The Aeneid
Book 1
10/2/2012 11:18:00 AM
Juno is mad at Aeneas because: o 1. Aeneas is a Trojan and a Trojan prince once picked Venus over her and Minerva in a beauty contest o 2. She loves Carthage (Phoenician city in Northern Africa) and knows that in the future, Rome and Carthage are destined to fight a series of three major wars (Punic Wars)resulted in the complete destruction of Carthage Aeolus king of the winds Neptune god of the sea Aeneas is with Achates Jupiter tells Venus that Aeneas will fight a war against the Rutulians and reign for three years. His son, Ascanius will rule for another 30 years in new capital of Alba Longa Alba Longa headquarters of Trojans for 3 centuries Ilia gets pregnant by Mars (god of war) and gives birth to Romulus and Remus Jupiter sends down Hermes to make Carthaginians welcome Aeneas Dido (local queen) was married to Sychaeus (richest man in Tyre) Didos brother, Pygmalion, was king of Tyre and killed Sychaeus for his money Venus decides to make Amor (god of love) take the form of Ascanius and inflame Dido with love or Aeneas
Book 2
Greeks leave behind a wooden horse with Greek warriors hidden inside and went to a nearby island of Tenedos instead of going back home Laocoon, a priest says not to trust anything having to do with the Greeks and throws a spear at the horse which echoes Captive is Sinon and claims hes related to Palamedes, a Greek hero who came to oppose the Trojan War and was thus executed o Eurypylus asked Apollo (oracle)said human sacrifice was required for them to get home
On the way to Troy, Greek king Agamemnon had to sacrifice his daughter, Iphigeneia to convince the winds to blow the right way o Ulysses asked Calchas (soothsayer) to interpret true will of the gods Was silent for 10 days and then named Sinon as victim Sinon escaped Sinon begs Trojans to spare his life and explains how the Greeks troubles started when Ulysses and Diomedes stole a statuette of Minerva from the Trojan citadel o Statuette started sweating, flaming and moving its eyes, and goddess herself appeared from the ground o Calchas (seer) interpreted these events to mean that Troy cant be captured o Constructed the horse according to Calchass orders o If damage is done to the horse, it will bring destruction on all of Troy, but if they take it inside the city, it will bring destruction on all of Greeks Laocoon starts to make a sacrifice to Neptunetwo giant serpents slither out of the sea, crawl up to Laocoon and strangle him and his two sons to death Trojans knock down a wall to take the wooden horse into the city Trojan princess, Cassandra (has gift of prophesy) tries to prevent them from taking horse inside, but the gods have cursed her so that her predictions will not be believed Greek sail back from Tenedos and Sinon lets the Greeks out and they kill the Trojan sentries Hector appears to Aeneas in dream covered in blood (was killed by Greek hero Achilles) and tells him that Troy is being captured and that he should collect the household gods and find his new city Pantheus, priest of Apollo is carrying some images of gods and leading his grandsontells Aeneas that the city is done for Aeneas and companions disguise themselves as Greeks Coroebus sees his wife (Cassandra) being dragged out by Greek warriors, and rushes to fight them They are hit by Trojan missiles and Coroebus dies
Neoptolemus is Achilless son Priams palace is being besieged, wife if HecubaPolites (son) runs in wounded followed by Neoptolemus, who kills Polites Priam reminds Neoptolemus how his father, Achilles had pity on him when he gave Hectors body back for burial, and that his behavior now doesnt seem true for a son of Achilles Neoptolemus drags Priam through his sons blood and kills him there Aeneas runs into Helen, but doesnt kill her because Venus tells him that whats happening to Troy is not her fault but the will of the gods Flames burst out of Ascaniuss head but dont harm him and Anchises (Aeneass father) prays to the gods, and a shooting stars flashes overhead Aeneas takes his father on his shoulders and Ascanius by the hand with Creusa (wife) following behind and head to Cypress tree Creusa dies and her ghost appears and tells Aeneas to head to the Tiber River
Book 3
Aeneas and followers take refuge beneath Mount Ida, and sail off for Thrace When he tries to pick myrtle saplings, blood spurts out from the roots of the tree The tree is the spirit of Polydorus, a Trojan who was ordered to kill by the Thracian king because he wanted King Priams gold King Priam sent Polydorus to Thrace with a shipment of gold and was to give the gold to the king of Thrace for safekeeping while the Trojan War raged on Sail off to the island of Delosthere is an oracle of the god Apollo who tells them to go to the original home of the Trojan people Anchises says that a guy named Teucrus came from Cretesailed from there to Asian Minor and founded Troy o A plague strikes and all the crops and sun dry up the water
The household gods tell Aeneas (while hes sleeping) to go to Italy where another ancestor of the Trojans, Dardanus (Teucruss son-inlaw) came from Fleet gets caught in three days of storms Island is inhabited by the Harpies (disgusting flying bird creatures with faces of women) Queen Harpy, Celaeno tells them that theyre going to be so hungry, theyre going to end up eating their tables Go to Leucas region of western Greece and stay for winter Go to Chaonia in Epirus (Northwestern Greece) Helenus, son of King Priam married Andromache (used to be wife of Hector) and rules some Greek cities Andromache was enslaved by Neoptolemus, but was tired of her so he took a Spartan woman, Hermione for his wife, and married her off to Helenus Agamemnons son, Orestes killed Neoptolemus because he was in love with Hermione; and thus, Helenus inherited some land Helanus tells them that when they see a giant sow suckling 30 white piglets, theyll know that theyve found their new homeland o Also tells them to steer clear of narrows between Sicily and mainland Italy (Scylla, six-headed monster and Charybdis, whirlpool lurk) o And tells them to keep praying to Juno o Head to town of Cumae and consult with oracle and priestess, Sibyl Reach island of the Cyclopes (Sicily) Emancipated man comes up from the mista Greek named Achaemenides, left behind after fleet of Ulysses was captured by Cyclops Then, blind Cyclops nearly stumbles upon men, but they escape, sailing around Sicily and stop at Drepanum where Anchises dies
Book 4
Dido is super in love with Aeneas and confides in her sister, Anna
Juno finds out and confronts Venus, and suggests that Dido and Aeneas marry, so she concocts a plan to whip up some winds when Dido and Aeneas go camping so that they have to find shelter Rumor is winged goddess with eyes and tongues as feathers and passes around the storyfinally reaches to North African king Larbas (father is Jupiter), once rejected by Dido Jupiter sends Mercury to find out whats going on, and tells Aeneas to go found a city, so he plans to depart Dido finds out and faintswater blackens on her alters, wines turn to blood, voices seem to arise from the shrine of her dead husband Dido decides to commit suicide; feels guilty because she was unfaithful to the memory of her late husband She wishes she killed Aeneas when she had the chance and prays that his mission will fail and that her people and his people will become enemies Tells Anna to get pyre ready because she wants to burn stuff that Aeneas left behind Dido climbs up the pyre and stabs herself with the sword given to her by Aeneas Juno sends Iris (messenger of gods) to take a lock of Didos hair and prepare her for death
10/2/2012 11:18:00 AM
10/2/2012 11:18:00 AM
