The Aeneid Book 2 Summary (1) 4s4q19
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The Aeneid Book 2 Summary
Page 1
The Aeneid Book 2 Summary After some initial hesitation, Aeneas begins to tell the story of Troy's downfall. Everything that follows in this book is told by Aeneas, and so reflects his perspective. Aeneas begins by telling how the Greeks, unable to defeat the Trojans in battle, sail away from Troy. On the beach, they leave behind a giant wooden horse, with Greek warriors hidden inside it – though the Trojans don't know that yet. Something else the Trojans don't know is that the Greeks didn't actually sail home. Instead, they made their way to the nearby island of Tenedos, and parked their navy behind it. The Trojans are amazed at the horse and come out of their city to have a better look at it. Some argue in favor of taking it inside the city. Others say it should be destroyed. Laocoön, a priest, comes down from the city to have a look. He says not to trust anything having to do with the Greeks. He even guesses that there are Greeks hiding inside it, and throws his spear at the horse. It echoes, revealing that it is hollow. The Trojans would have followed Laocoön's lead and destroyed the horse, but they are interrupted by a commotion. It turns out that all the ruckus is coming from some shepherds, who step forward with a prisoner – a Greek! The captive's name is Sinon, and he has a story to tell. Sinon claims to be related to Palamedes, a Greek hero who came to oppose the Trojan War. As a result of this, Palamedes was executed on a trumped-up charge, as a result of Ulysses's (a.k.a. Odysseus's) trickery. Sinon says that because he complained about this injustice, Ulysses had it in for him. He also says that the Greeks tried several times to sail home, but, every time, they were held back by bad weather. He says that their problems only got worse after the horse was built. Finally, they sent a guy called Eurypylus to ask the oracle of Apollo what they should do. The oracle told Eurypylus that a human sacrifice was required for them to get home, just as a human sacrifice was required for them to get to Troy. (Huh? The oracle is referring to the fact that, on the way to Troy the Greek king Agamemnon had to sacrifice his daughter, Iphigeneia, to convince the winds to blow the right way.) As you can imagine, this made everyone pretty nervous. Ulysses asked Calchas, the soothsayer, to interpret the true will of the gods. Calchas kept silent for ten days, but finally caved in to Ulysses's pestering, and named Sinon as the victim. Everyone else was cool with that. When the day of the sacrifice rolled around, however, Sinon managed to escape. In the end, the Greeks sailed off without finding him. http://www.shmoop.com/aeneid/book-2-summary.html
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end, the Greeks sailed off without finding him. So ends Sinon's story. In concluding, he begs the Trojans, in the name of the gods, to spare his life. The Trojans feel pity for Sinon, and Priam orders them to remove his chains. At this point, Priam thinks it's time to ask Sinon about the elephant in the room – that is, the horse on the beach. Sinon first swears that he is no longer loyal to the Greeks. Then he explains how the Greeks' troubles started when Ulysses and Diomedes stole a statuette of Minerva from the Trojan citadel. (You can learn more about this daring raid here.) After they brought the statuette back to camp, however, wacky stuff started happening. The statuette started sweating, flaming, and moving its eyes. Oh yeah, and the goddess herself kept appearing out of the ground amid flashes of lightening. Calchas, the seer, interpreted these events to mean that Troy could not be captured. They would have to sail home and wait for another sign from the gods before making war on it again. According to Sinon, it was on Calchas's orders that they constructed the horse – as a replacement for what they had stolen. He says that the reason they made it so big was so that the Trojans wouldn't be able to take it inside their city. Sinon tells the Trojans that if any of them damage the horse, it will bring destruction on all of Troy. On the other hand, if they take it inside the city, it will bring destruction on all the Greeks (nudge, nudge, wink, wink). Here ends Sinon's second story. At this point, Laocoön, the priest guy who threw the spear at the side of the horse, starts making a sacrifice to Neptune, the god of the sea. All of a sudden, two giant serpents slither out of the sea, crawl up to Laocoön, and strangle him and his two sons to death. (A picture's worth a thousand words.) Then the serpents make their way into Troy, head to Minerva's citadel, and curl up behind the statue's shield. The Trojans interpret this as punishment from the gods for spearing the horse. They decide to take the horse inside the city. They actually have to knock a hole in the wall to bring it in. Everyone is celebrating. Four times the horse jars on its way into the city, and four times the weapons of the Greeks inside clatter. No one notices. The Trojan princess Cassandra, who has the gift of prophesy, tries to prevent them from taking the horse inside the city. Unfortunately, the gods have cursed her so that her predictions will not be believed. As indeed they aren't. Night comes. The Greek fleet sails back from Tenedos. Sinon lets the Greeks out of the horse. They kill the Trojan sentries and open the city gates for their friends who are just arriving at the city. Meanwhile, in the city, Aeneas is asleep. The Trojan warrior Hector appears to him in his dream, all covered in blood and dirt as he was on the day he was killed by the Greek hero Achilles. Hector tells Aeneas that Troy is about to be captured. He tells him to gather up his
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household gods and go found a new city for them. Aeneas wakes up and climbs up to his roof. From there, he hears a terrible clamor, and can see numerous houses burning. His first thought is to arm himself for battle. Then, at his door appears Pantheus, the priest of Apollo, who is carrying some images of the gods, and leading his grandson. Aeneas asks Pantheus where they should take their stand to defend Troy, but Pantheus tells him that the city is done for. All the same, Aeneas rushes into the fight, and gathers up some companions. Together, they fight with suicidal courage. They kill some Greeks and take their equipment. With these disguises, they are able to the ranks of other Greeks and kill them through trickery. But then Coroebus, one of Aeneas's comrades, who also happens to be the husband of Cassandra, sees his wife being dragged out of Minerva's temple by some Greek warriors. Like a man, he rushes into the fight, and everyone else follows. In the chaos, they are hit by a bunch of missiles thrown by Trojans hiding out of top of the temple – they mistook Aeneas and company for Greeks because of their stolen armor. Realizing the Trojans' deception, the Greeks rally, and a furious battle breaks out in front of the temple. Many Trojans are killed, including Coroebus. But then the Trojans are distracted when they realize that Priam's palace is being besieged. Aeneas and some other men sneak in a back entrance to help out. They make their way to the roof, where they knock a tower off onto the Greeks below. But there are too many of them, and they keep coming on. The most fearsome of the Greeks is Neoptolemus, the son of Achilles. Meanwhile, Priam puts on his armor and prepares to face down the Greeks, old and decrepit as he is. When his wife Hecuba sees him, however, she tells him to stop being such a fool. She makes him come over with her and some women who are clinging to an altar for safety. (They are assuming that the Greeks will not violate the holiness of the place.) Just then, Polites, one of Priam's sons, rushes in, wounded, with Neoptolemus in pursuit. Neoptolemus catches up to him and kills him. Enraged, Priam prepares to attack Neoptolemus. Priam reminds Neoptolemus about how his father, Achilles, once had pity on him when he gave Hector's body back for burial. (This scene is described in Book 23 of Homer's Iliad.) Priam tells Neoptolemus that his horrible behavior makes it seem as if he isn't a true son of Achilles. Priam feebly attacks his younger foe, but does not succeed in wounding him. Instead, Neoptolemus drags Priam through the blood of his son to the altar, and kills him there. Aeneas, who has been watching this whole scene, suddenly thinks of his own father, Anchises. On his way home, he runs into Helen. She is trying to hide, afraid of both the Trojans and the Greeks. Aeneas is about to kill her, when his mother, Venus, appears and tells him not to blame http://www.shmoop.com/aeneid/book-2-summary.html
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The Aeneid Book 2 Summary Aeneas is about to kill her, when his mother, Venus, appears and tells him not to blame her. She says that what is happening to Troy is not Helen's fault; it is the will of the gods. Venus takes the mist away from Aeneas's sight so he can see various gods at work destroying the city. Then Aeneas runs home, finds his father, and tells him to get ready: they're going to head for the hills! But Anchises refuses. He says that he has lived and suffered long enough. Creusa, Aeneas's wife, and Ascanius, his son, try to bring Anchises around, but he keeps refusing. Finally, Aeneas gathers his weapons in order to go out and die fighting. Creusa tells him to take her and Ascanius along with him. Just then, flames burst out of Ascanius's head, but do not burn him. Anchises prays for a sign from the gods, and suddenly a shooting star flashes overhead. Anchises accepts the sign and decides to go with Aeneas. Now thinking of survival instead of suicide, Aeneas takes his father on his shoulders. He gives his father the images of the household gods to carry. Then he takes Ascanius by the hand. After Aeneas tells some servants that they will meet up at a certain cypress tree by an inland gate of the city, they head off, with Creusa following behind. In a moment of confusion, however, Aeneas ducks down some alleyways, and Creusa gets lost. Aeneas doesn't realize this until they get to the cypress tree. He goes back alone through the flaming city, looking for her, but does not find her. Suddenly, her ghost appears and tells him that it is too late. She tells him to go to where the Tiber river flows (i.e., in Italy). There he will get a new kingdom – and a new wife. Aeneas accepts Creusa's words and heads back to the cypress tree, where many refugees have now gathered. Together, they set out on their voyage.
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Aeneas and his followers take refuge beneath Mount Ida, in the neighborhood of Troy. There they set to work building a fleet. When the summer rolls around, they sail off. First they head for Thrace, a region once allied with Troy. Aeneas plots out a settlement on the coast. Then he prepares to make a sacrifice. But when he tries to pick some myrtle saplings to make a shelter for the altar, something strange happens: blood spurts out from the roots of the tree. He tries again, and more blood spurts out. Understandably freaked out, he makes some prayers. Then he tries for a third time. This time, a voice speaks up from the ground, saying, "Hey! It's me, Polydorus, a Trojan. Some guys killed me with a bunch of spears, which then took root and turned into myrtle trees." What? You couldn't figure that out for yourself? As it turns out, King Priam of Troy sent Polydorus to Thrace a while back with a shipment of gold. He was to give the gold to the king of Thrace for safekeeping while the Trojan war http://www.shmoop.com/aeneid/book-2-summary.html
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of gold. He was to give the gold to the king of Thrace for safekeeping while the Trojan war raged on. Unfortunately, the Thracian king decided to take the gold for himself, which is why he had Polydorus killed. After a brief consultation, Aeneas and the other leaders decide that this probably isn't the best place to start a new city. Before sailing off, they hold funeral rites for Polydorus. Next they sail to the island of Delos, where there is an oracle of the god Apollo. The oracle tells them to go to the original home of the Trojan people. There they will found an empire that will rule the shores of the world for generations to come. Cool. But where's the original home of the Trojan people? Aeneas's dad, Anchises, knows: "Many years ago," he explains, "a guy named Teucrus came from Crete. He sailed from there to Asia Minor, where he founded Troy. We should head for Crete." Which is exactly where they go. And found a city. Sweet. Or…maybe not. The Trojans are only there for a little while when a plague strikes them and their crops and the sun dries up all the water. (Way to go, Dad.) Anchises says that Aeneas should go back to Delos and ask the oracle for an explanation. That night, while Aeneas is sleeping, the household gods start talking to him. They tell him to go to Italy, where another ancestor of the Trojans – Dardanus, Teucrus's son-inlaw – came from. The next day, Aeneas tells the prophecy to Anchises, who says, "You're right, my bad. Let's go to Italy." And off they go. Things are going pretty well for a while, but then the fleet gets caught in three days of storms. Eventually, they succeed in making their way to an island. What they don't know is that it is inhabited by the Harpies – disgusting flying bird creatures with the faces of women. But all the Trojans see is all the livestock roaming the shore unattended. To them, this can mean only one thing: BBQ time! Unfortunately, when they go ashore to grab some dinner, the harpies swoop in and defile the meat with their filthiness. The Trojans try to fight them, but they just fly away. Then Celaeno, the queen Harpy tells them that they will make it to Italy alright, "but as for what you did to my livestock – your reward will be terrible hunger. In fact, you guys are going to get so hungry that you're going to end up eating your tables!" Yikes. After making prayers to avert this calamity, the men set sail again, and eventually make it to the Leucas region of western Greece. They stay there for the winter, and then set sail again. Next they come to Chaonia in Epirus – a region of Northwestern Greece. Here they learn that Helenus, a son of the Trojan King Priam, has ended up ruling over some Greek cities. They also learn that he has married Andromache, who used to be the wife of the Trojan hero Hector (deceased). On their way to find them, who should they run into but…Andromache herself, making sacrifice at a shrine she has made to her dead husband Hector. Even though she faints when she sees them, when she wakes up she is full of information. She tells them that, after the fall of Troy, she was enslaved by Achilles's son Neoptolemus. http://www.shmoop.com/aeneid/book-2-summary.html
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She tells them that, after the fall of Troy, she was enslaved by Achilles's son Neoptolemus. But he soon got tired of her and took a Spartan woman, Hermione, for his wife. At this point, he married her off to her fellow captive Trojan Helenus. Then Agamemnon's son, Orestes, who was in love with Hermione, killed Neoptolemus; for some reasons that aren't entirely clear, Helenus inherited some land as a result of this, which is why he and Andromache have ended up as king and queen in this part of Epirus. Then Helenus himself shows up. He leads them back to the city, which turns out to be a miniature replica of Troy. After they stay there for a few days, Aeneas asks Helenus – who has the gift of prophecy – to tell them what's in store for them. Helenus makes some sacrifices, and then starts telling them a lot of cool stuff. He says that, for the most part, things are looking good. Then he gives them a list of things to watch out for. He also tells them that, whenever they see a giant white sow suckling 30 white piglets, they'll know that they've found their new homeland. Then he gives them some more advice, and tells them to steer clear of the narrows between Sicily and mainland Italy – that's where Scylla and Charybdis lurk. But Helenus still isn't finished. Now he tells them to keep praying to Juno – maybe they'll win her over eventually. Also, he says once they get to Italy, they should head for the town of Cumae. There, they should consult with the Sibyl, a priestess and oracle. After this, Helenus gives them all gifts, with some special gifts for Anchises. Andromache also gives them gifts, with special stuff for Ascanius, who reminds her of her dead son. Then the Trojans sail off. First they go to Ceraunia, further up the coast of Greece. From there, it's only a hop, skip, and a jump to the East coast of Italy. There they make a brief a pit stop, and then head off again. They follow the coast of Italy south, and round the boot. Soon afterward, they feel the sea getting choppy. Anchises realizes that they're close to Scylla and Charybdis. He tells them to head away from it. They get away safely – but are headed to the island of the Cyclopes, better known as Sicily. (For information on the Cyclopes, check out this website.) The volcanic Mt. Aetna is rumbling nearby, making things all the more spooky. They make camp and spend the night in the forest. In the morning, an emaciated man comes up to them out of the mist. It turns out he is a Greek named Achaemenides. Even though he is scared at first to fall in with a bunch of Trojans, he suddenly comes forward and throws himself at their mercy. He tells them that if they kill him, it would be OK. "So long as I die at the hands of humans, it's no big deal." It turns out that Achaemenides was a sailor from the fleet of Ulysses (a.k.a. Odysseus), who was left behind. He narrowly escaped from the Cyclops's lair, and has been hiding out in the forest for the past three months. (If you don't know what happened when Ulysses/Odysseus encountered the Cyclops, check out our summary of Book IX of
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Homer's Odyssey.) He tells the Trojans to sail away from there like their life depends on it – which it does. He repeats that they can kill him if they want. At this point, who should come galumphing down to the water but Polyphemus – the Cyclops Ulysses/Odysseus blinded! Aeneas and his crew put the pedal to the metal – that is, the paddle to the puddle – and get away in the nick of time. They take Achaemenides with them. Then they keep sailing around the south coast of Sicily. When they stop at the city of Drepanum, tragedy strikes again: Aeneas's father Anchises dies. After this, Aeneas and company make their way to Carthage. This is the end of Aeneas's story. Page 3
If she had a bit of a crush on him before, now that Aeneas has finished his story, Dido totally has the hots for him. The next morning, she confides in her sister, Anna. She says that even though she swore she would never love anyone after her dead husband, Sychaeus, she seriously wants to get with Aeneas. But she decides she can't do that. Anna says, "What do the dead care if you're faithful or not? Anyway, Carthage is surrounded by enemies. We could use a strong alliance. At least get the Trojans to stay for the winter." The days , and Dido becomes more and more in love. The city's building projects stall with no one to oversee them. The goddess Juno, seeing what is going on, recognizes Venus's fingerprints all over it. She takes the matter up with Venus, and suggests they get Dido and Aeneas to marry. Venus – who knows that Juno wants to keep the Trojans down – says that they should maybe check with Jupiter first. Juno says, "Leave it to me. But first, let's do some matchmaking. Soon, Dido and Aeneas are going to go out hunting. While they're out there, I'll whip up some rain, so they will have to take shelter together in a cave. Then we'll put on some Barry White – or the equivalent – and wait for the magic to happen." Things go according to plan, the magic happens, and Dido begins to see herself and Aeneas as married. (Notice a certain lack of symmetry?) But Rumor – described as a weird winged goddess with as many eyes and tongues as feathers – can't up a juicy story like that. Eventually, word makes its way to the North African king Iarbas, whose father is Jupiter, and who was once rejected by Dido. Iarbas doesn't like this one bit, and complains to his daddy about it. Hearing his son's complaint, Jupiter takes a good look at what is going on down in Carthage. Then he sends the god Mercury to go and ask Aeneas, "What's the deal?" and http://www.shmoop.com/aeneid/book-2-summary.html
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remind him that he's supposed to be founding a city in Italy. Mercury heads down and finds Aeneas supervising the construction of Carthage's walls, all the while sporting some fancy-pants Carthaginian duds. Mercury es along Jupiter's message, and tells Aeneas to think about his son Ascanius, and what sort of legacy he is going to leave him. Then Mercury flies off, leaving Aeneas to say, "Dang." He tells the other Trojans to get the fleet ready for departure. He tries to keep the preparations secret, but Dido gets wind of it and becomes royally angry. When she confronts Aeneas about it, Aeneas is like, "OK. It's true, I am leaving. But we're not married, and I've got to go found a city in Italy. My dad keeps appearing to me in my dreams and pestering me about it; I've got to leave a legacy for Ascanius; and now the messenger of the gods has told me to get a move on. It's not my fault." As you might expect, Dido doesn't take this too well. In fact, she tells him to get lost – and that she hopes his ship sinks. Then Dido runs off and faints; her maids carry her back to her bedroom. The Trojans keep getting ready to set sail. When Dido comes to, she sees them, and tells her sister Anna to go and tell them to wait for better winds at least. Anna goes and tells him, but Aeneas won't listen. Dido then gets troubled by a bunch of weird happenings. For example, water blackens on her altars, and wine turns to blood. Voices seem to arise from the shrine of her dead husband. It seems that everything is going to Hades in a hand basket. Dido decides to commit suicide. Dido tells Anna to prepare a pyre, claiming she only wants it to burn some things that Aeneas has left behind. That night, Dido ponders again what she should do. She considers following the Trojans, but decides against it. She reaffirms to herself her intention to commit suicide. Now she is also motivated by guilt at having been unfaithful to the memory of Sychaeus. Meanwhile, Aeneas is sleeping on the stern of his beached ship. Mercury comes down and tells him, in a dream, to get a move on. Aeneas wakes up, tells the other Trojans to sail out. They do. Then Dido wakes up and sees the Trojans leaving. She wishes she had killed Aeneas when she had the chance. She prays that his mission will fail, and this her people and his will become enemies. (We know from subsequent Roman history – i.e., the Punic Wars – that her wish will come true.) Then Dido sends her sister's old nurse to tell Anna to get a pyre ready; she claims that she wants to burn some stuff that Aeneas left behind. After Anna builds the pyre, Dido climbs on top of it and stabs herself with a sword once given to her by Aeneas. http://www.shmoop.com/aeneid/book-2-summary.html
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given to her by Aeneas. Anna climbs onto the pyre herself and tries to save the dying Dido, but it is too late. Juno sends down Iris, the messenger of the gods, to take a lock of Dido's hair and prepare her for death. Iris does this, and Dido dies.
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As they are sailing away, the Trojans see a huge fire burning on the shore. They can guess what it is coming from. (Dido's funeral pyre.) Shortly afterward – as seems to happen whenever the Trojans set out anywhere – a storm comes up, and they decide to head for shore. They land in Sicily, coincidentally, at exactly the spot where they buried Anchises – coincidentally again, exactly one year before. This is in the region of Sicily ruled by Acestes, another exile from Troy. Aeneas decrees a feast day and ritual commemoration of his father. He also says that in nine days they will hold athletic contests in the man's honor. Then, while Aeneas is making ritual offerings to his father, something weird happens: a giant snake crawls out of the Anchises's burial mound and curls up around it. Then it slithers around all the ritual objects, eats off the altar, and then heads back under the tomb. Aeneas wonders if the snake is a local god, or if it is the spirit of his father. He proceeds with the sacrifice anyway. When the ninth day after that rolls around, it is time for some athletic contests. Both Trojans and local Sicilians are competing. The first event is a boat-race. The idea is for the competitors – teams of rowers in long galleys – to sail out to sea, round a certain half-submerged rock designated as the turning post, and then be the first to make it back to shore. Four ships are competing. On the way out, the ship commanded by a man called Gyas is in the lead. He keeps telling his pilot (the guy who mans the tiller) to come in close around the rock, but Menoetes (that's the guy's name) is afraid of crashing, and makes a wide turn. This gives Cloanthus, the captain of the next ship, to squeeze in between Gyas and the rock, making a sharper turn that puts him in the lead for the homestretch. Gyas is so mad that he throws Menoetes overboard and takes the tiller himself. Menoetes swims over to the rock and climbs on top of it. The two ships in the rear are commanded by guys named Sergestus and Mnestheus. Sergestus is in front – until he gets greedy, tries to cut the turn too close, and smashes up his oars against the rock. Mnestheus rounds the turn ahead of him. Next Mnestheus es Gyas, who is having trouble acting as captain and pilot at the same time. Now Mnestheus and Cloanthus are competing for first place. Cloanthus prays to the sea-gods for help. Sure enough, a bunch of divinities show up to help him on his way to victory. Cloanthus comes in first, followed by Mnestheus, with Gyas coming after him, and
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Cloanthus comes in first, followed by Mnestheus, with Gyas coming after him, and Sergestus bringing up the rear in his disabled craft. Aeneas gives prizes to each of them. The next event is a footrace. It looks like a guy called Nisus is going to win it, but then he slips in some blood and guts left over from one of the sacrificial animals. When he falls, he makes sure to trip up the guy behind him, so his boyfriend Euryalus can speed ahead to victory. After the race, the guy tripped up by Nisus demands a consolation prize. So does Nisus. Aeneas obliges both of them. Next comes boxing. The first challenger to stand up is a Trojan guy named Dares. For a long time, nobody has the guts to take him on, but then, after some prodding, a Sicilian old-timer named Entellus steps up. The fight goes on pretty evenly at first, though then Entellus puts all his weight into a punch he fails to land, and falls right on his face. King Acestes comes and helps him up. The fight goes on, however, and now that Entellus's pride has been hurt he starts giving Dares a royal thumping. Eventually, Aeneas steps in to stop the fight. As a pretext, he tells everyone that the gods must be ing Entellus, and that their will must be followed. (Though we haven't seen any indication that the gods were helping him.) When Entellus claims his prize, a bull, to prove he's still got it he punches the creature between the horns, shattering its skull, killing it. Next comes the archery contest. Aeneas raises the mast of a ship on the plain. To the top is tethered a bird, which flaps around helplessly. The idea is to shoot the bird. (Between this contest and Entellus's bull-bashing, it's clear that the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals would have had a field-day with the ancient Trojans.) A guy called Hippocoön shoots first. He hits the mast, but misses the bird. Next, Mnestheus shoots. He misses the bird, but cuts the cord. The bird flutters away. Now it is Eurytion's turn. He is the brother of Pandarus, a famous Trojan archer who died in the war against the Greeks. After saying a prayer to the spirit of his brother, Eurytion takes aim, shoots, and hits the escaping bird. Last up is the Sicilian King Acestes, who now has nothing to shoot at. Just to prove he still has strength in him, he shoots an arrow into the air. In mid-flight, the arrow catches fire and turns into a shooting star. Aeneas gives Acestes first prize. Second prize goes to Eurytion, third to Mnestheus, and fourth to Hippocoön. Next, the youth take part in a display of cavalry maneuvers. Then things take a turn for the worse. Determined to stir up trouble, Juno sends Iris, the messenger of the gods, down to where the Trojan women are gathered on the shore. There, they are lamenting the journeys that await them. Iris takes the form of a Trojan woman, Beroe. In this disguise, she plays to the women's discontent, and tells them to burn the ships. She adds that Cassandra appeared to her in a dream, and instructed her to do so. http://www.shmoop.com/aeneid/book-2-summary.html 10/15
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dream, and instructed her to do so. Then Iris hurls a torch at one of the ships. One of the Trojan women, Pyrgo, shouts out that the woman standing before them can't be Beroe, who is sick – it has to be a goddess! If there was any doubt about that, it vanishes when Iris springs back up to the heavens. Although the women are at first confused about what to do, it isn't long before they start burning the ships. When word reaches the men, Ascanius is the first to rush back to the shore, on horseback. The others come hurrying after. The women, ashamed of what they have done, disperse, but it is too late: the ships are ablaze. In desperation, Aeneas prays to Jupiter: "Either save the ships or strike me dead with a lightning bolt." Jupiter sends a storm and the rain quenches the fires. All but four ships are saved. After this disturbing incident, Aeneas is confused about what to do. Nantes, a wise old Trojan, suggests that they should leave behind in Sicily the number of people the burned ships would have carried. They can leave the women and the old, who can found a new city in Sicily. Aeneas isn't sure about this, but then, in the sky, he sees an image of Anchises. The image tells him to follow Nantes's plan. It says that a difficult war awaits them in Italy, meaning they should take only their toughest warriors. Also, it says that, upon arriving in Italy, he will first have to visit the underworld, where he will learn the future of his people. He will also see his father's spirit, which is in Elysium, the abode of the blessed, not Tartarus, the black pit where the souls of evil men go. Then the apparition vanishes. The next day, Aeneas takes up the proposal with Acestes, who is fine with letting the Trojans stay in his land. They make up a list of everyone who is staying behind, and Aeneas plots out their new city. (This guy's a serious control-freak.) A few days later, after much feasting together, Aeneas and the remaining ships head out. At this point, Venus, who has been watching everything, turns to Neptune and asks that Aeneas be granted safe age to Italy. Neptune says that Aeneas will get there safely, only losing one man. Then he calms the sea. That night, after a day of calm sailing, the rowers are relaxing on their benches. Palinurus, the pilot, is still awake, making sure everything is running smoothly. Then, all of a sudden, Somnus, the god of sleep, descends from the heavens and takes the form of Phorbas, another Trojan. In this disguise, he tries to convince Palinurus to go to sleep. Palinurus says, "No way, I've got to keep my eyes on the road. It's pretty wet, after all." But then the god shakes some dew off the magical bough he carries in his hand. This dew,
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from the River Lethe in the underworld, makes Palinurus incredibly sleepy. Finally, Palinurus tumbles overboard, breaking off a piece of the stern and rudder and taking them with him. He calls for help but no one hears him. The ship sails on, and a little while later is ing by the rocks where the Sirens hang out. Aeneas hears the surf breaking off the rocks, and takes the helm. He laments the loss of his friend, but blames him for trusting too much in a calm sea. Page 5
Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet? SIMMER DOWN ALREADY. Yes. Aeneas arrives in Italy. Like many a globetrotter after him, Aeneas's first visit is to the local tourist office – meaning, of course, the cave of the Sibyl, a prophetess who owes her power to the god Apollo. When Aeneas arrives at her temple, which was built by the famous inventor Daedalus (click here and scroll down to read all about him). He spends some time iring the doors of the temple, also built by Daedalus. These depict various mythological scenes. Something they don't depict is the death of Daedalus's son Icarus (read that link above to get the scoop). Virgil tells us that Daedalus twice tried to fashion a depiction of his death in gold, but both times was overcome by emotion. Then out of the temple comes Achates, who had gone ahead, with the Sibyl. The Sibyl tells him stop iring the doors and sacrifice seven young bulls and seven ewes. Aeneas es along the orders to his men to make it happen. Then, the Sibyl takes them into her inner shrine. There, she becomes possessed by the god Apollo, and instructs Aeneas to pray. After that, the Sibyl busts out some prophecies. Specifically, she says that things are going be tough: they will have to fight a war to secure their territory in Italy. She predicts that a new Achilles will arise in the territory of Latium. (Achilles was the greatest of the Greek warriors fighting against Troy in the Trojan War.) The Sibyl then says that the war will arise as a result of a foreign bride. She says that the Trojans will find safety from an unexpected source: a Greek city. (If this all sounds kind of weird, don't worry, prophecies are supposed to sound weird.) After receiving this prophecy, Aeneas prays to be allowed to descend to the underworld, so that he can visit his father. The Sibyl says that the way down to the underworld is easy, it's coming back out that's the tricky part. She says that Aeneas must go deep into the forest and, in darkest and most secluded part, find a tree sprouting a golden bough. He must pluck this bough and bring it as a gift to Proserpina, the queen of the underworld. She says that only those who are fated to can pluck the bough: it won't come off for those who try to force it. But then the Sibyl reveals a snag. She says that the Trojans have become defiled and have to purify themselves. This is because one of their number has died and remains unburied. http://www.shmoop.com/aeneid/book-2-summary.html
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The Sibyl says they have to find out who it is, bury him, and then sacrifice some black animals. Then Aeneas can go down to the underworld. You might have thought that the unburied dead guy was Palinurus, but actually it's some guy named Misenus. He had apparently made the mistake of thinking he was better at blowing his conch shell than the sea god Triton. Gods don't take kindly to that sort of boast, and Triton's response was to drown Misenus in the surf. While the Trojans start building a pyre for Misenus, Aeneas prays for a sign that the Sibyl's other predictions will come true, just like this one did. Venus sends down two doves, reassuring Aeneas. Then Aeneas asks to be shown where the golden bough is. The doves fly off and he follows. Eventually, they lead him to the spot. Aeneas is totally excited, and breaks the bough off the tree. We are told that it "clung" to the tree a bit. Does this mean that Aeneas is acting against fate? Generations of scholars haven't been able to give a conclusive answer. (That's your cue to have at it!) Now armed with the golden bough, Aeneas follows the Sibyl down into the underworld, where they immediately encounter a lot of freaky stuff. Then they come to the banks of the River Styx, where a crowd of souls has assembled, waiting to be ferried across by Charon, the boatman of the underworld. The Sibyl explains that only those who have been buried can cross; those who haven't been must first wait a hundred years on the Styx's banks. At this point, Aeneas catches sight of his lost pilot, Palinurus – now one of the unburied dead crowding the bank, denied age. Aeneas asks Palinurus if Apollo's oracle had lied, and some god had killed him. Palinurus says, "No, no god killed me. The rudder broke while I was leaning on it, and I fell into the water. Then I swam ashore, but some locals killed me." Then Palinurus asks Aeneas to bury him. "Or," he says, "take me across with you." But then the Sibyl cuts him off, saying, "You know that we can't take you. Anyhow, some other locals are going to bury your body soon enough – and then they are going to name that cape of land after you." Palinurus is satisfied with this response. Then up paddles Charon, the ferryman, and addresses Aeneas and the Sibyl as follows: "Whaddaya want?" The Sibyl explains that Aeneas is just going to see his dad. Then she reveals the golden bough. That does the trick, and Charon takes them across. Once they get to the other side, Aeneas and the Sibyl see various dead people. Aeneas sees Dido, and approaches her. He tells her he is sorry, and how it wasn't his fault for leaving her: he was only doing the gods' bidding, just as he is now. But Dido doesn't listen to him. Instead, without a word, she runs off to the shade of her dead husband, Sychaeus. Next Aeneas sees some dead Trojan warriors – plus some Greeks, who scatter when he approaches. Then he catches sight of Deiphobus, a Trojan warrior. His face shows that he has been
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Then he catches sight of Deiphobus, a Trojan warrior. His face shows that he has been cruelly mutilated. Deiphobus, who had married Helen after the death of Paris, says that his wife is to blame. During the fall of Troy, she let her former husband, Menelaus, and Ulysses into their bedroom, and the two of them went at him. He asks what Aeneas is doing there, but before he can answer, the Sibyl taps her watch (OK, points to the sky) and says that they've got to get a move on. Deiphobus says, "That's cool. Peace out." Then Aeneas and the Sibyl come to a place where the road forks. The path on the left leads to Tartarus, the black pit of hell. The one on the right leads toward Elysium, where the blessed go. The Sibyl tells Aeneas about the horrible torments suffered by the souls in Tartarus. Then she tells him again to hurry up. They go to the gates of Proserpina's palace where, after performing a cleansing ritual, he leaves the golden bough. After that, he and the Sibyl head to Elysium – the ultimate chill-out zone, a.k.a. Club Dead. They go up to Musaeus, an ancient singer and poet, and ask where Anchises is. Musaeus directs him to the spot. There they find Anchises watching the souls preparing for rebirth. Aeneas and Anchises share a tearful reunion. Then Aeneas catches sight of the thousands of souls crowding around a nearby river. He asks Anchises, "What gives?" Anchises says that these are souls waiting to be reborn. They are drinking from the River Lethe, whose waters will wipe clean their memory of their previous lives. Aeneas says, "Why would they want to live again?" That's Anchises's cue to have a fatherly talk with Aeneas (a super-special fatherly talk, since Anchises is now dead and knows the secrets of the universe). Anchises explains that everything that exists – including things like the sky, the land, the water, the moon, sun, and stars, as well as living creatures – is permeated with Spirit. This Spirit occasionally becomes part of living things. When this happens, though, the body pollutes the spirit and clouds its vision. Even in death, the spirit retains traces of its old life. As a result, the souls of the dead must spend a good deal of time (sometimes up to a thousand years) being purified (sometimes involving torments), so that they can regain clear vision. (Those who were especially pure in life – like Anchises – get to chill out in Elysium.) Then, when the time comes, the soul of the dead man drinks from the waters of Lethe and enters a new body. Anchises shows Aeneas some of the people waiting to be reborn. These include many future leaders of Rome. First Anchises points out a bunch of Aeneas's immediate descendents. Then he points out of the Julian dynasty, culminating in Caesar Augustus (the first Roman emperor). Then they see various other figures from Roman history, last of whom is Marcellus, who looks a little under the weather. Marcellus was Augustus's nephew, son-in-law, and 14/15 http://www.shmoop.com/aeneid/book-2-summary.html
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looks a little under the weather. Marcellus was Augustus's nephew, son-in-law, and prospective heir; Anchises explains that he looks glum because he is destined to die young, without fulfilling his promise. After this who's-who session, Anchises shows Aeneas a bunch of other cool stuff, including glimpses of the future. This gets Aeneas all fired up for the rest of his mission. But now it's time to wrap things up. Anchises takes Aeneas to the exit of the Underworld: the Gates of Sleep. There are two gates, to be precise. One, made of horn, is the gate from which "true shades" Emerge. The other is made of ivory; through it, "false dreams" make their way to mankind. Aeneas and the Sibyl leave through the ivory gate of false dreams. Why? That's a million dollar question. Unfortunately, we don't have a million dollars to give you.
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The Aeneid Book 2 Summary After some initial hesitation, Aeneas begins to tell the story of Troy's downfall. Everything that follows in this book is told by Aeneas, and so reflects his perspective. Aeneas begins by telling how the Greeks, unable to defeat the Trojans in battle, sail away from Troy. On the beach, they leave behind a giant wooden horse, with Greek warriors hidden inside it – though the Trojans don't know that yet. Something else the Trojans don't know is that the Greeks didn't actually sail home. Instead, they made their way to the nearby island of Tenedos, and parked their navy behind it. The Trojans are amazed at the horse and come out of their city to have a better look at it. Some argue in favor of taking it inside the city. Others say it should be destroyed. Laocoön, a priest, comes down from the city to have a look. He says not to trust anything having to do with the Greeks. He even guesses that there are Greeks hiding inside it, and throws his spear at the horse. It echoes, revealing that it is hollow. The Trojans would have followed Laocoön's lead and destroyed the horse, but they are interrupted by a commotion. It turns out that all the ruckus is coming from some shepherds, who step forward with a prisoner – a Greek! The captive's name is Sinon, and he has a story to tell. Sinon claims to be related to Palamedes, a Greek hero who came to oppose the Trojan War. As a result of this, Palamedes was executed on a trumped-up charge, as a result of Ulysses's (a.k.a. Odysseus's) trickery. Sinon says that because he complained about this injustice, Ulysses had it in for him. He also says that the Greeks tried several times to sail home, but, every time, they were held back by bad weather. He says that their problems only got worse after the horse was built. Finally, they sent a guy called Eurypylus to ask the oracle of Apollo what they should do. The oracle told Eurypylus that a human sacrifice was required for them to get home, just as a human sacrifice was required for them to get to Troy. (Huh? The oracle is referring to the fact that, on the way to Troy the Greek king Agamemnon had to sacrifice his daughter, Iphigeneia, to convince the winds to blow the right way.) As you can imagine, this made everyone pretty nervous. Ulysses asked Calchas, the soothsayer, to interpret the true will of the gods. Calchas kept silent for ten days, but finally caved in to Ulysses's pestering, and named Sinon as the victim. Everyone else was cool with that. When the day of the sacrifice rolled around, however, Sinon managed to escape. In the end, the Greeks sailed off without finding him. http://www.shmoop.com/aeneid/book-2-summary.html
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end, the Greeks sailed off without finding him. So ends Sinon's story. In concluding, he begs the Trojans, in the name of the gods, to spare his life. The Trojans feel pity for Sinon, and Priam orders them to remove his chains. At this point, Priam thinks it's time to ask Sinon about the elephant in the room – that is, the horse on the beach. Sinon first swears that he is no longer loyal to the Greeks. Then he explains how the Greeks' troubles started when Ulysses and Diomedes stole a statuette of Minerva from the Trojan citadel. (You can learn more about this daring raid here.) After they brought the statuette back to camp, however, wacky stuff started happening. The statuette started sweating, flaming, and moving its eyes. Oh yeah, and the goddess herself kept appearing out of the ground amid flashes of lightening. Calchas, the seer, interpreted these events to mean that Troy could not be captured. They would have to sail home and wait for another sign from the gods before making war on it again. According to Sinon, it was on Calchas's orders that they constructed the horse – as a replacement for what they had stolen. He says that the reason they made it so big was so that the Trojans wouldn't be able to take it inside their city. Sinon tells the Trojans that if any of them damage the horse, it will bring destruction on all of Troy. On the other hand, if they take it inside the city, it will bring destruction on all the Greeks (nudge, nudge, wink, wink). Here ends Sinon's second story. At this point, Laocoön, the priest guy who threw the spear at the side of the horse, starts making a sacrifice to Neptune, the god of the sea. All of a sudden, two giant serpents slither out of the sea, crawl up to Laocoön, and strangle him and his two sons to death. (A picture's worth a thousand words.) Then the serpents make their way into Troy, head to Minerva's citadel, and curl up behind the statue's shield. The Trojans interpret this as punishment from the gods for spearing the horse. They decide to take the horse inside the city. They actually have to knock a hole in the wall to bring it in. Everyone is celebrating. Four times the horse jars on its way into the city, and four times the weapons of the Greeks inside clatter. No one notices. The Trojan princess Cassandra, who has the gift of prophesy, tries to prevent them from taking the horse inside the city. Unfortunately, the gods have cursed her so that her predictions will not be believed. As indeed they aren't. Night comes. The Greek fleet sails back from Tenedos. Sinon lets the Greeks out of the horse. They kill the Trojan sentries and open the city gates for their friends who are just arriving at the city. Meanwhile, in the city, Aeneas is asleep. The Trojan warrior Hector appears to him in his dream, all covered in blood and dirt as he was on the day he was killed by the Greek hero Achilles. Hector tells Aeneas that Troy is about to be captured. He tells him to gather up his
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household gods and go found a new city for them. Aeneas wakes up and climbs up to his roof. From there, he hears a terrible clamor, and can see numerous houses burning. His first thought is to arm himself for battle. Then, at his door appears Pantheus, the priest of Apollo, who is carrying some images of the gods, and leading his grandson. Aeneas asks Pantheus where they should take their stand to defend Troy, but Pantheus tells him that the city is done for. All the same, Aeneas rushes into the fight, and gathers up some companions. Together, they fight with suicidal courage. They kill some Greeks and take their equipment. With these disguises, they are able to the ranks of other Greeks and kill them through trickery. But then Coroebus, one of Aeneas's comrades, who also happens to be the husband of Cassandra, sees his wife being dragged out of Minerva's temple by some Greek warriors. Like a man, he rushes into the fight, and everyone else follows. In the chaos, they are hit by a bunch of missiles thrown by Trojans hiding out of top of the temple – they mistook Aeneas and company for Greeks because of their stolen armor. Realizing the Trojans' deception, the Greeks rally, and a furious battle breaks out in front of the temple. Many Trojans are killed, including Coroebus. But then the Trojans are distracted when they realize that Priam's palace is being besieged. Aeneas and some other men sneak in a back entrance to help out. They make their way to the roof, where they knock a tower off onto the Greeks below. But there are too many of them, and they keep coming on. The most fearsome of the Greeks is Neoptolemus, the son of Achilles. Meanwhile, Priam puts on his armor and prepares to face down the Greeks, old and decrepit as he is. When his wife Hecuba sees him, however, she tells him to stop being such a fool. She makes him come over with her and some women who are clinging to an altar for safety. (They are assuming that the Greeks will not violate the holiness of the place.) Just then, Polites, one of Priam's sons, rushes in, wounded, with Neoptolemus in pursuit. Neoptolemus catches up to him and kills him. Enraged, Priam prepares to attack Neoptolemus. Priam reminds Neoptolemus about how his father, Achilles, once had pity on him when he gave Hector's body back for burial. (This scene is described in Book 23 of Homer's Iliad.) Priam tells Neoptolemus that his horrible behavior makes it seem as if he isn't a true son of Achilles. Priam feebly attacks his younger foe, but does not succeed in wounding him. Instead, Neoptolemus drags Priam through the blood of his son to the altar, and kills him there. Aeneas, who has been watching this whole scene, suddenly thinks of his own father, Anchises. On his way home, he runs into Helen. She is trying to hide, afraid of both the Trojans and the Greeks. Aeneas is about to kill her, when his mother, Venus, appears and tells him not to blame http://www.shmoop.com/aeneid/book-2-summary.html
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The Aeneid Book 2 Summary Aeneas is about to kill her, when his mother, Venus, appears and tells him not to blame her. She says that what is happening to Troy is not Helen's fault; it is the will of the gods. Venus takes the mist away from Aeneas's sight so he can see various gods at work destroying the city. Then Aeneas runs home, finds his father, and tells him to get ready: they're going to head for the hills! But Anchises refuses. He says that he has lived and suffered long enough. Creusa, Aeneas's wife, and Ascanius, his son, try to bring Anchises around, but he keeps refusing. Finally, Aeneas gathers his weapons in order to go out and die fighting. Creusa tells him to take her and Ascanius along with him. Just then, flames burst out of Ascanius's head, but do not burn him. Anchises prays for a sign from the gods, and suddenly a shooting star flashes overhead. Anchises accepts the sign and decides to go with Aeneas. Now thinking of survival instead of suicide, Aeneas takes his father on his shoulders. He gives his father the images of the household gods to carry. Then he takes Ascanius by the hand. After Aeneas tells some servants that they will meet up at a certain cypress tree by an inland gate of the city, they head off, with Creusa following behind. In a moment of confusion, however, Aeneas ducks down some alleyways, and Creusa gets lost. Aeneas doesn't realize this until they get to the cypress tree. He goes back alone through the flaming city, looking for her, but does not find her. Suddenly, her ghost appears and tells him that it is too late. She tells him to go to where the Tiber river flows (i.e., in Italy). There he will get a new kingdom – and a new wife. Aeneas accepts Creusa's words and heads back to the cypress tree, where many refugees have now gathered. Together, they set out on their voyage.
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Aeneas and his followers take refuge beneath Mount Ida, in the neighborhood of Troy. There they set to work building a fleet. When the summer rolls around, they sail off. First they head for Thrace, a region once allied with Troy. Aeneas plots out a settlement on the coast. Then he prepares to make a sacrifice. But when he tries to pick some myrtle saplings to make a shelter for the altar, something strange happens: blood spurts out from the roots of the tree. He tries again, and more blood spurts out. Understandably freaked out, he makes some prayers. Then he tries for a third time. This time, a voice speaks up from the ground, saying, "Hey! It's me, Polydorus, a Trojan. Some guys killed me with a bunch of spears, which then took root and turned into myrtle trees." What? You couldn't figure that out for yourself? As it turns out, King Priam of Troy sent Polydorus to Thrace a while back with a shipment of gold. He was to give the gold to the king of Thrace for safekeeping while the Trojan war http://www.shmoop.com/aeneid/book-2-summary.html
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of gold. He was to give the gold to the king of Thrace for safekeeping while the Trojan war raged on. Unfortunately, the Thracian king decided to take the gold for himself, which is why he had Polydorus killed. After a brief consultation, Aeneas and the other leaders decide that this probably isn't the best place to start a new city. Before sailing off, they hold funeral rites for Polydorus. Next they sail to the island of Delos, where there is an oracle of the god Apollo. The oracle tells them to go to the original home of the Trojan people. There they will found an empire that will rule the shores of the world for generations to come. Cool. But where's the original home of the Trojan people? Aeneas's dad, Anchises, knows: "Many years ago," he explains, "a guy named Teucrus came from Crete. He sailed from there to Asia Minor, where he founded Troy. We should head for Crete." Which is exactly where they go. And found a city. Sweet. Or…maybe not. The Trojans are only there for a little while when a plague strikes them and their crops and the sun dries up all the water. (Way to go, Dad.) Anchises says that Aeneas should go back to Delos and ask the oracle for an explanation. That night, while Aeneas is sleeping, the household gods start talking to him. They tell him to go to Italy, where another ancestor of the Trojans – Dardanus, Teucrus's son-inlaw – came from. The next day, Aeneas tells the prophecy to Anchises, who says, "You're right, my bad. Let's go to Italy." And off they go. Things are going pretty well for a while, but then the fleet gets caught in three days of storms. Eventually, they succeed in making their way to an island. What they don't know is that it is inhabited by the Harpies – disgusting flying bird creatures with the faces of women. But all the Trojans see is all the livestock roaming the shore unattended. To them, this can mean only one thing: BBQ time! Unfortunately, when they go ashore to grab some dinner, the harpies swoop in and defile the meat with their filthiness. The Trojans try to fight them, but they just fly away. Then Celaeno, the queen Harpy tells them that they will make it to Italy alright, "but as for what you did to my livestock – your reward will be terrible hunger. In fact, you guys are going to get so hungry that you're going to end up eating your tables!" Yikes. After making prayers to avert this calamity, the men set sail again, and eventually make it to the Leucas region of western Greece. They stay there for the winter, and then set sail again. Next they come to Chaonia in Epirus – a region of Northwestern Greece. Here they learn that Helenus, a son of the Trojan King Priam, has ended up ruling over some Greek cities. They also learn that he has married Andromache, who used to be the wife of the Trojan hero Hector (deceased). On their way to find them, who should they run into but…Andromache herself, making sacrifice at a shrine she has made to her dead husband Hector. Even though she faints when she sees them, when she wakes up she is full of information. She tells them that, after the fall of Troy, she was enslaved by Achilles's son Neoptolemus. http://www.shmoop.com/aeneid/book-2-summary.html
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She tells them that, after the fall of Troy, she was enslaved by Achilles's son Neoptolemus. But he soon got tired of her and took a Spartan woman, Hermione, for his wife. At this point, he married her off to her fellow captive Trojan Helenus. Then Agamemnon's son, Orestes, who was in love with Hermione, killed Neoptolemus; for some reasons that aren't entirely clear, Helenus inherited some land as a result of this, which is why he and Andromache have ended up as king and queen in this part of Epirus. Then Helenus himself shows up. He leads them back to the city, which turns out to be a miniature replica of Troy. After they stay there for a few days, Aeneas asks Helenus – who has the gift of prophecy – to tell them what's in store for them. Helenus makes some sacrifices, and then starts telling them a lot of cool stuff. He says that, for the most part, things are looking good. Then he gives them a list of things to watch out for. He also tells them that, whenever they see a giant white sow suckling 30 white piglets, they'll know that they've found their new homeland. Then he gives them some more advice, and tells them to steer clear of the narrows between Sicily and mainland Italy – that's where Scylla and Charybdis lurk. But Helenus still isn't finished. Now he tells them to keep praying to Juno – maybe they'll win her over eventually. Also, he says once they get to Italy, they should head for the town of Cumae. There, they should consult with the Sibyl, a priestess and oracle. After this, Helenus gives them all gifts, with some special gifts for Anchises. Andromache also gives them gifts, with special stuff for Ascanius, who reminds her of her dead son. Then the Trojans sail off. First they go to Ceraunia, further up the coast of Greece. From there, it's only a hop, skip, and a jump to the East coast of Italy. There they make a brief a pit stop, and then head off again. They follow the coast of Italy south, and round the boot. Soon afterward, they feel the sea getting choppy. Anchises realizes that they're close to Scylla and Charybdis. He tells them to head away from it. They get away safely – but are headed to the island of the Cyclopes, better known as Sicily. (For information on the Cyclopes, check out this website.) The volcanic Mt. Aetna is rumbling nearby, making things all the more spooky. They make camp and spend the night in the forest. In the morning, an emaciated man comes up to them out of the mist. It turns out he is a Greek named Achaemenides. Even though he is scared at first to fall in with a bunch of Trojans, he suddenly comes forward and throws himself at their mercy. He tells them that if they kill him, it would be OK. "So long as I die at the hands of humans, it's no big deal." It turns out that Achaemenides was a sailor from the fleet of Ulysses (a.k.a. Odysseus), who was left behind. He narrowly escaped from the Cyclops's lair, and has been hiding out in the forest for the past three months. (If you don't know what happened when Ulysses/Odysseus encountered the Cyclops, check out our summary of Book IX of
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The Aeneid Book 2 Summary
Homer's Odyssey.) He tells the Trojans to sail away from there like their life depends on it – which it does. He repeats that they can kill him if they want. At this point, who should come galumphing down to the water but Polyphemus – the Cyclops Ulysses/Odysseus blinded! Aeneas and his crew put the pedal to the metal – that is, the paddle to the puddle – and get away in the nick of time. They take Achaemenides with them. Then they keep sailing around the south coast of Sicily. When they stop at the city of Drepanum, tragedy strikes again: Aeneas's father Anchises dies. After this, Aeneas and company make their way to Carthage. This is the end of Aeneas's story. Page 3
If she had a bit of a crush on him before, now that Aeneas has finished his story, Dido totally has the hots for him. The next morning, she confides in her sister, Anna. She says that even though she swore she would never love anyone after her dead husband, Sychaeus, she seriously wants to get with Aeneas. But she decides she can't do that. Anna says, "What do the dead care if you're faithful or not? Anyway, Carthage is surrounded by enemies. We could use a strong alliance. At least get the Trojans to stay for the winter." The days , and Dido becomes more and more in love. The city's building projects stall with no one to oversee them. The goddess Juno, seeing what is going on, recognizes Venus's fingerprints all over it. She takes the matter up with Venus, and suggests they get Dido and Aeneas to marry. Venus – who knows that Juno wants to keep the Trojans down – says that they should maybe check with Jupiter first. Juno says, "Leave it to me. But first, let's do some matchmaking. Soon, Dido and Aeneas are going to go out hunting. While they're out there, I'll whip up some rain, so they will have to take shelter together in a cave. Then we'll put on some Barry White – or the equivalent – and wait for the magic to happen." Things go according to plan, the magic happens, and Dido begins to see herself and Aeneas as married. (Notice a certain lack of symmetry?) But Rumor – described as a weird winged goddess with as many eyes and tongues as feathers – can't up a juicy story like that. Eventually, word makes its way to the North African king Iarbas, whose father is Jupiter, and who was once rejected by Dido. Iarbas doesn't like this one bit, and complains to his daddy about it. Hearing his son's complaint, Jupiter takes a good look at what is going on down in Carthage. Then he sends the god Mercury to go and ask Aeneas, "What's the deal?" and http://www.shmoop.com/aeneid/book-2-summary.html
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remind him that he's supposed to be founding a city in Italy. Mercury heads down and finds Aeneas supervising the construction of Carthage's walls, all the while sporting some fancy-pants Carthaginian duds. Mercury es along Jupiter's message, and tells Aeneas to think about his son Ascanius, and what sort of legacy he is going to leave him. Then Mercury flies off, leaving Aeneas to say, "Dang." He tells the other Trojans to get the fleet ready for departure. He tries to keep the preparations secret, but Dido gets wind of it and becomes royally angry. When she confronts Aeneas about it, Aeneas is like, "OK. It's true, I am leaving. But we're not married, and I've got to go found a city in Italy. My dad keeps appearing to me in my dreams and pestering me about it; I've got to leave a legacy for Ascanius; and now the messenger of the gods has told me to get a move on. It's not my fault." As you might expect, Dido doesn't take this too well. In fact, she tells him to get lost – and that she hopes his ship sinks. Then Dido runs off and faints; her maids carry her back to her bedroom. The Trojans keep getting ready to set sail. When Dido comes to, she sees them, and tells her sister Anna to go and tell them to wait for better winds at least. Anna goes and tells him, but Aeneas won't listen. Dido then gets troubled by a bunch of weird happenings. For example, water blackens on her altars, and wine turns to blood. Voices seem to arise from the shrine of her dead husband. It seems that everything is going to Hades in a hand basket. Dido decides to commit suicide. Dido tells Anna to prepare a pyre, claiming she only wants it to burn some things that Aeneas has left behind. That night, Dido ponders again what she should do. She considers following the Trojans, but decides against it. She reaffirms to herself her intention to commit suicide. Now she is also motivated by guilt at having been unfaithful to the memory of Sychaeus. Meanwhile, Aeneas is sleeping on the stern of his beached ship. Mercury comes down and tells him, in a dream, to get a move on. Aeneas wakes up, tells the other Trojans to sail out. They do. Then Dido wakes up and sees the Trojans leaving. She wishes she had killed Aeneas when she had the chance. She prays that his mission will fail, and this her people and his will become enemies. (We know from subsequent Roman history – i.e., the Punic Wars – that her wish will come true.) Then Dido sends her sister's old nurse to tell Anna to get a pyre ready; she claims that she wants to burn some stuff that Aeneas left behind. After Anna builds the pyre, Dido climbs on top of it and stabs herself with a sword once given to her by Aeneas. http://www.shmoop.com/aeneid/book-2-summary.html
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given to her by Aeneas. Anna climbs onto the pyre herself and tries to save the dying Dido, but it is too late. Juno sends down Iris, the messenger of the gods, to take a lock of Dido's hair and prepare her for death. Iris does this, and Dido dies.
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As they are sailing away, the Trojans see a huge fire burning on the shore. They can guess what it is coming from. (Dido's funeral pyre.) Shortly afterward – as seems to happen whenever the Trojans set out anywhere – a storm comes up, and they decide to head for shore. They land in Sicily, coincidentally, at exactly the spot where they buried Anchises – coincidentally again, exactly one year before. This is in the region of Sicily ruled by Acestes, another exile from Troy. Aeneas decrees a feast day and ritual commemoration of his father. He also says that in nine days they will hold athletic contests in the man's honor. Then, while Aeneas is making ritual offerings to his father, something weird happens: a giant snake crawls out of the Anchises's burial mound and curls up around it. Then it slithers around all the ritual objects, eats off the altar, and then heads back under the tomb. Aeneas wonders if the snake is a local god, or if it is the spirit of his father. He proceeds with the sacrifice anyway. When the ninth day after that rolls around, it is time for some athletic contests. Both Trojans and local Sicilians are competing. The first event is a boat-race. The idea is for the competitors – teams of rowers in long galleys – to sail out to sea, round a certain half-submerged rock designated as the turning post, and then be the first to make it back to shore. Four ships are competing. On the way out, the ship commanded by a man called Gyas is in the lead. He keeps telling his pilot (the guy who mans the tiller) to come in close around the rock, but Menoetes (that's the guy's name) is afraid of crashing, and makes a wide turn. This gives Cloanthus, the captain of the next ship, to squeeze in between Gyas and the rock, making a sharper turn that puts him in the lead for the homestretch. Gyas is so mad that he throws Menoetes overboard and takes the tiller himself. Menoetes swims over to the rock and climbs on top of it. The two ships in the rear are commanded by guys named Sergestus and Mnestheus. Sergestus is in front – until he gets greedy, tries to cut the turn too close, and smashes up his oars against the rock. Mnestheus rounds the turn ahead of him. Next Mnestheus es Gyas, who is having trouble acting as captain and pilot at the same time. Now Mnestheus and Cloanthus are competing for first place. Cloanthus prays to the sea-gods for help. Sure enough, a bunch of divinities show up to help him on his way to victory. Cloanthus comes in first, followed by Mnestheus, with Gyas coming after him, and
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Cloanthus comes in first, followed by Mnestheus, with Gyas coming after him, and Sergestus bringing up the rear in his disabled craft. Aeneas gives prizes to each of them. The next event is a footrace. It looks like a guy called Nisus is going to win it, but then he slips in some blood and guts left over from one of the sacrificial animals. When he falls, he makes sure to trip up the guy behind him, so his boyfriend Euryalus can speed ahead to victory. After the race, the guy tripped up by Nisus demands a consolation prize. So does Nisus. Aeneas obliges both of them. Next comes boxing. The first challenger to stand up is a Trojan guy named Dares. For a long time, nobody has the guts to take him on, but then, after some prodding, a Sicilian old-timer named Entellus steps up. The fight goes on pretty evenly at first, though then Entellus puts all his weight into a punch he fails to land, and falls right on his face. King Acestes comes and helps him up. The fight goes on, however, and now that Entellus's pride has been hurt he starts giving Dares a royal thumping. Eventually, Aeneas steps in to stop the fight. As a pretext, he tells everyone that the gods must be ing Entellus, and that their will must be followed. (Though we haven't seen any indication that the gods were helping him.) When Entellus claims his prize, a bull, to prove he's still got it he punches the creature between the horns, shattering its skull, killing it. Next comes the archery contest. Aeneas raises the mast of a ship on the plain. To the top is tethered a bird, which flaps around helplessly. The idea is to shoot the bird. (Between this contest and Entellus's bull-bashing, it's clear that the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals would have had a field-day with the ancient Trojans.) A guy called Hippocoön shoots first. He hits the mast, but misses the bird. Next, Mnestheus shoots. He misses the bird, but cuts the cord. The bird flutters away. Now it is Eurytion's turn. He is the brother of Pandarus, a famous Trojan archer who died in the war against the Greeks. After saying a prayer to the spirit of his brother, Eurytion takes aim, shoots, and hits the escaping bird. Last up is the Sicilian King Acestes, who now has nothing to shoot at. Just to prove he still has strength in him, he shoots an arrow into the air. In mid-flight, the arrow catches fire and turns into a shooting star. Aeneas gives Acestes first prize. Second prize goes to Eurytion, third to Mnestheus, and fourth to Hippocoön. Next, the youth take part in a display of cavalry maneuvers. Then things take a turn for the worse. Determined to stir up trouble, Juno sends Iris, the messenger of the gods, down to where the Trojan women are gathered on the shore. There, they are lamenting the journeys that await them. Iris takes the form of a Trojan woman, Beroe. In this disguise, she plays to the women's discontent, and tells them to burn the ships. She adds that Cassandra appeared to her in a dream, and instructed her to do so. http://www.shmoop.com/aeneid/book-2-summary.html 10/15
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dream, and instructed her to do so. Then Iris hurls a torch at one of the ships. One of the Trojan women, Pyrgo, shouts out that the woman standing before them can't be Beroe, who is sick – it has to be a goddess! If there was any doubt about that, it vanishes when Iris springs back up to the heavens. Although the women are at first confused about what to do, it isn't long before they start burning the ships. When word reaches the men, Ascanius is the first to rush back to the shore, on horseback. The others come hurrying after. The women, ashamed of what they have done, disperse, but it is too late: the ships are ablaze. In desperation, Aeneas prays to Jupiter: "Either save the ships or strike me dead with a lightning bolt." Jupiter sends a storm and the rain quenches the fires. All but four ships are saved. After this disturbing incident, Aeneas is confused about what to do. Nantes, a wise old Trojan, suggests that they should leave behind in Sicily the number of people the burned ships would have carried. They can leave the women and the old, who can found a new city in Sicily. Aeneas isn't sure about this, but then, in the sky, he sees an image of Anchises. The image tells him to follow Nantes's plan. It says that a difficult war awaits them in Italy, meaning they should take only their toughest warriors. Also, it says that, upon arriving in Italy, he will first have to visit the underworld, where he will learn the future of his people. He will also see his father's spirit, which is in Elysium, the abode of the blessed, not Tartarus, the black pit where the souls of evil men go. Then the apparition vanishes. The next day, Aeneas takes up the proposal with Acestes, who is fine with letting the Trojans stay in his land. They make up a list of everyone who is staying behind, and Aeneas plots out their new city. (This guy's a serious control-freak.) A few days later, after much feasting together, Aeneas and the remaining ships head out. At this point, Venus, who has been watching everything, turns to Neptune and asks that Aeneas be granted safe age to Italy. Neptune says that Aeneas will get there safely, only losing one man. Then he calms the sea. That night, after a day of calm sailing, the rowers are relaxing on their benches. Palinurus, the pilot, is still awake, making sure everything is running smoothly. Then, all of a sudden, Somnus, the god of sleep, descends from the heavens and takes the form of Phorbas, another Trojan. In this disguise, he tries to convince Palinurus to go to sleep. Palinurus says, "No way, I've got to keep my eyes on the road. It's pretty wet, after all." But then the god shakes some dew off the magical bough he carries in his hand. This dew,
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from the River Lethe in the underworld, makes Palinurus incredibly sleepy. Finally, Palinurus tumbles overboard, breaking off a piece of the stern and rudder and taking them with him. He calls for help but no one hears him. The ship sails on, and a little while later is ing by the rocks where the Sirens hang out. Aeneas hears the surf breaking off the rocks, and takes the helm. He laments the loss of his friend, but blames him for trusting too much in a calm sea. Page 5
Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet? SIMMER DOWN ALREADY. Yes. Aeneas arrives in Italy. Like many a globetrotter after him, Aeneas's first visit is to the local tourist office – meaning, of course, the cave of the Sibyl, a prophetess who owes her power to the god Apollo. When Aeneas arrives at her temple, which was built by the famous inventor Daedalus (click here and scroll down to read all about him). He spends some time iring the doors of the temple, also built by Daedalus. These depict various mythological scenes. Something they don't depict is the death of Daedalus's son Icarus (read that link above to get the scoop). Virgil tells us that Daedalus twice tried to fashion a depiction of his death in gold, but both times was overcome by emotion. Then out of the temple comes Achates, who had gone ahead, with the Sibyl. The Sibyl tells him stop iring the doors and sacrifice seven young bulls and seven ewes. Aeneas es along the orders to his men to make it happen. Then, the Sibyl takes them into her inner shrine. There, she becomes possessed by the god Apollo, and instructs Aeneas to pray. After that, the Sibyl busts out some prophecies. Specifically, she says that things are going be tough: they will have to fight a war to secure their territory in Italy. She predicts that a new Achilles will arise in the territory of Latium. (Achilles was the greatest of the Greek warriors fighting against Troy in the Trojan War.) The Sibyl then says that the war will arise as a result of a foreign bride. She says that the Trojans will find safety from an unexpected source: a Greek city. (If this all sounds kind of weird, don't worry, prophecies are supposed to sound weird.) After receiving this prophecy, Aeneas prays to be allowed to descend to the underworld, so that he can visit his father. The Sibyl says that the way down to the underworld is easy, it's coming back out that's the tricky part. She says that Aeneas must go deep into the forest and, in darkest and most secluded part, find a tree sprouting a golden bough. He must pluck this bough and bring it as a gift to Proserpina, the queen of the underworld. She says that only those who are fated to can pluck the bough: it won't come off for those who try to force it. But then the Sibyl reveals a snag. She says that the Trojans have become defiled and have to purify themselves. This is because one of their number has died and remains unburied. http://www.shmoop.com/aeneid/book-2-summary.html
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The Sibyl says they have to find out who it is, bury him, and then sacrifice some black animals. Then Aeneas can go down to the underworld. You might have thought that the unburied dead guy was Palinurus, but actually it's some guy named Misenus. He had apparently made the mistake of thinking he was better at blowing his conch shell than the sea god Triton. Gods don't take kindly to that sort of boast, and Triton's response was to drown Misenus in the surf. While the Trojans start building a pyre for Misenus, Aeneas prays for a sign that the Sibyl's other predictions will come true, just like this one did. Venus sends down two doves, reassuring Aeneas. Then Aeneas asks to be shown where the golden bough is. The doves fly off and he follows. Eventually, they lead him to the spot. Aeneas is totally excited, and breaks the bough off the tree. We are told that it "clung" to the tree a bit. Does this mean that Aeneas is acting against fate? Generations of scholars haven't been able to give a conclusive answer. (That's your cue to have at it!) Now armed with the golden bough, Aeneas follows the Sibyl down into the underworld, where they immediately encounter a lot of freaky stuff. Then they come to the banks of the River Styx, where a crowd of souls has assembled, waiting to be ferried across by Charon, the boatman of the underworld. The Sibyl explains that only those who have been buried can cross; those who haven't been must first wait a hundred years on the Styx's banks. At this point, Aeneas catches sight of his lost pilot, Palinurus – now one of the unburied dead crowding the bank, denied age. Aeneas asks Palinurus if Apollo's oracle had lied, and some god had killed him. Palinurus says, "No, no god killed me. The rudder broke while I was leaning on it, and I fell into the water. Then I swam ashore, but some locals killed me." Then Palinurus asks Aeneas to bury him. "Or," he says, "take me across with you." But then the Sibyl cuts him off, saying, "You know that we can't take you. Anyhow, some other locals are going to bury your body soon enough – and then they are going to name that cape of land after you." Palinurus is satisfied with this response. Then up paddles Charon, the ferryman, and addresses Aeneas and the Sibyl as follows: "Whaddaya want?" The Sibyl explains that Aeneas is just going to see his dad. Then she reveals the golden bough. That does the trick, and Charon takes them across. Once they get to the other side, Aeneas and the Sibyl see various dead people. Aeneas sees Dido, and approaches her. He tells her he is sorry, and how it wasn't his fault for leaving her: he was only doing the gods' bidding, just as he is now. But Dido doesn't listen to him. Instead, without a word, she runs off to the shade of her dead husband, Sychaeus. Next Aeneas sees some dead Trojan warriors – plus some Greeks, who scatter when he approaches. Then he catches sight of Deiphobus, a Trojan warrior. His face shows that he has been
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Then he catches sight of Deiphobus, a Trojan warrior. His face shows that he has been cruelly mutilated. Deiphobus, who had married Helen after the death of Paris, says that his wife is to blame. During the fall of Troy, she let her former husband, Menelaus, and Ulysses into their bedroom, and the two of them went at him. He asks what Aeneas is doing there, but before he can answer, the Sibyl taps her watch (OK, points to the sky) and says that they've got to get a move on. Deiphobus says, "That's cool. Peace out." Then Aeneas and the Sibyl come to a place where the road forks. The path on the left leads to Tartarus, the black pit of hell. The one on the right leads toward Elysium, where the blessed go. The Sibyl tells Aeneas about the horrible torments suffered by the souls in Tartarus. Then she tells him again to hurry up. They go to the gates of Proserpina's palace where, after performing a cleansing ritual, he leaves the golden bough. After that, he and the Sibyl head to Elysium – the ultimate chill-out zone, a.k.a. Club Dead. They go up to Musaeus, an ancient singer and poet, and ask where Anchises is. Musaeus directs him to the spot. There they find Anchises watching the souls preparing for rebirth. Aeneas and Anchises share a tearful reunion. Then Aeneas catches sight of the thousands of souls crowding around a nearby river. He asks Anchises, "What gives?" Anchises says that these are souls waiting to be reborn. They are drinking from the River Lethe, whose waters will wipe clean their memory of their previous lives. Aeneas says, "Why would they want to live again?" That's Anchises's cue to have a fatherly talk with Aeneas (a super-special fatherly talk, since Anchises is now dead and knows the secrets of the universe). Anchises explains that everything that exists – including things like the sky, the land, the water, the moon, sun, and stars, as well as living creatures – is permeated with Spirit. This Spirit occasionally becomes part of living things. When this happens, though, the body pollutes the spirit and clouds its vision. Even in death, the spirit retains traces of its old life. As a result, the souls of the dead must spend a good deal of time (sometimes up to a thousand years) being purified (sometimes involving torments), so that they can regain clear vision. (Those who were especially pure in life – like Anchises – get to chill out in Elysium.) Then, when the time comes, the soul of the dead man drinks from the waters of Lethe and enters a new body. Anchises shows Aeneas some of the people waiting to be reborn. These include many future leaders of Rome. First Anchises points out a bunch of Aeneas's immediate descendents. Then he points out of the Julian dynasty, culminating in Caesar Augustus (the first Roman emperor). Then they see various other figures from Roman history, last of whom is Marcellus, who looks a little under the weather. Marcellus was Augustus's nephew, son-in-law, and 14/15 http://www.shmoop.com/aeneid/book-2-summary.html
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looks a little under the weather. Marcellus was Augustus's nephew, son-in-law, and prospective heir; Anchises explains that he looks glum because he is destined to die young, without fulfilling his promise. After this who's-who session, Anchises shows Aeneas a bunch of other cool stuff, including glimpses of the future. This gets Aeneas all fired up for the rest of his mission. But now it's time to wrap things up. Anchises takes Aeneas to the exit of the Underworld: the Gates of Sleep. There are two gates, to be precise. One, made of horn, is the gate from which "true shades" Emerge. The other is made of ivory; through it, "false dreams" make their way to mankind. Aeneas and the Sibyl leave through the ivory gate of false dreams. Why? That's a million dollar question. Unfortunately, we don't have a million dollars to give you.
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