Virgil’s Aeneid Overview
Book Summery Importance
Juno hates Trojans as they’re descendants are
fated to destroy Carthage (her fav city), so she Context and fate.
Book 1 - gets Aeolus to wreck some of Aeneas’s ships, Similarities to Odyssey.
Aeneas gets Neptune stops Aeolus. Jupiter tells Venus the Juno tries to manipulate
to Carthage prophecy that Aeneas will find Rome/get to Italy, fate. See Aeneas Piety
by Gods. Aeneas meets Dido + Venus makes during speech.
Dido fall in love with Aeneas.
Sympathetic view of
Aeneas recounts to Dido the story of Troy - the
Troy - they weren’t fools
Book 2 - Trojan horse, Sinon’s trick (snakes), Aeneas
(Lacoon) - will of Gods
Recount ignores Hector, Priam killed + Creusa, Aeneas
and fate. Shows
Troy almost killing Helen, Venus’s advice, death of
Aeneas’s piety and as a
Creusa, the fleeing of Troy.
warrior.
Continuation of Aeneas’s wanderings as he: tries A lot of time covered in
to make sacrifice but tree bleeds as spirit of short amount (Pyrhuss
Polydous (hold funeral), Apollo says to go to who killed Priam is now
Book 3 - home land (go to Crete - wrong, told to go to dead) of time - no set
Wanderings Italy), harpies attack - prophesy will eat their time for Trojan destiny.
tables, meets Helenus and Andromache (who Every wrong turn -
have created a mini Troy), meets cyclops + another hardship, before
Odysseus’s lost soldier. Anchises dies. returning to fate.
Dido’s love grows and Juno gets them to become
Aeneas forgets mission
lovers in cave (maybe stop fate of Carthage),
for short while. See
after storm stops hunting trip. Dido neglects
Book 4 - confliction between lust
Carthage. Mercery reminds Aeneas of his destiny
Dido’s and duty. Treats love as
and so Aeneas plans to secretly leave (piety),
death outside force. Woman
causing Dido’s suicide on pyre full of Aeneas
shown as foolish, men
clothes and her cursing Aeneas to eternal
dutiful.
Carthian war.
Trojans caught in storm and have funeral games
(rowing, footrace, boxing, archery and youth Sacrifice of Palinurus like
triumph) + sacrifice for 9 days, for Anchises. Iris business transaction -
Book 5 -
makes the woman go mad from travelling and Gods actions on mortals.
Funeral
set ship on fire. Aeneas sees fathers’ spirit who Games - comical,
games +
says to leave woman, children and elderly in distraction from
fire
Sicily with Acestes and future to go to suffering. Aeneas puppet
underworld and fight Latins. Venus gets Neptune for Gods.
to grant safe passage for sacrifice of Palinurus.
Trojans reach Italy, Aeneas prays to Apollo, the
Sibyl takes Aeneas to underworld with gold
Propaganda of Roman
branch (symbol that fate calls him). Aeneas
glory - glorify Caesars
Book 6 - meets Palinurus, Dido (in fields of mourning) and
like Augustus. Augustus
Underworld Trojans/Deiphobe. Then Aeneas meets Anchises
connection to Aeneas
in field of blessed and sees parade of future
and Venus.
Romans (linage - Romulus + Golden age of
Augustus).
Book 7 - At Tiber, Aeneas and crew eat fruit off bread like Epic more Iliad 2nd half.
Fight for table - eating tables, arrived. King Latinus Juno admits she will be
Lavinia welcomes Trojans and offers his daughter defeated but wants to
Lavinia’s hand in marriage as there’s an omen make Trojans suffer -
that she’ll marry a foreigner - accept destiny. extreme and more for
Juno and fury Allecto make Latins oppose pride.
marriage like Amata + Turnus who starts army
, Book Summery Importance
and war against Aeneas. Iulus kills shepherd’s
fav stag, making them start war.
Aeneas forges alliance with Evander - he has a Evander - automatic
prophecy that army will be led by foreigner loyalty to Aeneas
Book 8 - (Aeneas) - Evader has feast and honours to reputation and lineage
Evander + Hercules - offers all. Evander’s son Pallas goes (heroic). Shield parallels
shield with Aeneas and Venus gets Vulcan to make the Achilles - outshine
Aeneas a shield showing future Roman glory Greeks, promote Rome -
(Romulus and she-wolf, battle of Actium). rags to riches.
Juno + Iris get Turnus to attack camp around
Sea nymphs - end of
Trojans. Turnus burns ships but God Cybele, gets
sailing, heroic status for
Book 9 - The Zeus to make ships immortal as from her forest -
objects of war. See
gays + boats turn into sea nymphs. Nisus and Eurtalus
ability of Turnus and him
rampage go on secret death mission - die by Euryalus’s
ignore fate - hubris
hubris. Iulus has his first kill + Turnus breaks into
defiance, idea of legacy.
Trojan camp and goes on rampage.
Venus and Juno fight, causing Jupiter to refuse to First time war decided
help either side. Turnus kills Pallas and takes his by mortals. Taking of
Book 10 -
belt, causing Juno to save Turnus from angry Pallas belt - doom by
Pallas dies
Aeneas by distracting him with a fake Aeneas, hubris for Turnus -
onto a boat. Aeneas kills Mezentius and Lausu vengeance.
Without Gods
The Latin embassy leads a 12 day truth to bury
intervention see Aeneas
dead + Latins see Aeneas piety and respect him.
true piety - yet
Latins are sick of fighting and want Turnus VS
Book 11 - sometimes merciless
Aeneas. Diomedes tells the Latins that war is not
Truce Turnus held by pride and
worth it. Trojans march towards city of Latium.
ignorance. Death of
Camilla leads battle until her death from Arruns
Camilla shows
(Diana gets revenge).
sympathy.
Latinus draws up treaty and prepare for Turnus
Turnus/Juno vulnerable
VS Aeneas. Juno calls Turnus’s sister, Juturna to
in last book - finally
watch over Turnus. Juturna gets Trojans to
accepts fate - subdued
ignore treaty and start fighting again. Aeneas
Book 12 - by order. Ending
tells everyone to stop but get wounded by an
End to comparable to Iliad
arrow. Venus sends healing balm to heal
Turnus, ending in death of
Aeneas’s wound. Aeneas goes to attack Latinus
Juno and Hector - the Roman
city, causing Queen Amata to commit suicide,
the of audience conclusion to
Turnus request 1v1. Aeneas VS Turnus - Turnus
bringing epic story. Change in
has wrong sword and it breaks, so he runs. Juno
order Aeneas as merciless to
and Jupiter agree that she’ll leave Trojans alone
Turnus - vengeance like
if they take on Latins language and name.
that of Augustus and the
Aeneas wounds Turnus’s leg, Turnus pleads, but
Battle of Actium.
kills Turnus when he sees Palla’s belt.
Exam Essay Plans for World of the Hero: Classical
Civilisation.
