A2 Unit CC10 F390 - Virgil and the world of the hero (H408)
Summary
Alevel OCR Classical Civilisation- World of the Hero-AENIED- THE ULTIMATE AENEID REVISION GUIDE- summary, characters, themes and more
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A2 Unit CC10 F390 - Virgil and the world of the hero (H408)
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OCR
This is the revision document i created that helped me achieve A* in Classical Civilisation (2024)- In this document there is a brief plot summary, a character list with explanations of each character, individual pages for each book which includes a full book summary, key quotes and any key literar...
A2 Unit CC10 F390 - Virgil and the world of the hero (H408)
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THE AENEID- ULTIMATE REVISION GUIDE
SUMMARY OF WHOLE PLOT
FIRST HALF = ODYSSEY
SECOND HALF = ILIAD
Brief plot summary:
- Begins after the fall of Troy- introduction of the Trojan fleet carrying the surviving warriors
is being hit by a storm in the mediterranean sea – sent by Juno queen of the G-ds who
hates the Trojans and Aeneas
- Neptune guides their ships to shore and they discover the city of Carthage- ruled by Dido
who welcomes them
- Venus makes Dido fall in love with Aeneas as she is worried that her son will have no
where to live- Aeneas tells Dido the epic story of their travels so far
- Dido succumbs to her feelings for him
- Juno wants to keep Aeneas out of Italy- makes them have sex in the cave- but it is not an
official marriage
- Aeneas remembers his fate and duty abandons her to found Rome
- Dido is distraught and kilts herself
- The Trojan fleet stops again in Sicily, celebrate the first anniversary of Anchises death and
they make sacrifices and feast
- Anchises ghost appears to Aeneas telling him to set sail and visit him in the underworld
- Aeneas and the Sybil journey through the underworld reuniting with his father in the
Elusian fields- Anchises shows his son many of his Roman descendants who will build the
Roman empire
- The Trojans find the Tiber river where they are meant to settle- Aeneas sends to make
peace with the king of Lavinium- king Latinus offers his daughter Lavinia to Aeneas for
marriage
- Juno sends rage to rouse Italy to war with the Trojans
- Turnus gathers allies and Aeneas finds people to fight with him
- Climax of the play = Turnus kills Pallas with a spear to his chest- turnus takes his belt to
wear as a trophy
- Aeneas is raged by the news of his death- frees the Trojan fort
- Turnus unsuccessfully tries to trap Aeneas and half of his army- the warrior princess
Camilla defends the city
- But she gets distracted- allowing a spear to kill her
- Turnus agrees that a single combat with Aeneas- Turnus is no match for Aeneas, Aeneas is
about to grant mercy but sees that he is wearing Pallas belt- blaze of fury he straps him in
the hear and becomes ruler of Latium
,MAIN CHARACTER LIST
MORTALS
The hero of the Aeneid
AENEAS Honourable, pious, measured, generous and responsible
Super naturally strong- has divine blood
Human faults: conflicted, furor, fate (destined to found Rome)
The hero of the Latins
TURNUS Large and attractive, unusually strong- has divine blood
Impulsive and arrogant self importance
DIDO Queen of Carthage
Tricked into loving Aeneas by Venus and Juno
Kills herself as he leaves her
Careless will of the g-ds and their effects on mortals- effects of war as well
ANCHISES Aeneas father
Wise, strong
Source of Aeneas values- respect and honour
Dies- Aeneas visits him in the underworld
IMMORTALS
JUNO
Wife of Jupiter- queen of the g-ds
Aeneas’ main antagonist
Opposes him from start to finish – hates the Trojans because of the beauty contest
(Paris)
Jealous, vengeful, powerful
Mother of Aeneas
VENUS Daughter of Jupiter and Juno
Supports Aeneas- advocates on behalf of her son and intervenes in events to protect
him
King of the g-ds
JUPITER
Mediates between the g-ds when there is conflict
Ensuring that what the fates have predicted comes to pass
Common measure in contrast to Juno’s anger- enforcer of Aeneas fate
, BOOK 1
SUMMARY
- Introduction to Aeneas- who’s fate is to found Rome but on the way he will face great
battles and challenges thrown at his from Juno who wants Carthage to rule the world
- Fates have stated that Rome will defeat Carthage
- Juno bribes Ilius, king of the winds so sink the Trojan fleet as it leave Sicily
- But Neptune (sea g-d) calms the seas and rescues the ships
- Aeneas land on the Libyan coast but they fear that the other ships have been lost
- Venus is worried that her sons fate has changed by Jupiter foretells the future - that
Aeneas will win a long war and will rule for three years- then his son will rule for 30
rules, until Romulus founds Rome
- Aeneas and his friend Acades meet Venus in disguise- she tells them of Carthage and
its queen Dido- saying that their missing ships are there already
- The men enter Carthage, admiring the city- they make their way to the temple of Juno
where Aeneas feels welcome by scenes of the Trojan war- they watch Dido welcome
the other half of the Trojans into her city (They are hidden by the mist of Venus)
- Aeneas is revealed- Dido admires and honours him
- Venus, worried that Juno will cause trouble, bids cupid to make Dido fall in love with
Aeneas- cupid disguises as Aeneas son Ascanius and hugs Dido- making her forget her
dead husband and fall in love with Aeneas
- She begs Aeneas for the story of his travels and he tells her
“I SING OF ARMS AND OF THE MAN, FATED TO BE AN EXILE, WHO LONG SINCE LEFT THE LAND OF
TROY AND CAME TO ITALY TO THE THE SHORES OF LAVINIUM”
KEY QUOTES
SIMILES
The storm- “death stared them in the face” “a
Neptune calms the storm like a good
sheer mountain of water towered over them”
statesman can calm an angry
Aeneas- “he showed them the face of hope
crowed- the power of pietas to
and kept his misery deep in his heart” pious
overcome furor
“glow of youth”- simile of him being made of
ivory- his beauty a work of art
SPEECHES Aeneas to Dido
Jupiter tells Venus about the future “I am Aeneas” “may the g-ds bring you the
of Rome- Aeneas will rule for 3 rewards that you deserve” religious imagery
years, Ascanius for 30 and then Carthage- “Aeneas was amazed” “like bees in
Romulus will found the Rome the beginning of summer” simile
Dido- “she was like Diana leading the dance of
the banks of the Eurotas”- warrior
“and like Diana, she bore herself joyfully
EKPHRASIS among her people, urging on their work for
Descriptions of a work of art the kingdom” “the doomed Dido”
The sculpture on the temple to Juno Venus- “I am resolved to act first taking
at Carthage tells stories from the possession of the queen by a stratagem and
Trojan war surrounding her with fire, she will be held in
love with Aeneas”
To cupid- “you will breathe poison into her”
, KEY THEMES OF BOOK (refer to page) Cities, war and peace, Furor, fate, guest-friendship, women
as victims of war, roman politics and the promotion of the empire
BOOK TWO
- Aeneas tells Dido of the destruction of Troy
- Flashback- to the Greeks at war with Troy, Greeks sailed away leaving behind a giant horse. Sinon
explains that the horse is an offering from the Greeks (Athena)- Prophecy says that Troy will evade
Greece if they bring the horse into the city
- The Trojans interpret serpents as a sign that Sinon is wrong about the horse being dangerous, so
bring the horse to Minerva’s temple (heart of Troy)
- It was a Greek trick- the horse is full of warriors- open the gates to the Greek army
- Aeneas roams the city and kills many Greeks- ending up at the palace where he witnesses the
death of king Priam
- Aeneas remembers his own father, his mother Venus appears, telling him to flee troy with his
family
- At first Anchises refuses to leave but two signs change his mind; thunder crashes to the left of
them and a star shoots down- so he follows his son out of Troy
- Aeneas leaves Troy with his father on his back, holding the hand of his son and the household G-ds
with his wife Creusa following behind- but she gets lost
- Her ghost appears to him- tells him his fate and that he will find a new queen in Italy
FLASHBACK
KEY QUOTES
Narrated by Aeneas to Dido.
The Trojan horse- “the destruction by the Greeks of the
Heightens the tension, tragedy and
wealth of Troy”, “they built a horse the size of a
emotion as we hear his own
mountain”
thoughts and feelings- personal
Laocoon- Trojan priest, tries to warn the Trojans about
the horse, but Athena (supports Greeks) sends serpents
SPEECHES to kill him, the Trojans interpret this as punishment for
Hectors speech to Aeneas skepticism and doubt (wrong)- so let the horse in- “they
prophesies the future of the Trojan seized him and bound him in huge spirals”
people and Rome “great city” Hector- appears to Aeneas “streaming with tears” , “Troy
Venus persuades Aeneas not to kill is falling from her highest pinnacle”
Helen Aeneas/ war- “my ears pricked up like a Shepard’s when
Laocoon begs the Trojans not to furious south wind is carrying fire”, “my heart was
trust the horse burning to gather comrades”
Death of priam- “river bursting its banks”- fast sweep of
DRAMATIC IRONY tragedy, “orgy of killing”, “I saw Priams blood all over the
He describes Priam and the Trojans alter”, Prrhyus has no mercy “raised his sword with a
being convinced by Sinon and flash of light and buried it to the hilt in Priams side” ,
sealing their own fate “died with Troy ablaze in front of his eyes”
Aeneas and Helen- moment of furor- Venus intervenes
PATHOS Escape of Troy-To his father “come then.. up on my
Creusa ghost- tries to hug her back” , “they come from all directions with all their
resources and all their hearts”, “to whatever land I wish
SIMILES to lead them”
Troy’s destruction is likened to an Creusa- “he tries to hug her”, “as weightless as the
ash tree that collapses wind”
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