3. Settings
Vergil begins his story in
the years following the
final sack of Troy.
Carthage (a city in northern
Africa)
,Sicily, Italy, Underworld
4. Characters
Mortals (Major)
• Aeneas
– The protagonist of the Aeneid.
– the son of the Trojan mortal Anchises and
Venus (the goddess of beauty and erotic
love).
– He is a fearsome warrior and a leader. A
man capable of great compassion and
sorrow.
5. Characters
Mortals (Major)
• Dido
– The queen of Carthage and lover of Aeneas.
– Was the wife of the murdered
king, Sychaeus who was killed by his own
brother –Pygmalion.
– The confident and competent ruler of
Carthage
6. Characters
Mortals (Major)
• Turnus
– Juno’s protégés
– he ruler of the Rutulians in Italy.
– Aeneas’s major antagonist among mortals.
– He is brash and fearless, a capable soldier
who values his honor over his life.
8. Characters
Mortals (Minor)
• Creusa
– Aeneas’s wife at Troy.
– Creusa is lost and killed as her family
attempts to flee the city.
– She tells Aeneas he will find a new wife at
his new home.
10. Characters
Mortals (Minor)
• Sinon
– The Greek youth who pretends to have been
left behind at the end of the Trojan War.
– He persuades the Trojans to take in the
wooden horse as an offering to Minerva,
then lets out the warriors trapped inside the
horse’s belly.
11. Mortals (Minor)
Characters
• Latinus
– The king of Laurentum (a region of Latium, in
Italy)
• Lavinia
- Latinus’s daughter.
- The question of who will marry Lavinia—
Turnus or Aeneas—becomes key to future
relations between the Latins and the Trojans
and therefore the Aeneid’s entire historical
scheme.
12. Characters
Mortals (Minor)
• Amata
– wife of Latinus.
– Amata opposes the marriage of Lavinia, her
daughter, to Aeneas.
– Amata kills herself once it is clear that
Aeneas is destined to win.
13. Mortals (Minor)
Characters
• Evander
– King of Pallanteum (a region of Arcadia, in
Italy)
– a sworn enemy of the Latins ( ruled by
Latinus)
– Aeneas befriends him and secures his
assistance in the battles against Turnus.
• Pallas - Son of Evander
14. Characters
Mortals (Minor)
• Drancës
– A Latin leader who desires an end to the
Trojan-Latin struggle.
• Camilla
– The leader of the Volscians, a race of
warrior maidens.
15. Characters
Mortals (Minor)
• Juturna
– Turnus’s sister.
– inducing a full-scale battle between the
Latins and the Trojans by disguising herself
as an officer and goading the Latins after a
treaty has already been reached.
• Achates
– A Trojan and a personal friend of Aeneas.
16. Characters
Gods and Godesses (Roman)
• Juno (Hera)
– Queen of the Gods
– the wife and sister of Jupiter
– daughter of Saturn.
– hates the Trojans because of Paris’s judgment
against her in a beauty contest.
– patron of Carthage
– She takes out her anger on Aeneas throughout the
epic, and in her wrath acts as his primary divine
antagonist.
17. Characters
Gods and Godesses (Roman)
• Venus (Aphrodite)
– Goddess of Love
– mother of Aeneas
– a benefactor of the Trojans.
18. Characters
Gods and Godesses (Roman)
• Jupiter (Zeus)
– King of the Gods
– son of Saturn
• Neptune (Poseidon)
– God of the Sea
– an ally of Venus and Aeneas
20. Characters
Gods and Godesses (Roman)
• Cupid (Eros)
– A son of Venus and the god of erotic desire
• Saturn (Chronos)
– The father of the Gods
21. Characters
Gods and Godesses (Roman)
• Vulcan (Hephaestus)
– God of fire and the forge
– husband of Venus
• Tiberinus
– river god associated
with the Tiber River
22. Characters
Gods and Godesses (Roman)
• Minerva (Athena)
– The goddess who protects the Greeks during
the Trojan War
– against the Trojans
• Allecto
– One of the Furies, or deities who avenge sins
– sent by Juno in Book VII to incite the Latin
people to war against the Trojans
23. Book I
Summary
Aeneas and surviving Trojans flees to Italy.
Juno harbors anger toward Aeneas
• Pr ophecy: t he r ace descended f r om t he Tr oj ans w l l som
i
eday
dest r oy C t hage (Juno’s f avor i t e ci t y).
ar
• Par i s j udged Juno’s r i val Venus f ai r est i n a di vi ne beaut y
cont est .
Juno cal l s on Aeol us, t he god of t he w nds, di r ect i ng hi m
i
t o br i ng a gr eat st or m dow upon Aeneas as he sai l s
n
sout h of Si ci l y.
Venus appears to Aeneas
• Tel l s hi m about Sychaeus (D do’s husband) deat h.
i
• Advi ces hi m t o go t o D do (Q
i
ueen of C t hage) t o ask hel p
ar
f r om t he ef f ect of t he gr eat st or m
.
Cupid, God of Love (sent by Venus)
• D sgui sed as Ascani us (Aeneas’ son).
i
• M
ade D do f al l i n l ove t o Aeneas.
i
24. Book II
Summary
[After cause of the Trojan War (Aeneas – Dido)]
Sinon, the chosen sacrifice of the Greeks to Minerva
• D i ng t he pr epar at i on he escaped.
ur
• Br ought a gi ant w
ooden hor se
That Night…
• G eek w r i or s i nsi de t he hor se’s bel l y sl aught er ed
r
ar
Tr oj ans
• H or – Aeneas [t hr ough a dr eam = i nf or m t hat Tr oy
ect
]
ed
i s i nf i l t r at ed.
• G eeks br eak i nt o t he pal ace l ed by Pyr r hus.
r
Pyr r hus ki l l ed Pol i t es (son of Pr i am and H
ecuba) and
Ki ng Pr i am
.
Aeneas was determined to kill Helen, the cause of war
• Venus appear s and advi ces hi m t o f l ee f r om Tr oy si nce
25. Summary
Book II
Aeneas together with his family flees away
• C eusa (Aeneas’ w f e) w l ost f r om t he gr oup.
r
i
as
• Aeneas sear ches f or her af t er t he com ot i on but i nst ead
m
he m s her spi r i t . She t el l s hi m not t o be sor r ow ul
eet
f
because a new hom and w f e aw t hi m i n H
e
i
ai
esper i a.
• Aeneas l eaves Tr oy.
26. Book III
Summary
[Still aftermath of the Trojan War]
Trojans leaves Troy
At Delos, Apollo speaks to Aeneas, instructing him to go to the
land of his ancestors.
• The gods of Tr oy appear t o Aeneas i n a dr eam and hi m t hat
I t al y i s t he pl ace Apol l o r ef er r i ng t o.
Resting on a beach of Sicily, they encountered Cyclops (oneeyed monsters) where Aeneas’ father died.
They landed lastly at Tyre.
Aeneas concludes his story to Dido
27. Book IV
Summary
Juno pretends to have peacemaking with Venus
• D do’s l ove f or Aeneas as a w t o keep Aeneas f r om
i
ay
goi ng t o I t al y.
Dido and Aeneas gone hunting
Juno brings storm upon them.
• They went to the cave.
Jupiter sent Mercury
• To remind Aeneas his fate in Italy
Aeneas flees secretly yet Dido sees it.
Dido kills herself.
28. Book V
Summary
Trojans stays to the Sicilian Port of Eryx.
• I n honor of Aeneus’ one year deat h anni ver sar y he
suggest s t o Acest es (r ul er ) f or ei ght days of
sacr i f i ci al of f er i ngs and on t he ni nt h day of
com i t i ve gam (r ow ng, r unni ng, ar cher y and
pet
es
i
boxi ng)
Juno- Iris (messenger)
• I r i s per suaded a Tr oj an w an set s f i r e t o t he
om
shi ps.
• Aeneus pr ayed t o Jupi t er and a r ai nst or m occur r ed.
His father appears and tells Aeneus he has a difficult foe at
Latium. Auneus was left confused.
29. Summary
Book VI
Trojan arrives on the shores of Italy.
Sibyl, priestess of Italy
• Golden branch in the forest
Aeneas goes Underworld (alond with Sibyl)
• He sees Dido in the ‘Fields of Mourning’
• Along the ‘Blessed Groves’ he sees Anchises (his father).
• Anchises tells Aeneas the explictation of his lineage in Italy;
Romulus will found Rome and Rome will reach a Golden
Age.
Aeneas returns on land.
30. Book VII
The Kingdom of Latium
•
•
•
•
Summary
Latinus- King of Latins
Lavinia- daughter of Latnius; has many suitors
Prophet’s Prediction: a foreign army will conquer the kingdom
Oracle of Faunus: Lavinia should marry a forigner
The Foundation of the New City
• Aeneas: requests (to Latinus) a share of land
• Latnius: suggests Aeneas to marry his daughter
Allecto, one of the Furies
• Sent by Juno to make Queen Amata oppose the
marriage of Lavinia and Aeneas.
• Inflames Turnus to drive out the Trojans in Italy.
31. Book VIII
Tiberinus, the River God
Summary
• Adviced Aneas to make an alliance with Arcadians.
Evander, King of Arcades
• Invited Aeneas for a feast and in which he agreed
for an alliance.
• He gives his son, Pallas to Aeneas to be taught the
arts of war.
Venus speaks to Vulcan (God of Fire and
Forge) for new weapons [for Aeneas]
• At the camp, she gives the weapons to Aeneas.
32. Summary
Book IX
Turnus sets fire of the Trojan ships
But was saved by Cybele, mother of the Gods (the ships
reappear as sea nuymphs)
Nisus and Euryalus (Arcanians)
• slaughtered Latins as they were fast asleep but both
eventually died.
The Latins counterattacked, in the Trojan
camp, but was left outnumbered so they
escaped.
33. Summary
Book X
Jupiter decided to not help either side, Juno (Latins)
and Venus (Trojans) during the meeting of the Gods.
Pallas was killed by Turnus which made Aeneas in
rage.
Juno sees that the battle is lost so she saves Turnus by
carrying him ashore far down the coast.
Menzentius, the great Latin warrior
• Was slayed by Aeneas which means the defeat of the Latin
army.
34. Summary
Book XI
Pallas was given a proper burial and died honorably
• King Evander forgives Aeneas.
The council called by King Latinus
• Dual of Turnus and Aeneas - - to settle the war
(temporal decision)
Trojan to the City of Latium (happened during
the council going on)
• Camilla – leader of the Latins that was killed
• Leaderless, Latins retreated.
Trojans and Latins returned to their respectice
armies.
35. Book XII
Queen Amata kills herself
Summary
• When she saw the Trojans attacking the city, Latium
Duel of Aeneas and Turnus
• Juno accepted the fact that Turnus will eventually lose
She requested to Jupiter that the victorious Trojans
will take the name and language of Latins in which
Jupiter agreed.
• Jupiter send furies, weakening Turnus.
Aeneus strikes Turnus’ leg. Turnus begs for mercy but
Aeneas sees the belt of Pallas tied around Turnus’
shoulder which rages him.
Aeneas kills Turnus.
36. Themes
The Primary of Fate
• The course of the epic merely postpone this
unchangeable destiny.
• The power of fate stands above the power of
the gods in the hierarchy of supernatural
forces. (Associated woth the will of Jupiter)
• The development of individual characters in
the epic is apparent in the readiness and
resistance with which they meet the directives
of fate.
37. Themes
The Sufferings of Wanderers
• Ancient culture stressed the idea that a
homeland is one’s source of identity.
• Homelessness implies instability of both
situation and identity, it is a form of suffering
in and of itself.
• The long wanderings at sea of the Trojans
serve as a metaphor for the kind of wandering
that is characteristic of life in general.
38. Themes
The Glory of Rome
• Virgil wrote the Aenid during the Golden Age
of the Roman Empire, under Rom’s first
emperor, Caesar Augustus.
• Virgil’s purpose was to write a myth of Rome’s
origins that would emphasize the grandeur
and legitimize the success of an empire that
had conquered most of the known world.