, but soon his people rebel and band together with the people of the other cities to drive the Trojans away. The Trojans, led by Aeneas, battle them and finally succeed in capturing Laurentium, just as the Greeks had once captur ed Troy. After the war ends, the Trojans and the native people of Italy (includi ng the Latins, Etruscans, and Ruffians) will live together and intermarry, becom ing the ancestors of the Romans. According to tradition, Troy fell in 1184 B.C. and Rome was founded in 753 B.C. Thus, more than 400 years ed between Aeneas' landing at the Tiber and the fo unding of Rome. Virgil explains part of this time gap in Book I. After the war, Aeneas will build a city called Lavinium and rule there for three years. His son Ascanius will move the city to nearby Alba Longa and rule for thirty years. His descendants will rule for 300 years after that until Romulus builds the walls a round Rome. If you do some quick figuring, you'll realize that this leaves about 100 years uned for. The reason for this may be that Virgil thought Troy fell at a later date than we do, or it may be that Virgil was less concerned wit h exact historical accuracy than he was with creating a poetic and almost mythol ogical story of Rome's beginnings. ^^^^^^^^^^THE AENEID: THEMES The Aeneid has many themes, which you'll see as you go through The Story section of this guide. There are many different ways to consider the poem's meaning bec ause Virgil's story works on several different levels. For example, the Aeneid t ells the history of Rome, but it also tells the personal story of its hero, Aene as. To help you understand these levels, here is a list of the major themes you should focus on: 1. THE AENEID IS A NATIONAL EPIC ABOUT THE BEGINNING OF ROME Virgil's poem tells how Rome came to be in historical and symbolic . The st ory blends history and myth to show how and why the Trojans reached Italy, and h ow Rome began. Virgil also explains the forces that made Rome great: fate and gr eat courage, determination, and selflessness on the part of its first leader, Ae neas. Aeneas symbolizes the virtues that allowed the Romans to build a great emp ire. 2. THE AENEID IS A TRIBUTE TO AUGUSTUS AND A CELEBRATION OF THE END OF THE CIVIL WARS IN ROME Aeneas is the model of a great leader. Virgil meant you to see him as a symbol f or the Emperor Augustus. The wars between the Latins and the Trojans, which Virg il describes in the Aeneid, can be compared to the civil wars that raged in Rome before Augustus took control. When Aeneas defeats Turnus and ends the disorder that Turnus created, he is similar to Augustus, who ended the conflict between t he warring factions in Rome. 3. THE AENEID IS THE STORY OF AENEAS' PERSONAL SEARCH FOR A NEW IDENTITY Aeneas changes from a lost and lonely exile with no idea of his destination to a determined, self-confident leader. He gives up his past, as represented by Troy , and accepts the future, as represented by Rome. In the process of becoming a g

reat leader he makes many personal sacrifices, including giving up Dido's love. He is completely devoted to his family and country, and never wavers from these duties, but he also understands the terrible price that others, like Turnus, hav e to pay for Aeneas' success. This ability to understand and to feel sorry for o ther people is what makes him such a great character. He's not just a simple-min ded hero; he has a heart. 4. THE AENEID DESCRIBES THE STRUGGLE BETWEEN THE FORCES OF ORDER AND DISORDER IN THE WORLD Virgil's world is a harsh one. The forces of disorder are always present. They a re symbolized by Juno's uncontrollable rage at the Trojans and by the irrational ions that Dido and Turnus feel. These forces always lead to death and destr uction. Ultimately, though, Virgil seems to be saying that fate is on the side of order. Jupiter, the king of the gods and a force for order, finally tells Juno to stop making trouble. Aeneas, also a force for order because of his tremendous sense of duty and self-sacrifice, brings order to Italy. 5. THE AENEID DESCRIBES THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PEOPLE AND FATE A person's life depends on his fate, something even the gods cannot change. Fate isn't fair--Dido and Turnus have tragic fates, even though they may not have do ne anything wrong. But someone's fate may also reflect the kind of person involv ed. Aeneas' responsibility to his country makes him a great leader, and he is fa ted to succeed. Dido and Turnus have excessively ionate natures that lead to their downfalls. Virgil seems to be saying that your fate is a combination of l uck (which you can't control) and your own personality (which perhaps you can). ^^^^^^^^^^THE AENEID: FORM AND STRUCTURE The Aeneid is an epic poem written in 12 books. An epic poem is a long, narrativ e poem about the adventures of a great hero. Virgil's Aeneid is modeled in part on the great Greek epic poems, the Iliad and the Odyssey, by Homer. The Iliad de scribes the exploits of Achilles and other Greek heroes in the Trojan War (the s ame war that forced Aeneas to leave Troy and that is described in Book II of the Aeneid). The Odyssey describes how Ulysses (or Odysseus in Greek) wandered for many years, trying to return home after the Trojan War. The first six books of the Aeneid parallel the Odyssey because they describe Aen eas' search for a home. Aeneas even stops in many of the same places that Ulysse s did. There is an important difference, however. Ulysses was trying to find his old home, while Aeneas is searching for a new home. The second six books parallel the Iliad. They describe the war in Italy just as the Iliad describes the Trojan War. Again, there are many parallels. For example , the Trojans are besieged inside their fort in Italy just as they were trapped inside Troy. But again there is an important difference. The Iliad describes how the Trojans lost the war and Troy fell. In the Aeneid the Trojans win the war i n Italy and get the chance to build a new city. Virgil imitates many scenes from the Iliad. and the Odyssey in his epic, but he always changes them in significant ways so that they illustrate his own Roman th emes. One of the most important differences between Homer's epics and the Aeneid is that the Aeneid is a patriotic poem while the Iliad and the Odyssey are poem s about individuals and their adventures. Homer emphasizes heroes, not countries . But one of Virgil's main points is to show how Rome became the city it is, and to show what kind of person makes a good Roman citizen and leader.

You can also think about the Aeneid as being divided into three parts. The first four books take place with Dido in Carthage, including a flashback to the fall of Troy. The second four books (V-VIII) describe the Trojans' arrival in Italy a nd Aeneas' trip to the underworld where he sees the future of Rome. The last fou r books (IX-XII) describe the war in Italy and Aeneas' triumph over Turnus. You can also consider the books of the Aeneid in pairs. The odd-numbered books t end to be less dramatic (for example, Book III in which the Trojans' wanderings are described or Book V where the funeral games for Anchises are shown). The eve n-numbered books reach more emotional peaks of tragedy or glory (for example, th e death of Dido in Book IV, and Aeneas' vision of the future in Book VI). ^^^^^^^^^^THE AENEID: STYLE Just as the Aeneid's structure is modeled in part on the Iliad and the Odyssey, so is its style. Like Homer, Virgil wrote his poem in dactylic hexameter. This t erm describes the meter or rhythm of each line of poetry. It means that there ar e six major beats in each line and that each beat is made up of a dactyl (a word in which the first syllable is strong and the following two are weak) (-^^) and a spondee (a word in which both syllables are long (--). An example of a dactyl and a spondee in English are the words "fabulous pizza!". Of course, since you are reading the Aeneid in an English translation, what you're reading won't have this rhythm. But it's interesting to try to imagine how musical it must have so unded in the original Latin. The reason for this rhythm is that Homer's epics were sung or chanted before the y were written down, so it was natural to have a clear beat. Virgil kept this rh ythm, even though he wrote his poem for a literate and sophisticated audience. B ut since he wrote the poem, instead of learning it from an oral tradition, he ha d the opportunity to use much more complex language than Homer could have. Virgi l's poem is full of beautiful images, subtle allusions, and symbolism that give it a rich, dense texture. The result is that Virgil's epic has a very different style from Homer's. Virgil also follows epic tradition in using many epic similes and epithets. An e xample of an epic simile is found in Book IV where Virgil compares Aeneas to a g iant oak tree that cannot be blown down no matter how hard the winds blow. An ep ithet is a stock phrase that captures some part of a person's basic character. A n example is "pious" Aeneas. The epithets you'll see depend on which translation you're using. Just look for the same word used over and over again to describe a person. Another epic convention that Virgil makes great use of is long speeches by the m ajor characters. Here we see that Virgil finally made use of his training in rhe toric. Although he might not have been a good public speaker himself, his charac ters surely are. ^^^^^^^^^^THE AENEID: POINT OF VIEW Except for Books II and III where Aeneas tells his own story, the Aeneid is told from the point of view of an all-knowing narrator. This narrator is of course V irgil, but he pretends to get all his information from a goddess called the Muse . (If you look at the very beginning of the Aeneid, you'll see where Virgil asks the Muse for help in telling the story.) By following this convention of epic p oetry, Virgil implies that his poem is accurate and objective. For example, when he says that Jupiter predicts that the Romans will rule forever, we're supposed to believe that he's right because the Muse told him it was true. In reality the Aeneid is a very subjective poem. For one, you already know that one of the things Virgil wanted to do was to praise Augustus and the Roman Empir

e. That's not objective at all, but reflects Virgil's own beliefs. Even more imp ortantly, Virgil has an unusual ability to get inside his characters' heads. For example, even though Dido seems to be described from the outside, you know exac tly how she feels and what she's thinking about. The result is that you feel tha t you know her, and you feel very sorry for her. Perhaps most important is Virgil's combination of an objective and subjective po int of view that allows you to see Aeneas' character both from the outside and f rom the inside. For example, in Book IV when Aeneas leaves Dido, you see him alm ost from Dido's point of view. He hardly says anything to defend himself, and yo u get very little indication of his own feelings. This may make you dislike Aene as a bit, but it also makes you see how much of his own feelings must be sacrifi ced in order to found Rome. By using this "outside" point of view, Virgil sugges ts that in some ways Aeneas' feelings don't matter that much. The important thin g is that he does his duty. But if that were the only side of Aeneas you see, he wouldn't be very interestin g. So Virgil sometimes shows you things from Aeneas' "inside" point of view. For example, in Book I, when he is hit by Juno's storm and cries out that he wishes he had died in Troy, you learn what an unhappy and unwilling traveler he is at this point. Books II and III are told almost entirely from Aeneas' point of view and that's where you learn the most about him. If you think about it, you'll no tice that much of the story in the early books of the Aeneid is told from Aeneas ' point of view. This becomes less and less true later on. This shift in point o f view reflects the change in Aeneas himself from an uncertain exile to a great leader. Virgil seems to be saying that as Aeneas learns to accept his great fate , he has fewer internal conflicts that you as the reader need to see. It may als o be that as Aeneas becomes a great leader he can't afford to let whatever confl icts he does have show. As a result, this shift in point of view makes Aeneas in to more of a myth--a model of a great leader--and less of an ordinary person. ^^^^^^^^^^THE AENEID: BOOK I Imagine this scene: It's around 1150 B.C. Seven years earlier, a band of fierce Greek warriors invaded the city of Troy and set it on fire. Aeneas and a few fel low Trojans manage to escape to the coast where they launch their wooden boats a nd set sail to the west. There, some fortune-tellers have said, they will find a new home. They've been wandering all over the sea ever since, looking for this place. When we first see him, Aeneas is filled with conflicting emotions. One part of h im is still grieving for his lost city and all the friends and family who died t here. Another part of him is worn out with troubles and worries about whether or not he will ever find a place where his people can settle. But, for the moment, he is simply relieved that the sun is shining and the sea is calm. He's beginni ng to have a little hope again. He does not suspect that an angry goddess is wat ching, and that she is determined to make as much trouble as possible for him an d his fellow Trojans, wherever they go. This is the moment Virgil picks to start his story of Aeneas' struggles to estab lish a new city--the city that would eventually become Rome, the capital of the Roman Empire and the greatest city in the world. NOTE: The events in the Aeneid are not told in chronological order. You will see that Books II and III will take you back in time to the fall of Troy, while Boo k VI will show the future of Rome after Aeneas. Keep this blending of past, pres ent, and future in mind as you read. Before the action starts, Virgil tells us what his poem is about. The short prol ogue gives us many clues about the major themes, so it's worth reading carefully

. Arms and the man I sing, the first who came, Compelled by fate, an exile out of Troy, To Italy and the Lavinian coast, Much buffeted on land and on the deep By violence of the gods, through that long rage, That lasting hate, of Juno's. (I. 1-4) These first lines tell you that the Aeneid has two major subjects: war and a man . You can already guess that this man will be a great warrior and that you will read about many battles. The Aeneid also describes this man's relationship to wa r: he is both a victim of war--an "exile," a refugee--and he will also be a conq ueror when he founds his new city in Italy. But this isn't just a war story. It' s a story about an individual and how he feels about his life, whom he loves, ho w he makes his decisions. He is a man "compelled by fate." He doesn't always wan t to do what he must do; often it isn't even his idea. But the prologue also tel ls you that this story will have a good ending. The man will reach Italy, and th e city he founds will become everlasting Rome. From this we see that the Aeneid will also describe the early history of Rome. NOTE: The role of fate in men's lives is a crucial theme. As you read, ask yours elf what that role is. Is fate a force for good or evil? Or is it neutral? Do me n have any free choice? Are they responsible for their actions? One of the most important things the prologue tells you is that the goddess Juno is responsible for much of this man's troubles. Why is she so furious? One reas on is that Juno has discovered that the Romans are fated to destroy her favorite city, Carthage. (This actually happened in 146 B.C. during the Third Punic War, about a century before Virgil wrote the Aeneid.) The second reason is that she' s been nursing a grudge against the Trojans since a Trojan named Paris didn't aw ard her first prize in a beauty contest. The first reason seems a little odd: wh y is a goddess fighting fate? If fate is inevitable, why fight? Or can Juno win? The second reason is petty. What kind of goddess persecutes a good, honest, and religious man simply because she lost a beauty contest--especially when that ma n didn't have anything to do with it? Keep an eye on Juno. She isn't a very irable character, but she represents an important force in the world Virgil is describing: the power of uncontrolled an ger. As you read, see how often rage leads to needless destruction. Later on you 'll see that some gods who represent fairness and order, are opposed to Juno. Th e strange thing is that while they seem much nicer than Juno, they're never as i nteresting. You might want to think about why Virgil made such a mean character so vivid and real. After giving you this background, Virgil begins the action. While the Trojans ar e relaxing in the sunshine, Juno is fuming and wondering whether she has to tole rate these people forever. Even though she knows that they are fated to reach It aly, she's irritated that everyone seems to be ignoring her, while other gods ge t their way. She decides to cause some trouble. She bribes Aeolus, the god of th e winds, to help her sink the Trojan ships. If he'll let the winds out of the ca ve where he keeps them locked up, she'll give him her prettiest nymph. Of course Aeolus agrees and the winds whip out across the sea.

The sky turns black and winds batter the ships from all directions. Three ships are hurled onto rocks; one is stranded on a shoal; another is sucked into a whir lpool. Men are swimming everywhere, screaming for help. It looks like all is los t as Aeneas makes his first speech, which tells us a lot about his character and about what's on his mind. O happy men, thrice happy, four times happy, Who had the luck to die, with their fathers watching Below the walls of Troy! (I. 94-96) Aeneas is obviously nostalgic for his lost city of Troy. He misses it so much th at he seems to wish he had died there. We also see Aeneas' reverence for his anc estors. (Later on you'll find out that his father had died just before this stor m.) Aeneas also respects the old ideal of a hero. He thinks it's better to die f ighting for your country than to be lost at sea for no reason. At this point you might be wondering how good a leader Aeneas will be. He literally wants to give up the ship without even trying. But luckily for the Trojans, Juno is not the only god watching them. Neptune, th e god of the sea, notices the uproar in his kingdom and is irritated about it. U nlike Juno, Neptune represents order. He scolds the winds and sends them back to their cave. He drives his flying chariot over the waves and calms them. He resc ues the stranded ships. Virgil describes the scene in the first of the famous "e pic similes" in the Aeneid. Sometimes in a great nation, there are riots With the rabble out of hand, and firebrands fly And cobblestones: whatever they lay their hands on Is a weapon for their fury, but should they see One man of noble presence, they fall silent Obedient dogs, with ears pricked up, and waiting, Waiting his word, and he knows how to bring them Back to good sense again. So ocean, roaring, Subsided into stillness, and the sea-god Looked forth upon the waters, and clear weather Shone over him as he drove his flying horses. (I. 148-156) In this simile Virgil has described the storm as though it were a civil war, wit h people fighting in the streets. He shows that a strong leader can calm the peo ple and bring order out of chaos. You'll recall that, when Virgil began the Aene id, the emperor Augustus had finally ended a century of civil strife by his stro ng leadership. In this way Virgil relates his story to recent events in Rome.

NOTE: An epic simile is a poetic device in which one thing, such as a storm at s ea, is compared to another thing, such as a civil war. We won't discuss all the epic similes in the Aeneid, but you can have fun trying to spot them. They often begin with "like" or "as" and they usually compare a person or event with somet hing in nature. Saved from the storm, Aeneas and the remainder of his fleet find themselves near the north coast of Africa and head for the nearest harbor. Even though Aeneas i s exhausted, he climbs a mountain, hoping to signal a ing ship. No luck. But suddenly three stags and a herd of deer appear. Quickly he shoots seven with hi s arrows and carries them back to the Trojan camp. There the men find some wine, still safe in one of the ships, and everyone stretches out on the grass, sippin g wine while the meat cooks. Aeneas gives a little speech, telling his comrades to cheer up, to forget their fear and sadness, and to hope for better days that fate has promised. What he do esn't mention--this is typical of Aeneas--is his own sorrow over his lost comrad es and his dread about the future. We begin to see that Aeneas does have leaders hip qualities: for one, he takes responsibility. But we also see that he hides h is true feelings in order to do so. At this point the scene shifts back to the gods and we are introduced to Jupiter (also called Jove), the king of the gods, and Venus, who is Aeneas' mother. NOTE: In classical mythology the gods sometimes had children with mortal men and women. Aeneas is the son of Venus and a mortal man, Anchises. Later on, you'll see that people often call Aeneas "goddess-born." This means that he is semi-div ine. This myth explains why Julius Caesar, who claimed that he was descended fro m Aeneas, could proclaim himself a god while he was emperor. While Augustus didn 't go quite this far, he was revered in Rome as godlike because he restored peac e. Venus is upset. She reminds Jupiter of his promise that the Trojans would found Rome and that Rome would rule the world. Jupiter is perfectly calm and tells Ven us that everything is going just as it should, according to fate. To calm her he prophesies that Aeneas will find Italy, win a great war there, and start his ci ty, Lavinium. (In the Aeneid, Italy is sometimes called Latium or Lavinia. Lavin ium and Alba Longa are the names of the cities that came before the actual found ing of Rome). Three hundred thirty-three years from this time, Romulus and Remus will build the walls around the city and call it Rome, after Romulus. To these I set no bounds in space or time; They shall rule forever... And from this great line Will come a Trojan, Caesar, to establish The limit of his empire at the ocean, His glory at the stars, a man called Julius Whose name recalls Iulus. (I. 278-88) You can imagine how much the Romans of Virgil's day enjoyed hearing that they we re destined to rule forever! By making Jupiter predict the future, Virgil makes the past relevant to present-day Rome. We understand that this story, which seem

s to be about ancient history, will also tell us something about what kind of pe ople the Romans are and how they got that way. NOTE: Iulus is one of the names of Aeneas' son. (His other name is Ascanius.) By showing the similarity between Iulus' and Julius Caesar's names, Virgil seems t o be ing Julius Caesar's claim that he was descended from the original Tr ojans. Some readers have said that the Aeneid is political propaganda for the em perors Julius and Augustus. In this age you can certainly see their point. Meanwhile Aeneas, who hasn't heard about the great things that will happen for h is people, awakens the next day and explores the forest to try to determine what land he is in. A beautiful young girl, dressed like a huntress, appears and Aen eas immediately suspects she's a goddess. (Virgil tells us that she's Venus.) Sh e tells Aeneas that he's landed near Carthage, which is ruled by a woman, Queen Dido. Dido fled to Carthage after her brother murdered her husband and she's rem ained unmarried ever since. Can you guess what's about to happen? Dido and Aeneas have much in common. They both had to flee from home. They're lonely, and they're both the leaders of thei r people. Venus wraps Aeneas in a cloud so that he walks into Carthage without being seen. The city is bustling and everybody seems happy. Aeneas remarks enviously, Happy the men whose walls already rise! (I. 437) Dido is building a temple to Juno. ( that Carthage is Juno's favorite ci ty.) Its walls are covered with paintings of the Trojan War. Aeneas is amazed an d cries at the sight of all his old friends, but it also makes him feel at home. While he's studying each scene, Dido arrives, dressed in gold and followed by h er servants. Right behind her, Aeneas sees the comrades he thought had drowned i n the storm. Dido kindly assures the Trojans that they are welcome in her kingdo m. At this, Aeneas's cloud melts and he is revealed, looking godlike with the sun s hining on his hair and armor. He thanks Dido graciously and greets his lost men. Dido orders a great feast to celebrate, and things seem to be looking up for the Trojans. But Venus still isn't satisfied. She knows that Carthage is Juno's fav orite city and she's afraid that Juno may make Dido turn against Aeneas. So Venu s invents a scheme. She has Cupid, the god of love, dress like Ascanius (Aeneas' son) while she puts the real Ascanius to sleep. Cupid's mission is to infect Di do with a "blazing ion" for Aeneas so that Juno won't be able to influence D ido against him. The scheme works. Dido can't take her eyes off the little boy--or Aeneas, either . It becomes very late but Dido is enjoying herself so much that she won't let a nyone go to bed. She begs Aeneas to tell his story--from the beginning. He agree s. In Books II and III we'll hear what he has to say. NOTE: You are familiar with the pictures of Cupid with his bow and arrow on Vale ntine's Day cards. That's exactly what Virgil had in mind with this scene. Altho ugh we think that love develops inside a person, Dido is "wounded" by love that comes from outside herself. She can't help it. Keep this image of a wound in min d; you'll see it again in Book IV. Note also how Dido's ion is described as a fire. That's also an important image you'll see again. These violent, destruct ive images suggest that this love affair may not have a happy ending.

^^^^^^^^^^THE AENEID: BOOK II Have you ever noticed that, if something really frightening happens, no matter h ow long ago, you can every detail as if it happened yesterday? That's t he way Aeneas re the last day of Troy before the Greeks destroyed it. Aen eas' story in Book II falls into three basic parts. First, he describes how the Greeks tricked the Trojans into letting them into the city. Second, he describes the desperate final battle to save Troy. Finally, he tells how he escapes from the burning city with his family. An important thing to about this Book (and Book III) is that the story is told from Aeneas' point of view. You are ab out to experience that last dreadful day as though you were there--inside Aeneas ' head. First here is some background. The Trojan War started because Paris, a Trojan, s educed Helen, who was married to a Greek named Menelaus, and took her back to Tr oy. The Greeks then attacked the Trojans. When Aeneas begins his story, both sid es are exhausted. The Greeks have been camped outside the Trojan walls for ten y ears, unable to get inside. But the Trojans can't drive the Greeks away, either. The result is a stalemate. Then one morning the Trojans look over their walls and the Greeks are gone! In t heir place they've left a giant wooden horse. The Trojans throw open the gates a nd rush out, wild with joy. In fact, the Greeks aren't gone at all. Some of them are hiding on a nearby isla nd, Tenedos, where they've hidden their ships. The rest are hiding in the hollow belly of the huge horse--waiting. An ironic twist in the story is that one of the Trojans, Laocoon, warns that the Greeks are probably hiding inside the horse, but no one listens to him. Instead , the Trojans believe the story of a Greek named Sinon, who deliberately allowed himself to be "captured." Sinon tells them that if they destroy the horse, the gods will be furious and Troy will be destroyed. If, on the other hand, they bri ng the horse inside the city walls, Troy will conquer the Greeks. We believed him, we Whom neither Diomede nor great Achilles Had taken, nor ten years, nor that armada, A thousand ships of war. But Sinon did it By perjury and guile. (II. 195-98) Aeneas points out here that lies and tricks can do what the greatest Greek warri ors and ten years of war could not. Deceit and treachery are important themes in Book II. Another thing that convinces the Trojans to bring the horse into the city is tha t Laocoon, who warned them not to do this, is strangled horribly by two giant sn akes that come rushing over the sea from Tenedos (just as the Greeks will attack later on). The snakes' eyes are burning with blood and fire as they choke Laoco on. The Trojans correctly decide that Laocoon is being punished, but they don't realize that he's being punished for telling the truth about the horse. The gods side with the Greeks, and they don't want anyone to save Troy. NOTE: Snakes are an important image in this Book. They symbolize evil and decept

ion and whenever they appear, destruction is not far behind. Fire is also a symb ol of destruction. As you read Book II you will see many images of snakes and fi re. The Trojans put the horse on wheels and slowly drag it inside the city. As they do, they can hear clanking inside it. What's the matter with the Trojans? Are th ey stupid? Perhaps. Or did the gods blind them to the obvious danger? But the go ds could have destroyed Troy if they had wanted to. Why do they make the Trojans cooperate in their own downfall? Perhaps Virgil is saying that the division bet ween human beings and the gods and fate is not so simple. Perhaps what happens t o you depends, in part, on the kind of person you are. The Trojans were tired of war and wanted to believe it was over. Perhaps their wishful thinking brought t heir downfall. Have you ever taken a big risk that you knew wasn't a good idea, but you just kept your fingers crossed and hoped that it would work out anyway? The Trojans celebrate their false victory with a wild festival that night, and t hen they all collapse into their beds in a drunken sleep. in the dark and quiet of night, the Greeks sail back. Sinon undoes the bolts on the belly of the horse and the Greeks pour out. They start to murder everyone in their path. While Aeneas sleeps, Hector appears to him in a dream. (Hector was a great Troja n warrior who was killed by the Greek Achilles.) Alas, O goddess-born! Take flight, Escape these flames! The enemy has the walls, Troy topples from her lofty height; enough Has been paid out to Priam and to country. (II. 289-91) Hector then tells Aeneas to take the household gods of Troy (small figures that symbolized the gods that protected a home), and to build a new city after a long sea voyage. Hector's speech is more than just a warning. This is the first time that Aeneas hears of his destiny to lead his people to a new city. Hector also tells Aeneas that he no longer has a soldier's duty to fight for his king, Priam , or his country. Why is this important? Aeneas might think it was cowardly to r un away, but Hector is trying to tell him that it's the only sensible thing to d o. Aeneas jumps out of bed and sees that the Greeks are already swarming all over T roy and that most of the buildings are in flames. But Aeneas doesn't seem to hav e understood Hector's message very well. Instead of fleeing, he stays and fights , although even he realizes there's no hope. Why does he risk his life? One reas on is that he simply gets carried away when he sees his city being destroyed. Bu t there may be more to it. Sometimes it's easier to keep fighting for a lost cau se than to it defeat and start something completely new. As we'll see later o n, Aeneas isn't very eager to start a new life somewhere else. In the second part of Book II, Aeneas and his men struggle in vain to save Troy. The battle is fought at night, so the only light comes from the burning ruins o f Troy. In this flickering light no one is sure who anyone is. The Trojans kill some Greeks and take their armor. Disguised like this, they score some victories --until their fellow Trojans, trying to defend the walls, also mistake them for Greeks and start to hurl weapons at their heads. Finally, Aeneas manages to reach King Priam's castle. The battle for the rampart s rages here, and Aeneas sees the most horrible scene of all. A Greek warrior, P

yrrhus, who is "sleek as a serpent," murders Priam's son right before his father 's eyes. Then he kills the old and feeble king on the altar dedicated to the god s. In this sad scene, we see the horror of uncontrolled rage and the total colla pse of the old heroic ideals of fair play and respect for one's enemies. The ser pents, like Pyrrhus, are winning this war. Suddenly Aeneas spots Helen hiding. He's about to kill her, in revenge for the w ar she helped to cause, when Venus bursts upon the scene and stops him. She remi nds him to take care of his family instead of seeking pointless revenge. Then sh e gives Aeneas a moment of divine vision, so that he can see that it's not only the Greeks who are destroying Troy. He sees that the gods, themselves, are smash ing the walls. At last Aeneas understands that there's no point in fighting anym ore, and he hurries off to find his family. Here we see that with Venus' help, A eneas helps to save lives, instead of being purely destructive like Pyrrhus. When Aeneas reaches his father's house, he runs into still another roadblock to leaving. His father, Anchises, won't budge. He's old and tired; he doesn't see t he point in leaving. Just then a flame appears over the head of Aeneas' son, Iul us. Before they can recover from their surprise, a comet streaks across the sky. After these signs, even Anchises believes that the gods are with Aeneas and his son and that they have a special mission. They leave. Aeneas carries his old father on his back and holds his little son b y the hand. His wife, Creusa, follows. Aeneas has literally shouldered the burde n of saving his family and their future. Somehow, in the dark and confusion, Cre usa becomes separated from them. Aeneas is frantic and returns to the burning ci ty trying to find her. Suddenly her ghost appears and tells him to stop looking. She explains that he has a great journey ahead and that he will find a happier land in the west. She also tells him that he will find a new wife of royal blood . Aeneas is miserable with grief and reaches out for her shadow but it flits away. Why is Creusa left behind and why does she tell Aeneas to go on? Her death symb olizes the end of his old life in Troy. Aeneas must leave her and start a new li fe. An important theme in the Aeneid is that Aeneas must suffer many deep person al losses in order to fulfil his destiny. He doesn't accept those losses easily. He reaches out for Creusa three times, and three times she fades away, before h e accepts the fact that she is dead. Finally, he res his father and son. They have been ed by a band of other Trojans who have escaped the city. Together they climb into the hills. ^^^^^^^^^^THE AENEID: BOOK III Aeneas has just finished his sad story about the fall of Troy. He pauses for bre ath and perhaps sips some wine. Dido wipes the tears from her eyes. The Trojans gaze at the flickering torches, ing the past. Then Aeneas begins to talk again. In Book III he describes how he and the Trojan s have been searching for a place to live, for the seven years since the day Tro y fell to the storm that blew them to Carthage. Have you ever had a bad dream in which you were trying to reach a place or to find something, and you just could n't? That's the mood of Book III. The Trojans have a vague idea that they are fa ted to find a new home somewhere in the west. The gods give them a few clues abo ut where the place is, but the clues aren't very clear and the Trojans don't und erstand them. So they keep landing their ships and trying to settle down, but so mething always goes wrong and they have to pack up again. Troy was located on the coast of present-day Turkey. In the beginning the Trojan s try to make a new home very close to their old one. They move closer and close

r to Italy only after they are driven from more familiar spots by evil omens, pl agues, or Harpies. Their first stop is Thrace, but the ghost of a Trojan murdere d by the Thracians warns them that it's not safe. They then reach the island of Delos where there was a shrine to Apollo, who could foretell the future. Aeneas prays before the temple and Apollo answers: The land which brought you forth, Men of endurance, will receive you home. Seek out your ancient mother. (III. 93-95) The Trojans are delighted with this advice, but they can't figure out what place Apollo refers to. Then Anchises decides that the god means Crete because one of the Trojans' early ancestors had come from Crete. The Trojans leap in their boa ts and one races against the other to get to Crete first. However, within a year they realize that Crete isn't correct, either. They are stricken with plagues a nd drought. NOTE: Apollo's directions aren't very clear, are they? As you'll see again and a gain, the gods often intervene in human affairs, but they rarely tell men exactl y what to do. For Aeneas, the result is that he must learn to figure things out for himself and must struggle when he makes a mistake. In the end this will make him a better leader. When Apollo tells , because another s originally came e Trojans to feel imply invaders.

the Trojans to return to their "ancient mother" he means Italy of their ancestors came from Italy. This means that the Trojan from Italy. We'll see later on that it's very important for th that they have a right to settle in Italy, that they are not s

Anchises wants to return to Delos to ask Apollo for better directions. However, Aeneas has a vision in which the Trojan household gods explain Apollo's meaning to him. You see here that the gods have chosen Aeneas, not Anchises, as the Troj ans' leader. However, even though Anchises keeps making mistakes such as the dec ision to go to Crete, Aeneas still asks him for advice. Aeneas hasn't fully acce pted his role as leader yet. Soon we'll see that he won't have any choice but to accept it. After a storm at sea, the Trojans land on some islands (the Strophades) that bel ong to the Harpies--horrible, foul-smelling creatures that are half bird and hal f woman. The Harpies attack, and one of them screams at Aeneas to get off their island and go to Italy. As they leave, she curses them, telling them that war an d starvation await them there. They'll be so hungry she says, that they'll eat t heir tables. It's not an inviting prospect, is it? The Trojans' next important stop is a very strange place: Buthrotum. You can ima gine what Disneyland is like. That's what Buthrotum must have seemed like to the Trojans. Built by two exiles from Troy, Helenus and Andromache, Buthrotum resem bled a miniature Troy with a small river like the Xanthus, and copies of the Tro jan walls and city gates. Andromache is the widow of Hector, the great Trojan warrior killed by Achilles. When Aeneas first sees her, she is weeping outside an empty tomb that she's buil t in Hector's memory. Although she's married again and many years have ed, s he's still mourning. As she and Aeneas reminisce about the old days she keeps bu rsting into tears.

Helenus and Andromache welcome the Trojans warmly. They can remain at Buthrotum forever if they want to. In many ways it seems right because it's so much like T roy. But Aeneas is eager to move on. Why? It's important to see that this episod e is different from the others we've seen in this Book. This is the first place that Aeneas leaves without being forced to. For the first time, he seems to be a ccepting his fate. He realizes that Helenus and Andromache are rooted in the pas t--as nice as that may be--but that he must start a new life. Before he leaves, Aeneas gets detailed directions from Helenus about where to go and what dangers to avoid. Helenus explains that they must reach the west coast of Italy, and that they should get there by sailing all the way around Sicily t o avoid Scylla and Charybdis, who guard the narrow strait between Sicily and Ita ly. (Scylla was a six-headed monster that devoured ships. Charybdis was a whirlp ool that sucked in ships.) The Trojans reach Sicily and land near Mount Etna--a place inhabited by Cyclopes , who are horrible, gory, one-eyed monsters that eat men. The Trojans spend a te rrible night underneath the mountain, which is a volcano and belches smoke and l ava. In the morning a ragged, starving man, a Greek left behind by Ulysses, runs out of the woods and warns them to flee. They escape just as one of the Cyclope s, who was blinded by Ulysses, comes roaring and stomping down to the beach to w ash his oozing eye. NOTE: In this incident, Virgil is deliberately reminding us of one of the episod es in the Greek epic, the Odyssey, by Homer. In that epic the hero, Ulysses, spe nds many years searching for his home, just as Aeneas does. Having Aeneas stop i n one of the places where Ulysses stopped is one of the ways in which Virgil sug gests that his hero is as great as the famous Ulysses. At last the Trojans manage to sail to the west coast of Sicily and land at Drepa num. Now they are very close to their destination. But then something terrible h appens: Anchises dies. Aeneas is heartbroken. All the storms and perils, All of the weariness endured, seemed nothing Compared with this disaster. (III. 708-11) On this sad note Aeneas ends his story to Dido. He's a lonely and worn-out man. After all he's been through since the fall of Troy, he feels that the worst is t he loss of his father, the person he consulted for advice. Just as he was about to reach Italy, this happened. He re carrying his father out of burning T roy and wonders what the point of it was. Now he must make all his decisions alo ne. NOTE: Do you see how the story has come full circle? In Book I, you read how Jun o created a storm just as the Trojans were leaving Sicily in order to prevent th em from reaching Italy. Instead, they were blown to Carthage, and Aeneas tells h is story to Dido. In a sense we're back to the point we started from. In the nex t Book we'll see what happens to Aeneas and Dido. ^^^^^^^^^^THE AENEID: BOOK IV Have you ever had a crush on someone? Who knows why it happens, but one day you meet someone special and the next thing you know you're lying awake at night thi nking about him or her. Everything else begins to bore you. You can only think o f one person. That's how Dido feels when Aeneas finishes his story.

Soft fire consumes the marrow-bones, the silent Wound grows, deep in the heart. Unhappy Dido burns, and wanders, burning, All up and down the city, the way a deer With a hunter's careless arrow in her flank Ranges the uplands, with the shaft still clinging To the hurt side. (IV. 66-73) how Dido's love was described as a "wound" in Book I? Here's the same i magery again. Note how Virgil also uses the image of fire. In Book II, Virgil us ed fire imagery to describe the destructive power of anger and war. Here he uses it to describe how dangerous ionate love can be. NOTE: The description of Dido as a wounded deer is another epic simile. The hunt er was careless; he didn't mean to shoot the deer. Keep this image in mind as yo u try to decide whether or not Aeneas is responsible for what happens to Dido. D o you think Virgil is hinting that Dido is a victim of Aeneas? Of the gods? Or m aybe even of herself? After her husband was murdered, Dido had vowed never to marry again. Now her sis ter, Anna, tells her that she's been a widow long enough and that it would be go od for Carthage if she married Aeneas. Anna means well, but she's encouraging Di do to make a fatal mistake. Juno sees what's happening to her favorite queen and quickly devises a plan to h elp Dido get what she wants--and also to keep the Trojans from reaching Italy. S he sweetly suggests to Venus that they should make Aeneas and Dido marry. Venus agrees with this because she knows that Aeneas is fated to reach Italy and that the marriage can never last. Why doesn't Juno realize this, too? The answer must be that Juno is irrational. That's one of the reasons she's so destructive. She's always fighting the inevit able. The result can only be trouble--even for people she likes, such as Dido. The next morning the two goddesses carry out their scheme. Aeneas and Dido go hu nting with a great crowd of Trojans and Carthaginians. They both look wonderful. Suddenly a huge storm whips up and everyone dashes for shelter. ( that storms are one of Juno's favorite tricks.) Aeneas and Dido find themselves in th e same cave--alone. What happens next? Virgil is too refined to tell us, but he does say that Dido decides to call this "natural" ceremony a marriage. She's so in love with Aeneas that she forgets her reputation and her position as queen. I t's not long before rumors of what's happened spread all over Carthage. Aeneas a nd Dido spend a wonderful year together but, in the meantime, all the work in Ca rthage grinds to a halt and the Trojans sit, waiting for directions from their l eader. Finally, Jupiter gets angry at Aeneas for spending so much time in Carthage and avoiding his destiny. He sends Mercury, the messenger of the gods, with a messag e for Aeneas to get going. If your own fame and fortune count as nothing,

Think of Ascanius at least, whose kingdom In Italy, whose Roman land, are waiting. (IV. 273-75) Aeneas is horrified that he has forgotten his duty to his country and to his son , and he decides to leave for Italy as soon as possible. But he has one big prob lem: how will he break the news to Dido? He can't think of anything, so he delay s, hoping that the right moment will arise. In the meantime he orders his men to ready the fleet. Dido sees all the hustle and bustle in the harbor and guesses the truth. She's h ad no warning and becomes hysterical. Before Aeneas has a chance to explain hims elf, she accuses him of betraying her and trying to sneak away like a coward. Aeneas has a hard time deciding what to say. When he finally says something, it' s just the opposite of Dido's ionate outburst. He says that they weren't rea lly married, and he explains that he must leave because the fates tell him to. W hile he says that he has great respect for Dido, he never says that he loves her or wishes he could stay. Dido watches him out of the corner of her eyes, hoping for some hint of emotion. When she sees nothing, she goes into a frenzy of despair and decides to kill he rself. Her servants carry her away. Virgil tells us that Aeneas really is very upset, but that as leader of his peop le he feels he must do what fate and the gods tell him to do. His sense of duty is stronger than his love. He swallows his feelings and deals with Dido in a pur ely rational way. Some readers think this is a cold and heartless way to behave. Others believe Aeneas' self-control is heroic. Which interpretation seems right to you? Imagine that you're going steady with someone a year or two younger than you are . You are accepted into college far away from home. What do you do? Stay at home with the person you love or go away to college? If you go, how do you break the news? Even if you decide that Aeneas did the right thing by leaving, that doesn't mean that he was right to get involved with Dido in the first place. Because he knew he had to reach Italy, his actions were rather careless. ( that careles s hunter at the beginning of this book?) You begin to see that Carthage, where A eneas became involved with Dido, is a mistake just like all the places in Book I II where the Trojans tried to settle. What about Dido? We've already seen that in many ways she's not to blame for wha t happened. Venus made her fall in love. And she is also a victim of Aeneas' fat e that he must reach Italy. On the other hand, some readers feel that Dido contr ibutes to her own tragedy because she forgets her responsibility as queen. She r ecklessly "marries" Aeneas without considering her reputation and the effect the marriage will have on her authority. While she is distracted by love, all the w ork in Carthage comes to a halt. After Dido is carried out, Aeneas returns to his ships. Dido, watching from her window, bursts into tears and sends Anna to beg Aeneas to stay just a little whi le longer for Dido's sake. But Aeneas has made up his mind and nothing can chang e it. In one of Virgil's most beautiful epic similes, Virgil compares Aeneas to a giant oak tree that no wind or storm can knock down.

Aeneas has changed since the earlier books where he was never sure what to do or where to go. This simile tells us what Virgil thinks a good Roman leader should be. Once he decides what's right, he has to be able to stick to his decision, r egardless of how people try to dissuade him. Dido builds a funeral pyre, decorates it with garlands, and drapes it with Aenea s' armor and sword. All night she tosses and turns with grief, regret, and guilt . At dawn, she looks out her window and discovers that the Trojans have already left! She curses Aeneas and vows that the Carthaginian people will always hate the Rom ans, and that a great man will arise to avenge the wrong Aeneas did to her. (Did o's curse comes true. Romans of Virgil's time would understand that this curse r eferred to the Punic Wars between Carthage and Rome and that the great avenger w ould be Hannibal, a Carthaginian general who almost conquered Rome.) Then, tremb ling in frenzy, Dido climbs the funeral pyre, throws herself on Aeneas' sword, a nd dies. Dido is a very real and convincing character. You feel sorry for what happens to her. If this Book of the Aeneid is your favorite, you'll be happy to know that many other people agree with you. This realistic depiction of a woman and a ionate love affair is the first of its kind in Western literature. It's been imi tated, discussed, and argued about ever since it was written. NOTE: As you think about how the Aeneid relates to Rome at the time Virgil was w riting, you should know that Dido may represent Cleopatra. Like Dido, Cleopatra was the queen of an African country. Like Dido, she was loved by one of the grea t Roman leaders, Marc Antony. Antony and Cleopatra wanted to combine Egypt and t he Roman Empire and rule together, but Augustus defeated them at Actium in 31 B. C. and Cleopatra committed suicide. While Aeneas is "wasting time" in Carthage, Romans of the day probably would have compared him to Marc Antony. After Aeneas leaves, he must have seemed more like the cool, clear-headed Augustus, whom Cleo patra had once tried to seduce. ^^^^^^^^^^THE AENEID: BOOK V Book V gives you a break from the tragedy and difficult moral questions of Book IV. The Trojans return to Drepanum, the place in Sicily where Aeneas' father Anc hises had died. When they arrive, the king of Sicily, Acestes, is already on the beach to welcome them with wine and food. Aeneas pays his respects at his fathe r's tomb, and he tells his people that it is exactly a year since Anchises died. Instead of mourning anymore, he suggests that they honor the anniversary by hol ding great athletic contests, known as funeral games. NOTE: The Romans, like the Greeks before them (who gave us the model for the Oly mpic Games), took athletic competition very seriously. Games were one way to pra ctice skills needed in war, and they were often part of the rituals used to hono r the dead. The competitions took people's minds off their worries and affirmed their sense of strength and well-being. Games were often part of religious cerem onies, as well. Augustus included them in religious rites in Rome, as part of hi s program to keep the youth of Rome fit both morally and physically. In Book V we see five different events. The first is a boat race. Virgil's descr iption of the race is exciting and funny--quite different from the tone we've be en reading so far. The crews are straining at the oars; the crowd on shore is ch eering wildly. Each boat must sail out to sea, swing around a huge rock, and ret urn to shore. There are four boats and four captains. Gyas' boat takes the lead, but its pilot is too cautious and swings around the rock too widely, giving Clo anthus' boat a chance to get ahead. Gyas is so irritated by this that he throws his pilot overboard. The crowd on shore is hysterical as the poor man climbs ont

o the rock dripping wet. Sergestus' boat swings too close to the rock and breaks all its oars. But Menestheus makes it safely and begins to gain on Cloanthus. T he crew is straining every muscle and they almost overtake Cloanthus but, at the last moment, Cloanthus prays to the gods for help. Then the sea nymphs push his boat over the water faster than Menestheus' men can row. It's an exciting race and it's fun to read, but it has a hidden moral lesson, to o. It's not good to be too cautious, like Gyas' pilot, or too reckless, like Ser gestus. The winner chooses a middle course. But winning also depends on the gods ' help. The man who prays wins. Here we see three basic virtues that the Romans of Virgil's day certainly respected: skill, moderation, and piety. Aeneas gives the first prize to Cloanthus, but also gives an award to each of th e other captains. He does the same thing in each of the other contests too, show ing that he knows how to keep everybody in good humor. Each of the contests that follow also illustrates a virtue or moral. For example , the footraces show the power of friendship. The young and swift Trojan men lin e up on the starting line and dash across a grassy field. Among them are Nisus a nd Euryalus, who are best friends. Nisus is in the lead and is about to win when he slips and falls. Realizing that he no longer has a chance, he cleverly trips the racer right behind him so that Euryalus wins. In the boxing arena, an old Sicilian fights a young, overconfident Trojan and sh ows that skill and experience can be more powerful than youthful strength and qu ickness. In the archery contest, the Trojans' respect for the gods is shown. Kin g Acestes wins first prize, not because he hits the target, but because his arro w bursts into flame as it flies--clearly an act of the gods. In the final event, the Trojan boys, led by Aeneas' son Ascanius, show their skills as riders in mo ck war games. Virgil tells us that the Roman boys still practiced these exercise s in his day. While the men are having all this fun, however, the women are moping on the beac h by the ships. They're sick and tired of traveling. As you might expect, Juno s ees her chance to cause more trouble. She sends a goddess named Iris, disguised as one of the women, to urge them to burn the fleet. Iris throws the first torch and the women go into a frenzy. Each grabs a torch and hurls it. The ships burs t into flames. (Here is the imagery of fire and destruction again.) When Aeneas discovers what's happened, he despairs. He prays to Jupiter for help . Sure enough, the heavens open up and a huge downpour puts out the fires. Only four ships are beyond repair. But the women's irritability and weariness have given Aeneas new doubts. He can see their point. An old and wise sailor suggests that they leave the women, as w ell as the old and sick, behind in Sicily under the protection of King Acestes. Aeneas can't decide what to do until the spirit of his dead father appears to hi m and tells him that the sailor's advice is good. Anchises also tells Aeneas tha t when he gets to Italy, he must descend to the underworld and visit Anchises. T hen Anchises will be able to show Aeneas what the future holds for his people. Note that leaving the women behind changes the character of the e men who will land in Italy are warriors. Instead of a band of with their wives and children, this group looks much more like . You'll see that this becomes an important asset in the second id.

Trojan group. Th homeless exiles, an invading army half of the Aene

Venus wants to make sure that this time the Trojans really get to Italy. So she asks Neptune to give them calm sailing. He agrees but demands one life in return . The unlucky victim is Palinurus, Aeneas' faithful pilot. In the middle of the

calm night, as the ships glide gently over the water, the god of sleep makes Pal inurus fall asleep and then throws him overboard. Aeneas wakes up to discover th e ship drifting aimlessly and his pilot gone. Mourning for his lost comrade, he guides the boat himself to Italy. NOTE: In this scene you see a good example of a theme we find hard to understand today--the belief that the gods demand the sacrifice of innocent victims. The T rojans--and the Romans of Virgil's day--often sacrificed animals. Sometimes the gods demanded people as well. In a way, wasn't Dido sacrificed to the gods' larg er plans? But you can also think about this incident in another way. You don't have to bel ieve in the gods to imagine how this accident could have happened naturally. Pal inurus is sitting up all night with no one to talk to. The ship is rocking gentl y. It's not hard to see why he falls asleep; anyone might. You might begin to su spect that the gods can be seen as forces or tendencies that are part of every p erson. Thus, the god of sleep isn't outside Palinurus; it's part of him. ^^^^^^^^^^THE AENEID: BOOK VI Have you ever had an experience that changed you, changed the kind of person you were? Sometimes, something very sad or shocking can do that to you. Sometimes, it can be something beautiful and simple like the first really warm day in sprin g. Whatever does it, one day you wake up and have a whole new outlook on life. Y ou understand something about yourself or about what you want out of life that y ou never realized before. That's what happens to Aeneas in Book VI. Almost every great religion or culture --from Christianity to Buddhism--has a story about death and rebirth. Virgil use s the same theme in Book VI to show how the old uncertain Aeneas, the Aeneas who se heart is stuck in ruined Troy, dies and comes back a new, determined Aeneas, committed to Italy and its future. How does Virgil do this? He has Aeneas journey to the underworld, the place in G reek and Roman mythology where dead souls or "shades" live. Aeneas doesn't actua lly die. His trip allows him to see what it would be like to be dead without rea lly dying. In the process, he meets many people who lived both good and bad live s and from this he learns what really counts. This new insight makes his old, re gretful self "die." What's more, in the underworld his father shows him the futu re in a parade of great Romans who will be born. Aeneas is inspired. For the fir st time, he has hope in the future. He decides that his fate is worth pursuing, instead of avoiding. He starts to do things because he wants to, not just becaus e he has to. As you can see, Book VI is important because it describes a major turning point for Aeneas. Aeneas' travels so far can be interpreted as a symbolic journey of a person in search of a new identity. In Book VI, Aeneas finally finds out who he is--the person who will make the Roman Empire possible. Let's see how that happ ens. As Book VI opens, the Trojans have just landed at Cumae on the west coast of Ita ly near present-day Naples. The men are ecstatic, but Aeneas, who always does hi s duty first, goes looking for the Sibyl. ( that in Book III Helenus tol d him to go see the Sibyl as soon as he got to Italy.) The Sibyl, a priestess of Apollo, can foresee the future. When Aeneas asks his fortune, the Sibyl reels a nd spins and all the doors of Apollo's temple fly open. She goes into a trance a nd Apollo speaks through her. War, I see,

Terrible war, and the river Tiber foaming With streams of blood. There will be another Xanthus, Another Simois, and Greek encampment, Even another Achilles, born in Latium, Himself a goddess' son. (VI. 86-90) Poor Aeneas! He's come all this way to find out that he's headed for another war , a war that will be a replay of the Trojan War. (Xanthus and Simois were rivers near Troy.) He will even have to face another warrior as fierce as Achilles. NOTE: It's important to keep this prediction in mind as you read Books VII-XII o f the Aeneid. The war in Italy will parallel the Trojan War in many ways except that, as you already know, the Trojans will win. Why do the Trojans win this tim e? Is it because of fate or the gods, because their cause is just, or because th e Trojans have changed since Troy? You'll have to wait and see. But in the meant ime, note how this prediction fits in with the theme of death and rebirth. Troy died, but in a way it's going to live again. The Trojans are going to get a seco nd chance. If Aeneas is upset he doesn't show it, but he quickly changes the subject to his second reason for coming to the Sibyl. He needs her help to reach the underworl d to visit his father, as Anchises told him to do in Book V. The Sibyl tells Aeneas that in order to come back alive he must first bury one o f his men, who has died without his knowing it, and second that he must find a g olden bough of a tree. Aeneas finds the man and goes into the forest to cut wood for his funeral pyre. He's wondering how he can possibly find a golden bough, w hen Venus sends two white doves who show him where it is. (The golden bough is a famous symbol for resurrection. The Golden Bough is the title of a well-known b ook by James Frazer, which describes many different myths on this theme.) Now, Aeneas and the Sibyl are ready for their journey. Aeneas follows her into a huge dark cave that the ancient Romans believed was the mouth of the underworld . (There really is a huge cave near Cumae.) Aeneas can hardly see where he's goi ng. Strange shapes flit by him as he descends. He draws his sword, but the Sibyl warns him that they are only phantoms. They reach the underworld river, Acheron, where a sour old man named Charon ferr ies across dead souls. He will only take souls who have been buried. Here Aeneas sees his former pilot, Palinurus, who tells him that his body is lying on the c oast of Italy--unburied. He begs Aeneas to help him cross the river, but the Sib yl interrupts and hurries Aeneas on. We see the finality of death. Palinurus' fa te is sealed and Aeneas can no longer help him, even though Aeneas really wants to. They cross the Acheron and come to the Fields of Mourning, where souls who were ruined by love stay. Aeneas has a shock when he sees Dido here. He reaches out t o her and tries to talk to her and offer some consolation, but Dido turns her ba ck and walks away. , in Book IV, how Aeneas couldn't or wouldn't say any thing to make Dido feel any better? This time the tables are turned and it is Di do who can't or won't say anything to make Aeneas feel any better. Here, again, we see how death ends everything. Aeneas would like to try to make things a litt le better between them. But Dido can't change. She's fixed in her sorrow and ang er.

They other sad characters and avoid the place where people who led wicked l ives are tortured forever. Included here are people who caused civil wars. Remem ber how much Virgil hated the civil wars in Rome before Augustus put an end to t hem? He gets his revenge by putting all those people in hell. Finally they through some gates and leave the sad and dark part of the unde rworld behind. Aeneas sees a beautiful world of green fields, sunlight, and flow ers. This is Elysium, the part of the underworld for those who have led good and productive lives. Anchises is here. Aeneas bursts into tears and tries to hug h is father, but Anchises is only a shade and he flutters away. Aeneas must be con tent to talk. Anchises points into the distance and shows Aeneas a group of shades who are rea dy to return to life. Aeneas can't believe that anyone would deliberately go bac k to the upper world with all its hardships. But Anchises explains that souls ar e purified in the underworld for 1000 years and then they drink the waters of fo rgetfulness so that they can return to life fresh and pure. NOTE: Doesn't this sound a lot like reincarnation? This idea has been around a l ong time in many different cultures. Virgil gives us his own brand here, combini ng ideas from Plato, the Stoics, and other Greek philosophers. Note the parallel to what is going to happen to Aeneas. His short journey into the underworld is going to renew him, give him fresh strength, and make him forget his old Trojan life. Finally Anchises shows Aeneas the parade of great Romans who will be born in the future. First, he points out the long line of early kings of Alba Longa (the ci ty that Aeneas' son, Ascanius, will build after Aeneas dies). Then he points out Romulus, the legendary founder of Rome itself. Next to Romulus is Augustus, the great rebuilder of Rome after the civil wars. (Note that by putting Augustus ri ght next to Romulus, Virgil seems to be suggesting that Augustus is as great as the founder of Rome.) On the other side of the field, Anchises points to the gre at leaders of the Roman Republic before Augustus and the great generals, includi ng Julius Caesar and Pompey. Finally Anchises tells Aeneas that the Romans' great gift will be for ruling. To rule the people under law, to establish The way of peace, to battle down the haughty, To spare the meek. Our fine arts, these, forever. (VI. 852-54) Needless to say, Aeneas is inspired by this vision of the future and he returns to the upper world. There are two gates to leave by. One is only for real shades . The other is for false dreams. Aeneas leaves by the gate for false dreams. What do you make of this exit? Does Aeneas leave by the gate for dreams just bec ause he's not really dead? Or is Virgil telling us something about this vision o f Rome's future? Is it just a dream? Will it be true or false depending on what Aeneas does with it? Virgil may be reminding us that though certain things are f ated, they still depend on human effort to make them happen. NOTE: This is a good example of how Virgil artfully blends the past, present, an d future into his poem. By having Anchises predict the future, Virgil gives his readers a short course in Roman history down to the day he was writing. You can also see how much this description would have flattered Augustus. In having Anch

ises tell Aeneas that the Romans' gift will be for ruling, Virgil is confirming Augustus'--and the Roman people's--belief that their empire would last forever. At this point, the first half of the Aeneid ends. From now on Aeneas will stay i n Italy. What do the first six books all have in common? They each describe a ki nd of journey. Some of the journeys are actual geographical trips, particularly Books I, III, and V. Others are more abstract psychological or emotional journey s. For example, in Book II Aeneas has to leave home and in the process he loses a clear sense of who he is and what he's supposed to do. In Book IV, Aeneas take s a side-trip into his emotions with Dido, only to discover that that's not what the gods have planned for him. In Book VI, he takes a trip into the future in t he underworld and discovers his new identity and purpose as a Roman. ^^^^^^^^^^THE AENEID: BOOK VII After Aeneas returns from the underworld, he and his men sail a little way up th e coast of Italy until they get to the mouth of the Tiber (the river that Rome i s built along). The banks of the river are grassy and cool, and they settle down to eat a frugal meal of wild fruit, which they put on "tables" of hardtack--unl eavened bread, made in large wafers. They are so hungry they break the hardtack and eat it too, and Aeneas realizes that this must be the place they were destin ed to stay. ( that the Harpy predicted they would eat their tables in Bo ok III?) The place where they've landed is Latium, and its king is an old man named Latin us. (The native people are called Latins.) Aeneas sends his best men to bring gi fts to Latinus and to make offerings of peace. They explain that they are Trojan s and their leader is Aeneas, and they tell how fate has brought them to Latium. All they ask is a little land and freedom to breathe the air and drink the wate r. Now old Latinus had an only daughter, Lavinia. Long before the Trojans arrived, the king had been receiving omens that his daughter was destined to marry a fore igner and that she, together with the foreigner, would start a new race that was destined to rule the world. Meanwhile, however, a young warrior, Turnus, had fa llen in love with Lavinia and wanted to marry her. Latinus' wife, Amata, particu larly liked this young man, but Latinus kept putting off the wedding because of the omens that Lavinia was supposed to marry a stranger. When the Trojans arrive and tell about their leader Aeneas, a light bulb goes on in Latinus' head. He suspects that Aeneas is the man his daughter is destined t o marry. So, he welcomes the Trojans heartily and offers them land and gifts. To the Trojans' amazement he even gives them a message for Aeneas: Aeneas can marr y his daughter. Quite a welcome! NOTE: A marriage between a Trojan man and a woman of a different country has cau sed a lot of trouble before. how Paris started the Trojan War by taking Helen away from her Greek husband? Here Aeneas may take Lavinia away from her L atin fiance, Turnus. This is one of the ways in which the war in Italy will repe at the Trojan War. But there is a crucial difference between the two situations. Paris seduced a married woman, but so far Aeneas hasn't done anything wrong. In fact, he hasn't even met her! But nothing ever goes smoothly for the Trojans. Juno, cruising through the cloud s, spots the Trojans in Latium. The fact that her plot to keep them in Carthage completely fell through only makes her more incensed at Aeneas. She realizes tha t she cannot change fate, but she can delay it with more trouble. If I cannot

Bend Heaven, I can raise Hell... Lavinia, Latium, Will come to him in time. It is permitted To keep that time far off. It is permitted To strike their people down. It will cost them something. (VII. 310-17) You've seen Juno behave exactly like this before--at the beginning of Book I whe n she saw the Trojans leaving Sicily. Then she whipped up a storm, using the for ces of nature against them. This time she tries something new. She asks an evil creature from the underworld, a Fury named Allecto, to plant the seeds of war in the hearts of men. Note that in Book I Neptune calmed Juno's storm and the Troj ans landed peacefully in Carthage. But no god will stop this war. Do you think t hat Virgil may be suggesting that once fear and anger enter men's hearts only me n can stop it? Allecto is a horrible, savage creature who loves nothing better than war. She r epresents uncontrolled rage--like Juno, only more so. Allecto uses three victims to start war. First she infects Amata, Latinus' wife, with poisonous snakes. At first Amata is reasonable. She goes to her husband, crying and asking why their daughter must be married to a foreigner. But when she sees that Latinus won't c hange his mind, she goes into a wild frenzy, tearing around the streets of the c ity with her hair and clothes undone. She tries to hide Lavinia in the woods. Wh en the other women see Amata's frenzy, they too get carried away and begin to ru sh through the city, crying for war against the Trojans. Next Allecto goes to Turnus, the warrior, while he's sleeping and tells him that his kingdom and bride are about to be given away to the Trojans. At first Turnu s replies calmly and tells Allecto to mind her own business. At this she flies i nto a rage and lights his body with a torch. He starts from sleep, his body on f ire for war, infected with Allecto's wrath. (Once again we see fire as a symbol of uncontrollable ion and destruction.) NOTE: Do you see the similarity between what Allecto does to Turnus and what Cup id did to Dido? Neither person was unreasonable to begin with, but each is infec ted with blazing ions for love (Dido) or war (Turnus) that rage out of contr ol. We have also seen how the gods can represent forces that are part of people' s personalities, even if they didn't let them show. For example, is it possible that the lust for war, which is part of Turnus' personality as a warrior, got ou t of control when he realized that he was going to take second place to Aeneas? Turnus is one of the most important characters in the second half of the Aeneid. You should think about what makes him tick as you read. Is he a victim or is he to blame for much of the violence that follows? Finally Allecto has to whip the Trojans up. Ascanius is out hunting, and she put s his dogs on the scent of a deer that turns out to be the pet of one of the Lat in families. When Ascanius wounds the deer and it comes creeping back to the fam ily, they fly into a rage and go after Ascanius with clubs and axes. (Once again we see the image of a wounded deer. Even though the hunter didn't mean to hurt this particular deer, its wound brings trouble.) Naturally, the Trojans rush to the rescue of their leader's son, and a huge brawl begins. In the uproar a young boy and an old man, who were trying to calm the people, are both killed.

Allecto reports to Juno on what she has done and asks whether Juno wants her to do anything more, but Juno tells her to go home. Things have gotten so out of co ntrol that the human beings won't be able to stop the bloodshed now, and Juno ca n manage quite nicely alone. When Latinus sees what's become of his plan, he giv es up and locks himself in his castle. Because he won't declare war, Juno pushes the iron gates open herself. (The Romans of Virgil's time would have understood this symbol. When they formally declared war, they opened a pair of huge iron g ates that stood in the middle of Rome and were dedicated to Mars, the god of war .) Juno recognizes an important truth here, one which will be an important theme in the second half of the Aeneid. Once anger starts, once men begin to be violent, it's very hard for anyone to restore order and peace. Later on, we will even se e Aeneas fall victim to uncontrollable rage. Book VII ends with Turnus gathering an impressive force of his fiercest warriors . There is even a warrior maiden, Camilla, renowned for her strength and skill. But the greatest, strongest, and tallest of them all is Turnus, leading his men in shining armor. (Turnus' troops are called Rutulians.) ^^^^^^^^^^THE AENEID: BOOK VIII If you were Aeneas what would you do now? You might be tempted to jump in your b oat and try somewhere else--some place a little less hostile. Aeneas is worried and paces by the riverbank. The odds are against him. Turnus has many more men t han he does. But then Tiber, the god of the river, speaks to him and reassures h im that the Trojans do belong in Latium, and that Ascanius will build a city the re, in thirty years, and name it Alba Longa. Then the god tells Aeneas that if h e follows the river upstream, he will come to a city named Pallanteum, where he will find allies. The Trojans row all day and all night until they come to the city of Pallanteum. Its king is named Evander and his son, Pallas, is guarding the banks when they arrive because the people of Pallanteum have been warring against the Latins for a long time and fear invasion. But when Pallas discovers that Aeneas is a Troja n, he welcomes him and quickly brings him to meet his father. It turns out that Evander once was a friend of Anchises, so he's delighted to meet Anchises' son. NOTE: Evander came from Greece originally, so it seems surprising that he's will ing to help the Trojans. Virgil may be saying that in this new alliance the old conflict between Troy and Greece will finally end. Why? One reason might be that the Romans of Virgil's time respected Greek culture and didn't want to think th at the Greeks were their enemies. (In fact, they weren't by that time.) On the day that the Trojans arrive, Pallanteum is the site of an annual festival in honor of Hercules. (Hercules, as you probably know already, was a great Gree k hero with terrific strength.) Evander invites the Trojans to the feast. W hile they eat, he tells Aeneas how the festival began. Cacus, a terrible creatur e who was half man and half monster, once terrorized the city. He used to murder men and leave their skins hanging outside his cave on a nearby mountain. Nobody could stop him. Then one day Hercules came by, driving his huge herd of bulls, and Cacus stole some animals and hid them in his cave. Hercules heard them lowin g as he went by and became enraged at Cacus. Although Cacus escaped into his cav e and sealed it with a huge boulder, Hercules managed to rip off the top of the mountain, exposing Cacus in his lair. Hercules jumped in and strangled him. You're probably thinking, that's a nice story but what has it to do with Aeneas? Quite a bit. Cacus is another of those creatures that represent rage and disord er. Notice that Hercules gets rid of Cacus and restores peace and order to the c ity because he's intensely furious. That's part of what gives Hercules so much s

trength. But Hercules' anger seems justified and we feel no sympathy for horribl e Cacus. Thus, we see that sometimes rage (and war) can be right. If someone attacks you, do you have to keep your temper? Is it ever all right to kill that person? Late r on you'll see that Aeneas becomes intensely furious at Turnus for all the bloo dshed his anger has caused. You'll have to decide then whether you think Aeneas' anger-and what he does-are as justified as Hercules' was. After the feast ends, Evander gives Aeneas a short tour of Pallanteum. Pallanteu m was built on the very spot where Rome would rise many years later. But what a difference there is between the two cities! Virgil must have amused his fellow R omans by telling them that cows were grazing in the area that became the Roman f orum, the "fashionable section" of the city. Then Evander brings Aeneas to a sma ll log cabin where Hercules once slept. (Once again we are told to compare Hercu les and Aeneas.) Aeneas settles down contentedly to sleep on a bed of leaves. NOTE: The emperor Augustus worried that the Romans would get "soft" and lazy bec ause they were so rich and powerful. Have your parents ever told you that you ha ve it easy compared with the way it was for them when they were young? For examp le, many Romans disapproved of Cleopatra and her luxurious Eastern court. (Dido' s beautiful palace was probably modeled on Cleopatra's.) Virgil is showing us th at Aeneas, who refused to stay in the luxurious splendor offered by Dido, knows how to rough it. Meanwhile Venus, always the concerned mother, is worried about the war with Turnus. She goes to her husband, Vulcan, and sweetly wrapping her arms arou nd him, asks him for a favor. She wants him to make weapons for Aeneas. (Vulcan has a forge underneath the earth where he and his workmen make weapons for the g ods.) Vulcan tells Venus that he'd do anything for her; all she has to do is ask . He tells his workmen to drop whatever they're doing and start making some fant astic weapons for Aeneas. Aeneas and Evander both awaken early the next morning and talk about the war. Ev ander promises Aeneas all the help he can give, but that isn't much because Pall anteum is poor and small. However, he does tell Aeneas about some other people w ho are sure to help him. The Etruscans (one of the first civilizations in Italy) are trying to overthrow a terrible tyrant, Mezentius, who is allied with Turnus . However, the prophets have told the Etruscans that they won't succeed unless t hey have a foreign leader. This sounds like it might be Aeneas! The old king gives Aeneas 400 of his best men and horses and even sends along hi s son Pallas, so that Pallas can learn from Aeneas how to be a soldier. As he wa tches them ride away, he prays that he may live if Pallas lives but that he woul d rather die than hear that his son has been killed. That night while the Trojans are camped near the Etruscans, Venus comes to Aenea s with the weapons Vulcan has made. Aeneas picks them up and turns them over car efully. They're so magnificent that he can't believe his eyes. There is a helmet decorated with plumes and flame, a sword and breast-plate made of bronze, and a strong spear. But the best creation of all is a giant shield. Here Vulcan has c arved the story of all the great battles and warriors in Rome's future. In the v ery center are scenes from the Battle of Actium, where Augustus defeated Antony and Cleopatra and ended the civil wars that had plagued Rome. There is even a pi cture of Augustus marching triumphantly into Rome. All this Aeneas Sees on his mother's gift, the shield of Vulcan,

And, without understanding, is proud and happy As he lifts to his shoulder all that fortune, The fame and glory of his children's children. (VIII. 728-31) NOTE: Here is another example of how Virgil blends the past and present by havin g Aeneas see the future. Why do you think the Battle of Actium and Augustus' tri umph are the most important scenes on the shield? Virgil is suggesting how much Aeneas and Augustus are alike. After all, what's happening in Latium is very muc h like a civil war--people who could have been living together in peace are figh ting each other. If Aeneas can win the war and bring peace and order, it will be just like Augustus' victory at Actium. In the Iliad, Homer described a shield that the gods made for Achilles. Virgil's scene deliberately imitates that description--with some important differences. Achilles' shield showed scenes from everyday life; Aeneas' shows the great event s of Rome's military history. This illustrates one of the big differences betwee n the two epics. The Iliad is mostly about great individuals and their accomplis hments. The Aeneid, on the other hand, deals with the successes of a nation. It is a patriotic poem. This is only one of the many ways in which the second half of the Aeneid (Books VI-XII) can be compared with the Iliad. The Iliad was about the Trojan War. Virg il imitated many of its scenes in describing the battle for Latium in the Aeneid . For example, you have already seen how Aeneas can be compared with Paris. As y ou read, see how many other parallels you can find with the Trojan War. ^^^^^^^^^^THE AENEID: BOOK IX You can imagine what Turnus does while Aeneas looks for allies. He attacks the T rojans, of course. Turnus is the star of Book IX. He's handsome, brave, even funny at times. He's f ighting to defend his country against foreign invaders. Wouldn't you do the same ? But wasn't Turnus supposed to be a villain? How come Virgil makes him look so good? That's one of the reasons the Aeneid is such a great story. Virgil didn't just write a fairy tale with the heroes on one side and the villains on the othe r. He's showing us that there are good and bad qualities in everybody. When you see how many good qualities Turnus has, you begin to care about him and what hap pens to him. You've probably met someone like Turnus at some point in your life. He's the typ e of person who thinks he can do anything--and he's usually right. He's captain of the football team, president of the student council, and a straight A student . Does he have any faults? Like many people who are this successful, Turnus isn' t modest. He brags, he's overconfident and that makes him reckless. Because it n ever occurs to Turnus that he might fail at anything, he bites off more than he can chew. We know something else about Turnus. Because of what Allecto did to him, he's ou t of control with ion for war. Like Juno, he's fighting against fate and he has no chance to win. His insistence on fighting this war only causes pointless bloodshed. He's a force of anger and destruction that we've seen before. There's Turnus prancing back and forth on his white charger in front of the Troj an camp. Virgil compares him to a wolf pacing outside a sheep pen. Before Aeneas left, the Trojans built walls around the camp so it looks like a fort. Then he

gave his soldiers strict instructions not to go outside the walls to attack but only to defend themselves, if Turnus attacked them. Turnus is taunting the Troja ns for being cowards and refusing to come out and fight fairly. They follow Aene as' orders, even though they'd love to show Turnus he's wrong. (For the Trojans this must have been a terrible reminder of being trapped inside the walls of Tro y with the Greeks waiting outside!) Turnus decides to force the Trojans out. He'll set fire to their ships. But when Turnus and his men throw torches at the ships, they magically break loose from their moorings and dive into the water, only to reappear as mermaids! The men ar e frightened. Even Turnus is a bit surprised, but he decides that this is a good omen. The Trojans' ships are gone. They can never escape. NOTE: The ships are saved because they were built from trees sacred to the godde ss Cybele. She made a deal with Jupiter that the Trojans could have the wood if Jupiter promised that the ships would be turned into goddesses as soon as the Tr ojans no longer needed them. So Turnus has misinterpreted this omen. It really m eans that the Trojans are in Italy to stay. The day ends with Turnus bragging that he is better than the Greeks were in the Trojan War. He won't need a trick like the Trojan Horse to get inside the fort. He'll simply burn and batter the walls until the Trojans surrender. As night fal ls he posts sentries all around the Trojan camp, while the rest of his men relax around their campfires, drinking and eating. Trapped inside their walls, the Tr ojans watch the campfires and worry. Where is Aeneas? When will he get back? How long can they hold out? Nisus and Euryalus are standing watch at the walls. (You've met these two earlie r. the footrace in Book V where Nisus tripped the competition so Euryal us could win?) Nisus can't bear to stand around waiting for something to happen. He wants to be a hero. So he and Euryalus devise a bold scheme to sneak through the enemy lines in the dark of night and take a message to Aeneas. Euryalus, what is it? Do the gods put this ardor in our hearts Or does each man's desire become his god? (IX. 184-85) NOTE: Nisus puts into words one of the important themes that Virgil has hinted a t before. Do men do what they do because the gods make them do it? Or is the tru th that these impulses already exist in men, and men turn their impulses into go ds? For example, do you think Turnus is eager for war because he was infected by an evil force, Allecto? Do you think that fighting is in his blood and he's let the impulse get out of control? The Trojans are delighted that Nisus and Euryalus are so brave. They sneak throu gh the enemy lines. Suddenly Nisus is carried away by the chance to kill some of the enemy, and he starts to slaughter the sleeping men in his path. Virgil desc ribes him as a hungry lion gorging itself in a sheep pen. (This description is v ery similar to the one used earlier for Turnus.) Euryalus is excited by his frie nd's success and he also goes wild, not only killing but grabbing loot from the dead bodies. Suddenly Nisus re that they are supposed to be taking a mess age to Aeneas. But Euryalus can't resist grabbing one more thing--a great golden helmet--and this will be his downfall. Because they have wasted too much time, the Rutulians discover them. They see Euryalus' golden helmet flashing through t he trees as he tries to run away. Nisus goes back to try to help his friend, eve n though he's vastly outnumbered. The Rutulians kill them both and put their hea

ds on stakes for the Trojan camp to see. In this scene Virgil gives us a lesson in true Roman virtues. Nisus' loyalty to his friend was fine in the footrace, but here it would have been better if he ha d thought of his country first and kept on to Aeneas. There was nothing he could do to help Euryalus anyway. You should notice, too, how Euryalus' desire for on e more piece of loot destroys him. His greed distracts him from the real purpose of his mission: to reach Aeneas. Euryalus is more interested in getting prizes for himself than in helping his country. In Virgil's view, a good soldier doesn' t act for selfish reasons but only for his country. You'll see this theme again later on. In the last part of Book IX, Turnus shows his great skill as a warrior. First he burns down one of the Trojan towers. Then the Trojans, who are guarding their g ates, make a terrible mistake and decide to open them to lure the enemy in. Turn us rushes in, killing men in all directions. Fortunately the Trojans are able to close the gates again before too many more Rutulians get in. But for a while Tu rnus is unstoppable and the Trojans are in despair. Finally they realize that Tu rnus is only one man and they cannot let themselves be beaten so easily. Surroun ded and outnumbered, Turnus leaps over the walls and jumps into the Tiber and ch eerfully swims away, pleased with a good day's work. ^^^^^^^^^^THE AENEID: BOOK X Book X describes the ferocious battle between the Trojans and the Italians. (The Italians are all the people fighting the Trojans, including the Rutulians, the Latins, and their allies.) It's one of the best war stories you'll ever read, fu ll of action and suspense. There are scenes of bravery and loyalty, cowardice an d cruelty. Virgil shows you both the heroic side of war and its terrible brutali ty. When the Book opens, Jupiter has summoned a council of the gods. He wants to kno w why the Trojans and the Italians are fighting. Of course, Venus blames Juno. J uno answers that it isn't her fault because she wasn't the one who drove the Tro jans from Troy in the first place. All the gods start blaming each other and a b ig fight breaks out. Finally, Jupiter has had enough and tells them to calm down . From now on, he orders, no one is to favor either side. Men, by their own luck and ability, will have to resolve matters on their own. Fate will be revealed w ithout the gods' intervention. NOTE: Why do the gods withdraw from the scene? For one thing, they've certainly made a mess of everything. But more importantly, Virgil wants you to focus on th e individuals involved, on the rights and wrongs of what they do on their own. W e've seen this idea before in Virgil. The gods may start the action, but men alw ays have to resolve matters in the end. Aeneas returns by ship with a fleet of Etruscan allies. He first appears high on the stern of his ship, holding his great shield before him. It glints in the su n. The Trojans holding the fort give a wild whoop of joy. Aeneas is first off th e boat and Turnus' troops are already on the beach to meet them. Although Virgil describes many battles and killings, you should pay the most att ention to two of them. In the first, we see young Pallas scoring many victories. ( that Pallas is Evander's son and the old man entrusted him to Aeneas. Aeneas feels a special responsibility for the boy, almost as though he were his own son.) Finally, Pallas goes after Lausus, the son of Mezentius (the tyrant a nd one of Turnus' greatest allies). Lausus is losing the fight and Turnus charge s over to help him, like a lion stalking its prey. Although the match is grossly uneven, Pallas bravely throws his spear at Turnus. It barely grazes Turnus. The n Turnus throws his spear, taunting the boy with "Which pierces deeper, Your spe

ar or mine?" The spear goes right through the boy's shield and pierces his chest . Pallas doubles over, belching blood, and dies. Gloating over his victory, Turn us stands with his foot on the body and snatches a beautiful metal belt that Pal las had worn. (If you how Euryalus met his downfall by looting the bodi es of his victims, you'll begin to suspect that Turnus may regret this move.) When Aeneas finds out what has happened, change in how he fights. Before this he esn't spare anyone in his path. However, eneas seems a bit out of control himself

he flies into a rage and we see a great was fierce, but now he's furious and do he's out to get Turnus in particular. A in these scenes.

At this point Juno becomes truly depressed, for she realizes that the end is com ing soon. (From this point on you'll see that Juno seems less angry and more dep ressed. You can understand why--all her schemes have failed. But it wouldn't be like Juno to give up completely.) She asks Jupiter's permission to delay the end a little longer. She tricks Turnus into chasing a ghost of Aeneas, and gets him away from the action and out of danger. For once it seems that Juno is preventi ng violence. However, the truth is that her delaying tactics only prolong the ki lling and chaos. Once again we see that Juno's irrational behavior is always des tructive. Now that Turnus is chasing a ghost of Aeneas, we get a good look at Aeneas in ac tion, and we see the second important scene in this Book. Aeneas fights the tyra nt Mezentius and wounds him badly. Lausus rushes in to help his father. Aeneas r ealizes that the boy has no chance and warns him away, but the son won't abandon his father. Finally, Aeneas loses his patience and drives his sword through the boy's body. And now Aeneas changes. Looking on that face So pale in death, he groans in pity; he reaches As if to touch him with his hand, in comfort Knowing, himself, how one can love a father. 'Poor boy, what tribute can Aeneas offer, What praise for so much glory? Keep the armor You loved so much' (X. 815-20) With that he gently lifts the body from the ground and gives it to Lausus' compa nions for burial. Do you see how differently Aeneas and Turnus act in these two scenes? Both were involved in uneven contests between men and boys, but Turnus attacked Pallas whi le Aeneas tried to warn Lausus away. After he wins, Turnus gloats and snatches a trophy from the boy's body. He feels no remorse, no pity. But Aeneas is almost horrified by what he's done. He re how much he loved his own father, Anch ises, and how he would have done anything to help him. He doesn't blame Lausus f or defending his father. He doesn't steal anything from Lausus' body, but hands it over gently to his comrades. You begin to see that Aeneas is different--and greater--than Turnus. It's not be cause he's a better warrior or more exciting--he's not. But Aeneas is able to un

derstand and respect his enemy. He can feel pity. Aeneas isn't simple-minded. He doesn't think war is fun. He realizes what a terrible waste it can be. In these scenes we see what a Roman soldier should be. He does his duty; he's not afraid to kill when he has to. But he's not out of control. He knows how to restrain h imself and can respect the other side. NOTE: A virtue that the Romans of Virgil's time emphasized was that of love and respect between father and son. We've already seen a good example of this in the relationship between Aeneas and Anchises. But the Romans also believed in loyal ty to one's country. When Aeneas decides to kill Lausus, he must make a terrible choice between these two virtues. Although he would like to respect Lausus' dev otion to his father, his duty to his country is to kill both father and son. For Aeneas, duty to his country always wins. Here is another example of how the Aen eid is a patriotic poem. ^^^^^^^^^^THE AENEID: BOOK XI The dead, both Trojan and Italian, are scattered all over the fields. The women wail over the bodies of their husbands and sons. Everywhere smoke rises from the funeral pyres. In Book X, we saw the violence and sometimes the glory of war. I n Book XI, Virgil shows the terrible sorrow and waste war leaves behind. The Latin people are beginning to doubt that this war is a very good idea after all. They send a delegation to Aeneas to ask for a truce so that they can bury t heir dead. Aeneas is happy to grant it. He never wanted to fight in the first pl ace, but Turnus insisted. Aeneas proposes a solution--he and Turnus should fight alone. The Trojans will either stay or leave, depending on who wins. Aeneas is a wise and sensible leader here. He doesn't want more innocent people to suffer. He is trying to restore order, but that won't be easy to accomplish. Meanwhile a funeral procession returns Pallas' body to Evander, who rushes from his house, wild with grief. He protests that the gods have not granted his wish to die before his son. Now he must live with this terrible sorrow. But he gives the Trojans a message for Aeneas: although Evander will never be happy again, he will be satisfied when he hears that Turnus has been killed for slaying Pallas. Latinus holds a meeting of his leading citizens to discuss Aeneas' proposal. As they are debating, word comes that one of their last hopes, help from a Greek na med Diomede, has fallen through. Diomede says that he no longer has a reason to fight the Trojans and besides, Aeneas is too great to fight. Therefore, Latinus would like to make peace. The kingdom is large enough to give a part to the Troj ans. A senator named Drances, also in favor of peace, s Latinus' plan. Bu t Drances is also terribly jealous of the strong and brave Turnus. So, as he spe aks he taunts Turnus, suggesting that he is not brave enough to face Aeneas alon e. Knowing Turnus, you can imagine that he won't accept Drances' speech. He star ts to rant and rave. Drances is a good talker, he says, but when it comes to fig hting, he's hiding out in the senate house. Then he goes on to appeal to the oth er Latin leaders. Don't give up so easily! The Latins are on the edge of winning ! All they need to do is try again! Turnus gets his wish for more fighting because at that moment the news arrives t hat the Trojans are approaching the city. The people panic. Turnus jumps into hi s armor and charges off. Virgil compares him to a stallion who has just broken i ts tether and dashes from the stable, rushing to the pastures or splashing in th e river in sheer joy. The stallion is beautiful and free, full of energy. There is something wonderful about Turnus, his strength, his confidence. But there's a nother side to this image. The stallion doesn't know what it's doing or why. It just bolts for freedom. It has no judgment. A good leader should have more sense .

NOTE: Many readers have complained that Aeneas is a rather dull character. He me ans well, and he's courageous, but he's not very exciting. how he behav ed with Dido? He couldn't even argue with her. He just said he had to do what th e gods told him to do. Can you see Turnus acting like that? But Virgil is trying to tell us something about the qualities that make up a goo d leader. They're not necessarily show-stoppers. In addition to strength and bra very, a good leader must have sound judgment, be moderate and calm, and have res pect for the gods and for his fellow man. You might be interested to know that Augustus had a reputation for being cold an d aloof. Perhaps Virgil's description of Aeneas is a defense of Augustus. The warrior maiden, Camilla, offers to help Turnus. She will lead the cavalry wh ile Turnus hides in a narrow , waiting to ambush Aeneas. Camilla performs br illiantly for a while but then makes a mistake we've seen before. While she's cr aving the gorgeous armor of a Trojan warrior, another Trojan sneaks up behind he r and shoots her with his arrow. (Because Camilla is sacred to the goddess Diana , the poor Trojan also has to die.) Without Camilla, the Italian cavalry is routed by the Trojans, who rush to attac k the Latin city. As the Trojans pour through the gates and over the walls, even the women and children try desperately to fight them off. Do you see how the ro les have reversed since the fall of Troy? Now the Trojans are doing to the Latin s what the Greeks did to Troy. Turnus, hearing the screaming and seeing the smoke from the burning city, rushes from his hiding spot to return to the city to help. But here he makes a terribl e mistake. If he had only waited a few minutes more, Aeneas would have come thro ugh the and Turnus could have killed him. ^^^^^^^^^^THE AENEID: BOOK XII Everything you've been reading and thinking about comes together in Book XII, wh ich contains the climax of the Aeneid. All the major themes are found here: fate and the gods, the effect of uncontrolled anger, the kind of person Aeneas is, t he kind of nation Rome will be. Do you think it's ever right to kill someone? If you're a pacifist, you don't th ink it's ever right and you've probably been rather disturbed by all the violenc e needed to found Rome. On the other hand, you may think that there are some sit uations where it is right to kill someone. How do you feel about capital punishm ent? If someone murders innocent people, should that person be put to death? Wha t if the murderer is insane? Does that make any difference? And what about war? When is a war justified? Most people feel that there is some thing basically different between killing someone for your own private reasons, and fighting for your country. But what makes it different? What is the relation ship between a person's responsibility to his country and his responsibility to his fellow man? These are the difficult questions that Virgil raised in Book XII for his Roman a udience--and for you--to think about. Your personal reaction to the final terrib le struggle between Aeneas and Turnus will help you decide what you think is rig ht. When Turnus realizes that his troops are beaten, he finally accepts the fact tha t he must battle Aeneas directly. He tells Latinus to go ahead with the plan for a truce between the two armies so that the two leaders can battle it out alone.

Both Latinus and his wife, Amata, beg Turnus to give up the fight. Amata becomes hysterical, saying that she'll kill herself if Turnus dies and her daughter mus t marry Aeneas. (Allecto's poison is still at work in Amata.) But their pleas on ly make Turnus more furious. As you can see, Turnus is now completely alone in h is rage for battle. Virgil compares Turnus to a raging lion who has been wounded but who fights all the harder because it's a lost cause. There's no point to th e battle, but Turnus has never known when to stop. The truce is arranged, and the Italians gather on one side of a huge field and t he Trojans on the other to watch the final battle between their great leaders. A n altar is built, and sacrifices to the gods are made ready to honor the winner. Aeneas prays to the gods (including Juno) and swears that if he loses, the Troj ans will leave Italy forever. He also promises that if he wins, he will treat th e Italians as equals of the Trojans. He does not want to conquer the Italians, h e wants peace on equal . We see here what a good and just leader Aeneas has become. Even after all this b loodshed, he is not angry and does not want revenge. (You might think back to An chises' prediction in Book VI that the Romans' great skill will be the art of ru ling.) But Juno still has a hard time accepting fate. Although Jupiter has forbidden th e gods to interfere anymore, Juno invents a way to get around his rule. Turnus' sister is a nymph named Juturna. Juno goes to her and asks her to help Turnus. Juturna, disguising herself as one of the Italians, goes among the crowd, whispe ring that it isn't fair that Turnus should have to fight this one out all by him self. The Italians are already uneasy; it looks like Aeneas might win. One of th em hurls his spear into the Trojan ranks. The Trojans go wild and bedlam breaks out. Spears and arrows fly from all sides. Aeneas tries to stop the fighting, cr ying out that the battle is for him alone, but no one listens. Then a flying arr ow wounds him in the leg. Turnus, seeing Aeneas being carried off the field, is delighted. Now the Italian s have another chance to fight for victory. He jumps into his chariot and races across the field, spearing Trojans wherever he sees them and hanging their heads from his chariot as trophies. Do you see the difference between Turnus and Aeneas? Aeneas tries to control the crowd. He wants an orderly battle between Turnus and himself. This will cost th e least loss of life. But Turnus is always eager for war, and instead of trying to calm his troops and honor the truce, he leads them into a new battle. His act ions create more disorder. Aeneas is frantic that he cannot stop Turnus, but his wound keeps him from walki ng. At first his doctor cannot remove the arrow, but then Venus gives the doctor a magic potion that releases the arrow and eases the pain. NOTE: Why is Venus allowed to interfere like this? She's not really tipping the balance in Aeneas' favor. She's just evening the score after what Juturna did. Now Aeneas puts on his mighty armor and thunders across the field, determined to hunt Turnus down. Knowing this, Juturna disguises herself as the driver of Turn us' chariot and drives erratically around the field. Aeneas on foot, and with a wounded leg, can't possibly catch up. NOTE: If you think of Juno and Juturna as symbols for impulses that already exis t in Turnus, you might begin to think that Turnus is avoiding Aeneas. Is he afra id? After all his bragging, is he really a coward?

Aeneas then thinks of a way to force Turnus to fight. He turns his Trojan army a gainst the city and begins setting fire to the walls. When Amata realizes that t he city is under attack, she mistakenly concludes that Turnus must be dead and s he kills herself. Latinus is left in despair at the death of his wife and the fa ilure of all his efforts at peace. NOTE: Latinus certainly hasn't been a very effective leader. Virgil may be hinti ng that the Latins desperately need new leadership. This helps justify the Troja n "invasion." Turnus hears the wailing and crying from the city and finally stops his insane f light over the battlefield. Recognizing his sister's tricks, he tells her to sto p. He realizes that he must go to the defense of his city and that his people ar e suffering because of his refusal to fight Aeneas. Although some sense of respo nsibility seems to dawn on Turnus at this point, it appears very late. Aeneas turns to meet Turnus at last. Turnus strikes a mighty blow with his sword . But, in his frenzy to get to the battle that morning, he took the wrong sword and it breaks on Aeneas' shield. Turnus has no choice but to race away with Aeneas in hot pursuit, But Aeneas is slower because of his wound. He tries to catch Turnus with his spear, but he mis ses and the spear lands in a tree. Aeneas cannot pull it out. Juturna gives Turn us his good sword and, once again, Venus restores the balance by freeing Aeneas' spear. At last Jupiter has had enough, and he orders Juno to stop making trouble in any way. Miraculously, Juno accepts this order quietly. All she asks is that the Tr ojan name die and both the Italians and Trojans be known as Latins. Juno's anger has finally worked itself out, and now Troy is extinct. The Trojans have a new identity. They are free to start again without an angry goddess pursuing them. NOTE: Isn't this a rather realistic description of how anger stops? Have you eve r been really furious? You rant and rave. You may even do some destructive (or s elf-destructive) things. Finally, you just stop being angry. It's a relief that Juno finally feels better, but she's left Aeneas and Turnus with the consequence s. They still have to resolve the anger in themselves. The end comes at last. Aeneas aims his spear and Turnus falls to the ground, wou nded in the thigh. Aeneas rushes up, his sword poised, ready to strike. Turnus s peaks his last words: I have deserved it, surely, And I do not beg off. Use the advantage. But if a parent's grief has any power To touch the spirit, I pray you, pity Daunus, (I would Anchises), send him back my body. You have won; I am beaten, and these hands go out In supplication: everyone has seen it. No more. I have lost Lavinia. Let hatred Proceed no further.

(XII. 930-37) Aeneas pauses for a moment, almost moved to spare Turnus. But then he sees that Turnus is wearing the belt he stole from Pallas and he plunges his sword through Turnus. How do you feel about Aeneas now? The last thing you see him do is kill a defens eless man. It's hard not to feel terribly sorry for Turnus. It takes courage to it you were wrong. And it's not so clear that Turnus was entirely to blame fo r everything that happened. Has Aeneas just been infected with the uncontrollabl e rage that has caused him so much trouble all through the Aeneid? Some readers think so, and they think that Virgil's final judgment on the Roman Empire was a very dark one: that its success was rooted in this kind of violence. But we can look at this another way. Aeneas does pity Turnus in that last moment before he strikes. But when he sees Pallas' belt, he re all the needless bloodshed that Turnus' madness has caused. How does he know that if he lets Tur nus live that Turnus will really change his ways? Maybe Turnus only says what he does in the hope that Aeneas will spare his life. In the end, Aeneas chooses or der and the safety of his country over his feeling for another, and in many ways great, man. Virgil wrote the Aeneid at the end of the Roman civil wars. Augustus killed many of his rivals in order to restore order. Was Augustus right? Was Aeneas right? Virgil's sad and troubling ending leaves the decision up to you. ^^^^^^^^^^THE AENEID: GLOSSARY ACESTES King of western Sicily who was friendly to the Trojans. ACHAEANS Name for the Greeks. ACHAEMENIDES Greek men left behind by Ulysses on Sicily in land of the Cyclopes . Rescued by Trojans in Book III. ACHATES Aeneas' faithful companion and armor-bearer. ACHERON One of the rivers of the underworld. ACHILLES Greek hero of Homer's Iliad; known for his wrath; killed during Trojan War. ACTIUM Site of Battle of Actium in 31 B.C. in which Augustus defeated Antony an d Cleopatra. Briefly visited by Aeneas and Trojans. ADONIS Beautiful youth loved by Aphrodite (Venus). AENEADAE Another name for the Trojans. AENEAS Hero of the Aeneid. AEOLUS King of the winds. AJAX Greek hero in Trojan War. ALBA LONGA Town near Rome, founded by Aeneas' son Ascanius. ALLECTO One of the Furies, used by Juno to incite Turnus to war.

AMATA Wife of Latinus, the king of the Latins, and mother of Lavinia. She is po isoned by Allecto and refuses to allow Lavinia to marry Aeneas. She prefers Turn us. ANCHISES Aeneas' aged father. ANDROMACHE Hector's wife. After Hector died at Troy, Andromache married Helenus and lived at Buthrotum, one of the places Aeneas visits in Book III. ANNA Dido's sister and confidante. APOLLO God of the sun and able to foretell the future. ASCANIUS Aeneas' young son. Also known as Iulus. AUGUSTUS Roman emperor (30 B.C.-14 A.D.). AURORA Goddess of dawn. AUSONIA Another name for Italy. AVERNUS Cave near Cumae where Aeneas enters underworld. Also another name for u nderworld. BACCHUS God of wine. Also associated with frenzy. BELLONA Roman goddess of war. BRUNDISIUM Place where Virgil died, on east coast of Italy. BUTHROTUM On west coast of Greece. Place where Aeneas stops and sees miniature version of Troy and meets Helenus and Andromache. CACUS A horrible, fire-breathing monster that terrorized Pallanteum (the site o f Rome). Killed by Hercules. CAESAR The Roman dictator, Julius Caesar. Augustus, who was his adopted son, al so used this title. CAIETA Nurse of Aeneas, who dies right before the Trojans reach Latium. CALAENO The leader of the Harpies who attacks the Trojans in Book III. Prophesi es their future in Italy. CALCHAS Greek prophet at Troy. CALLIOPE The Muse of epic poetry. CAMILLA Warrior maiden in Italy. Helps Turnus and is slain by Trojans. Sacred t o Diana. CARTHAGE Dido's kingdom in northern Africa. CASSANDRA Daughter of Priam, king of Troy. Prophetess fated never to be believe d. CERBERUS The three-headed dog of the underworld. CERES Roman goddess of agriculture.

CHARON Ferryman in the underworld. CHARYBDIS Sea monster who creates whirlpool that sucks in ships in the strait b etween Italy and Sicily. CIRCE An enchantress encountered by Ulysses in the Odyssey. Aeneas avoids her. CLIO Muse of history. CLOANTHUS One of the Trojans and captain of a boat in Book V. COCYTUS A river in the underworld. CREUSA Aeneas' wife who dies at Troy. CUMAE City on west coast of Italy where Aeneas meets the Sibyl. CUPID God of love and son of Venus. CYCLOPES One-eyed monsters in Sicily who liked to eat men. DAEDALUS Greek inventor and father of Icarus. Builder of the labyrinth and temp le of Apollo at Cumae. DARDANUS A Trojan ancestor who came from Italy. DARES Trojan boxer defeated by old Sicilian boxer Entellus in Book V. DEIPHOBUS Son of Priam who married Helen after Paris died and who was brutally murdered by her husband, Menelaus. Aeneas meets his shade in the underworld. DELOS Island in the Aegean Sea, sacred to Apollo. Aeneas visits Delos in Book I II. DIANA Twin sister of Apollo; goddess of hunting, moon, and patron of maidens. S ee Camilla. DIDO Queen of Carthage, who fell ionately in love with Aeneas and committed suicide when he left. DIOMEDES One of the Greek heroes at Troy. Later a king in Italy whom Turnus ask s for help. DIS King of the underworld. DRANCES Latin senator who tries to make peace between Trojans and Latins and wh o hates Turnus. DREPANUM Modern Trapani. Place in Sicily where Trojans land and have funeral ga mes to honor Anchises. ELISSA Another name for Dido. ELYSIAN FIELDS The place in the underworld where good souls stay. ENTELLUS Old Sicilian boxer who defeats Dares. EPIRUS Region in western Greece where Trojans land. EREBUS Another name for the underworld.

ETNA A volcanic mountain in Sicily. ETRURIA Region north of Latium in Italy where Etruscans live. ETRUSCANS Also called Tuscans. People who live in Etruria and who become allies of Aeneas in effort to overthrow tyrant Mezentius. EURYALUS Beautiful young man and friend of Nisus. EURYDICE Wife of Orpheus. EVANDER Greek king who founded city at Pallanteum, the site that would later be come Rome. Aeneas visits him and gets help in Book VIII. FAUNUS Old Italian god of woods and agriculture. FURIES Ferocious, avenging goddesses. Allecto is a Fury. GOLDEN BOUGH Mythical symbol of immortality. Aeneas must obtain it before he ca n enter the underworld and be sure of coming out alive. HADES Name for the underworld. HARPIES Half-bird, half-woman creatures who drive the Trojans off the Strophade s islands in Book III. HECTOR Trojan hero and son of King Priam who dies defending Troy. Achilles drag ged his body around the walls of Troy. HECUBA Priam's wife and Queen of Troy. HELEN Spartan woman, married to Menelaus, who was seduced by (or eloped with) P aris, a Trojan, and thus caused the Trojan War. HELENUS Son of Priam. He later marries Hector's widow Andromache and settles at Buthrotum, where Aeneas meets him. HERCULES A Greek and Roman hero, renowned for his phenomenal strength. HESPERIA Another name for Italy. IARBAS King of Mauretania and one of Dido's rejected suitors. IDA Mountain near Troy. IDOMENIUS King of Crete and ally of Trojans in Trojan War. ILIONEUS Old and wise Trojan leader. ILIUM Another name for Troy. IRIS Messenger of Juno. ITHACA Island off west coast of Greece and home of Ulysses. IULUS Another name for Ascanius. JANUS Two-headed god of the Romans. The opening of the doors of his temple symb olized the beginning of war.

JUNO A goddess married to Jupiter, king of the gods. Furious at Trojans. JUPITER King of the gods. JUTURNA A nymph, sister of Turnus. LABYRINTH Built by Daedalus for the minotaur in Crete. LAOCOON Priest of Apollo and Neptune who is killed by serpents at Troy when he warns against the Trojan horse. LAOMEDON One of the founders of Troy. LATINS Natives of Latium in Italy. LATINUS King of the Latins. LATIUM Plain of west and central Italy where Aeneas fights to build his city. LATONA Mother of Apollo and Diana. LAURENTIUM Capital of Latium. LAUSUS Son of Mezentius, who is killed by Aeneas. LAVINIA Daughter of king Latinus who had been engaged to Turnus, but who is des tined to marry Aeneas. LAVINIUM City that Aeneas will build. LETHE One of the rivers of the underworld. MARCELLUS Son-in-law of Augustus, who died very young. Mentioned in Book VI in parade of great Romans. MARS Roman god of war. MENELAUS Helen's husband and leader of Sparta. One of the Greek warriors at Tro y. MERCURY Jupiter's messenger. MEZENTIUS Tyrant who ruled the Etruscans. Killed by Aeneas. MINERVA Jupiter's daughter. Roman goddess of the arts. MISENUS Comrade of Aeneas who was drowned and must be buried before Aeneas can descend to underworld. MUSES Nine goddesses of poetry, music, and the arts. NAUTES Old Trojan sailor who gives Aeneas good advice in Book V. NEOPTOLEMUS Another name of Pyrrhus. NEPTUNE God of the sea. NEREIDS Sea nymphs.

NISUS Young Trojan who is a loyal friend to Euryalus. NUMA Second king of early Rome. NYMPHS Minor deities. OCTAVIAN Augustus' family name and the name he used before he was given the tit le Augustus. ODYSSEUS Greek name for Ulysses. OLYMPUS Mountain in northern Greece where the gods supposedly lived. ORPHEUS A poet and musician who visited the underworld to try to resurrect his wife. PALINURUS Aeneas' pilot who falls overboard just before the Trojans reach Italy . PALLANTEUM Evander's city in Italy and the site of Rome. PALLAS Evander's son, who is killed by Turnus. PANTHUS Trojan priest who brings Trojan gods to Aeneas when Troy falls. PARIS Trojan prince whose affair with Helen causes the Trojan War. PASIPHAE Wife of Minos and queen of Crete who fell in love with a bull and gave birth to the minotaur. PENATES Protecting gods of the household, which Aeneas carries out of Troy. PERGAMA Another name for Troy. PHOENICIANS People from eastern Mediterranean who settle in Carthage. POLYDORUS Son of Priam, who was murdered in Thrace. His ghost speaks to Aeneas in Book III. POLYPHEMUS One of the Cyclopes who was blinded by Ulysses and who tries to atta ck the Trojans. PROMETHEUS A Titan who gave fire to man. PROSERPINA Queen of the underworld. PROTEUS Sea god who helped Neptune. PYGMALION King of Tyre and Dido's brother who murdered her husband, Sychaeus, f or his money. PYRRHUS A son of Achilles who brutally kills King Priam and his son. QUIRINUS Ancient Roman deity. REMUS Twin brother of Romulus. ROMULUS Founder and first king of Rome. Son of Mars and descendant of Aeneas. RUTULIANS Tribe in Latium led by Turnus.

SATURN Old Italian god. SCYLLA A monster who devoured sailors in the strait between Italy and Sicily. SIBYL Prophetess inspired by Apollo. She leads Aeneas to the underworld. Also c alled Deiphobe. SIDON City of Phoenicia. SINON Greek spy who convinced the Trojans to bring the Trojan Horse inside the walls of Troy. SIRENS Creatures who lure sailors to their deaths. STROPHADES Islands off west coast of Greece where Trojans are attacked by Harpi es. STYX One of the rivers of the underworld. SYCHAEUS Husband of Dido, who was murdered by Dido's brother. TARCHON Etruscan king and ally of Aeneas. TARQUIN Name of Etruscan kings. TARTARUS The part of the underworld where wicked shades were punished. TENEDOS An island off the coast of Troy where the Greeks hide before they attac k Troy. THRACE A region just north of Troy. TIBER River that runs through Rome. TURNUS Chief of the Rutulians and Aeneas' major enemy in Latium. Killed by Aene as. TYRE Phoenician city. TYRRHENIAN SEA Part of the Mediterranean that touches the west coast of Italy. ULYSSES Greek hero who fought in Trojan War and who is the subject of the Odyss ey, in which his ten-year effort to get home is described. VENUS Goddess of love and Aeneas' mother. VESTA Roman goddess of the hearth. VOLSCIANS A tribe in Italy, hostile to the Trojans. VULCAN Venus' husband and smith of the gods. He makes armor for Aeneas. ^^^^^^^^^^THE AENEID: THE PRICE OF SUCCESS If, then, the Aeneid is a story of success, it is also a story of what success c osts: the cost to the land, the cost in lives--and it is characteristic of Virgi l that we should not the victors but the defeated, Camilla, Nisus and E uryalus, Pallas, Lausus, Turnus, even Mezentius... -and, finally, the cost to Ae

neas himself. He is reborn, to be sure, as the ideal Roman incarnate, but by thi s very fact he becomes increasingly isolated from any human . He loses hi s wife, his father, even his nurse Caieta; the only human relationship he is all owed is with his son, and that seems less personal than dynastic. Steele Commager, ed., "Introduction" to Virgil, Collection of Critical Essays, 1966 Unlike Homer's heroes, the figure of Aeneas simultaneously comprises past, prese nt, and future.... In the Aeneid we see for the first time the tragedy of man su ffering from historical fate. The hero is never allowed to belong completely to the moment. If and when, as in Carthage, he seems to be caught up in the moment, a god reminds him of his duty. Viktor Poschl, The Art of Vergil, 1962 ^^^^^^^^^^THE AENEID: THE AENEID AS THE STORY OF ROME The real subject of the Aeneid is not Aeneas... it is Rome and the glories of he r empire, seen as the romanticist sees the great past. The first title given it was The Deeds of the Roman People. Aeneas is important because he carries Rome's destiny; he is to be her founder by the high decrees of fate. Edith Hamilton, The Roman Way, 1960 Virgil owed his immediate acceptance as the prince of Latin poets, and still owe s his place among the supreme poets of the world, not merely to his insight into the life of man and nature, his majesty and tenderness, and the melodious perfe ction of his verse. Over and above all these, he was the interpreter, we may eve n call him the creator, of a great national ideal. That ideal was at once politi cal, social and religious. The supremacy of Rome took in his hands the aspect of an ordinance of Providence, towards which an previous history had been leading up under divine guidance. It meant the establishment of an empire to which no li mit of time or space was set, and in which the human race would find ordered pea ce, settled government, material prosperity, the reign of law and the commonweal th of freedom. J. W. Mackail, Virgil and His Meaning To The World of Today, 1963 Each detail of the Aeneid is drenched with symbolism and... it must be read at s everal levels. But the symbolism of the sum is simple. An inevitable civil war-all the participants were Italians, all ancestors of the Romans--had happily com e to its period. All had fought well and, according to their best fights, justly . All bitterness and all ion was now laid at rest, and all could now ha nds as comrades and together walk to meet the shining future. Moses Hadas, A History of Latin Literature, 1952 ^^^^^^^^^^THE AENEID: THE TRIUMPH OF ORDER OVER DISORDER The struggle and final victory of order--this subduing of the demonic which is t he basic theme of the poem, appears and reappears in many variations. The demoni c appears in history as civil or foreign war, in the soul as ion, and in nat ure as death and destruction. Jupiter, Aeneas, and Augustus are its conquerors, while Juno, Dido, Turnus, and Antony are its conquered representatives. The cont rast between Jupiter's powerful composure and Juno's confused ion reappears in the contrast between Aeneas and Dido and between Aeneas and Turnus.

Viktor Poschl, The Art of Vergil, 1962 ^^^^^^^^^^THE AENEID: THE CHARACTERS AND THEIR DRAMA In the first place Aeneas is a hero in search of his soul. The Aeneid is very mu ch of a spiritual quest, which makes it unique in ancient literature. Only Virgi l its of the possibility that a character can change, grow and develop. Aenea s in the early books is unsure of himself, always seeking instructions from his father or from the gods before committing himself to any course of action. In th e underworld he sees a panorama of the future history of Rome down to the time o f Augustus, and that vision gives him the self-confidence to act on his own init iative. R. M. Ogilvie, Roman Literature and Society, 1980 Virgil could do a great love story. Aeneas and Dido are not only the hero and he roine of our very first romance, they are great lovers, too, the woman the great er, as through the ages the poets have loved to portray her. She is 'Pierced by love's cruel shaft, feeding the wound with her life-blood and wasting under a hi dden fire'; if she is with him 'she begins to speak and stops midway in the utte rance'; he speaks and 'she hangs upon his lips.' When the night comes and the ba nquet hall is empty, she steals there from her bed to find the couch he had lain on and stretch herself upon it. Edith Hamilton, The Roman Way, 1960 Vergil, I think, has caught a truth in this representation of angry, murderous A eneas. Killing Turnus is a victory for the cause, but not for Aeneas. In this fi nal struggle... Aeneas can only be the loser. Triumphant he should never be; ang ry, I feel that I understand him better. It is his final assertion against (ensl avement to?) the destiny that has almost dehumanized him, the final proof by Ver gil that "pius Aeneas" (pious Aeneas) is not ive, but more tragic than Dido and Turnus together. William S. Anderson, The Art of the Aeneid, 1969 ^^^^^^^^^^THE AENEID: ADVISORY BOARD We wish to thank the following educators who helped us focus our Book Notes seri es to meet student needs and critiqued our manuscripts to provide quality materi als. Murray Bromberg, Principal Wang High School of Queens, Holliswood, New York Sandra Dunn, English Teacher Hempstead High School, Hempstead, New York Lawrence J. Epstein, Associate Professor of English Suffolk County Community College, Selden, New York Leonard Gardner, Lecturer, English Department State University of New York at Stony Brook Beverly A. Haley, Member, Advisory Committee

National Council of Teachers of English Student Guide Series Fort Morgan, Colorado Elaine C. Johnson, English Teacher Tamalpais Union High School District Mill Valley, California Marvin J. LaHood, Professor of English State University of New York College at Buffalo Robert Lecker, Associate Professor of English McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada David E. Manly, Professor of Educational Studies State University of New York College at Geneseo Bruce Miller, Associate Professor of Education State University of New York at Buffalo Frank O'Hare, Professor of English Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio Faith Z. Schullstrom, Member of Executive Committee National Council of Teachers of English Director of Curriculum and Instruction Guilderland Central School District, New York Mattie C. Williams, Director, Bureau of Language Arts Chicago Public Schools, Chicago, Illinois ^^^^^^^^^^THE AENEID: THE END OF BARRON'S BOOK NOTES THE END