BOOK ONE

PROLOGUE

 “arms” – synecdoche – war/armour – e.g. Armour forged by Vulcan for Aeneas

 introduces main elements – story of Aeneas, a Trojan refugee + mythical Roman

ancestor whose fate pushed him to Italy

 begins in media res – Roman reader familiar w/ Homer + legend of A / traditional for
epics – Virgil had little need to introduce characters + have long explanations

 Invocation of muses suggest modelled on Homer’s works – Id + Od call on muses in 1st

line - V begins w/ “I sing” – sing of BOTH men + war / emphasises Virgil’s presence as a
narrator MORE than a medium through which epic is channelled

 Invokes muse out of obligation than of belief in divine inspiration

 Story of a hero who faces war

 Iliad + Odyssey – events form a sequel as pick up where subj matter left off

 Alludes + emulates Homer BUT attempts to surpass – revise Homer / difference

between epics mark literary evolution

JUNO

 Main theme – uncontrolled rage vs rational order

 Rage – depicted as fire  source of destruction – analogy shows ill effects of

unrestrained feeling

 Juno’s source of anger is wounded ego  makes her petty

 Depicted constantly as furious + out of control – irrational by anger

 Voice 1st heard is fitting – presents J as major antagonist from start

– Impediment to A’s struggles to found a homeland
– sets tone of outrage

 Anger towards A is childish – takes anger out on famously pious me / despite divine
stature, cares about human affairs / jealous + hot headed

 Seemingly endless list of grudges against Trojans – Paris’ judgement / fears destruction
of her beloved Carthage / husb ran off w/ Trojan shepherd

 No-one to pray for me + lay offerings / No-one left to worship Juno – concern about
strength motivates actions
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 Gods are remarkably human in own passions – throughout the epic actions of humans
are ACCOMPANIED BY actions of the gods who constantly intervene in human affairs as
partisans OR enemies

 Human qualities = lacks self-confidence  takes it out on others

 CANNOT accept fate – am I to admit defeat? / Fates do not approve?

– made it impossible for Troj to reach Latium for so long

 Dramatically significant that her appearance is followed by Venus’ entrance – J’s chief
antagonist / V’s force will ultimately prevail = protective + indulgent mum who’ll oppose
Juno

VENUS

 Fears J’s wrath + mistrustful of D’s hospitality HOWEVER forgive V’s indiscretionary
power as she ISN’T personally against D – WOULDN’T HARM D AS J HARMS A

 Applaud her protection of her son – dresses as virgin warrior / unbound hair / thick mist
no-one could see them / delay passage / light bow / Spartan girl flowing dress

 What great harm as A done to you? – Just wants suffering to end

 BUT as manipulative as J – gets cupid to breathe fire + passion / turning over new
schemes unto Dido to make her fall for A

 Sets in motion MOST personal ambiguous tragedy – unclear if Dido to blame for spiral
into love?

AEOLUS

 Easily bribed to wreak havoc on A’s fleet by promise of exquisite nymph wife – J willing
to bribe shows propriety serves NO limit / J good at negotiating

 Shows J’s fears are unfounded – EVEN sends minions of hell to trouble tiny remnants of
Trojans SO persecution of A seems MORE unjust

 Respects J feels like he owes her everything – my duty is to carry out your orders – obvs
favoured him in the past as he concedes to her

 Winds pummel Trojans  lost ships

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NEPTUNE

 Chastises Juno + calms seas – without my divine authority / moved to anger

 Like bickering children – that’s my responsibility / jurisdiction of the sea

 Metaphor of politician references Rome – like Augustus Caesar he uses power for good
/ dissipates winds + A heads for nearest shore (Carthage) while V causes Dido to fall for
A + he languishes in Carthage too long  cause and effect relationship

 Calms seas to silence like politician calms a chaotic crowd in city – political leadership
good thing  non-violently transform a politician

 Virgil pays more attention to divine actions than human one e.g. Juno’s all-consuming
rage / jealousy + her fellow gods are just as petty + territorial

 Creates chaos in an already disordered human world that A strives to bring order to +
we typically view divinities as source of security + order

JUPITER

 Passage reveals tension inherent in concept of fate – if it’ll happen WHY should we be
worried for characters? / either bc hate (Juno) or focus on tragedy along the way (A)

 Just bc something fated to happen DOESN’T mean it will

 Detached from Troj distress + goddess’ passion

 1st propechy of the epic – A will found Lavinium + son will rule until Romulus founds
Rome / suggests Juno will love Rome

 about destination NOT journey

 prophetic vision mirrored by ghost of Anchises (A’s dad) in Book 6

 Sends Mercury to make Dido, queen of Carthage, nice to Trojans – bind Strife w/ 100
knots while he roars + bleeds from mouth
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AENEAS

 Virgil provides well-rounded portrait of his Troj hero;

summon up your courage, fate will show us our place of rest – respects fate +
encourages men to do the same / role as comforter + motivator rousing men, fate
decreed success / good coach looks at bigger picture

 Almost all of A’s roles presented by end of Book 1

 Shoots 7 stags – role as provider / change of prev despair / provides for any survivor /
true leader DESPITE fatigue DOES NOT give up hope

 Virgil draws attention to how good a dad he is to Ascanius

father Aeneas / father’s love / all thoughts on dear son Asc

 Most important role is dutiful servant of fate + gods – man devoted to mission / attests
to duty-bound BUT ironically the MORE afflicted he is GREATER his trust in destiny

 Temple to Juno  hope NO matter how he feels he is unfairly treated

NEVER loses faith in will of fate

hope despite all the calamities of the past to have better confidence in future
is there anywhere now on earth not full of knowledge of our misfortunes?

iconic passage – BUT controversial

ponders how some concerns touch all of humanity OR more specifically even in foreign
lands ppl sympathetic w/ story
man capable of human feeling – teary to survey companions who died

 Great leadership – suppression of own feelings for good of group e.g. kept misery deep
in his heart / supreme piety / duty as Troj leader FORBIDS him to show insecurity
INCREASES stature as a hero + makes him favourable

 Tyrians working w/ a will…like bees at beginning of summer – envies productive +

happy town workers

 Trojans eating shows similar order – some cut slices vs others laid out water
insignif tasks assume GREATER importance than normal – rep ordered state A seeks
EVEN if mundane each group perform specified tasks that when joined w/ other crews
tasks ENSURES ordered outcome – work together in prepping meal

 Despite chaotic backdrop A NEVER loses sight of goal (except in Carthage)

– goal = found new Troj state + establish order in his men’s lives
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 Had Virgil portrayed A as fearless + successful  one dimensional SO ADDS human traits
+ faults to A – makes him real MORE than a symbol

e.g. torn to pieces / I am a helpless stranger – weaker than Dido / laments drowned
men

e.g. A + his limbs grew weak – 1st imp – hardly a great hero / wishes he could escape
FATE but doesn’t try to / prays to gods RATHER THAN curse + rebel SHOWS piety

e.g. head + shoulders of a god / mother breathed upon her son beauty to hair, joy to
eyes, glow of youth – Dido’s 1st impression is NOT real BUT an extra-fancy enhanced
version

 Book 1 – A passive – pushed around by J’s storms / helped by mum

 Longing for land – theme of order vs disorder in seemingly meaningless remarks

land = order / sea = disorder / A feels safer on land

DIDO

 1 OF 3 main characters – portrait Virg paints rivals A BUT opinion of her will lessen

 married to Scyhaeus / loved him / he was murdered by Pygmalion for wealth – increases
sympathy – personal history told by Venus as A will relate late for exemplum of noble
suffering

 doomed Dido – relationship doomed from start – Juno + Venus’ manipulation / A CAN’T
be waylaid from rightful destiny

 Sad story begins w/ God’s manipulation of her – who is to blame for her tragedy? HER
OR GODS?

 Compared to Diana – goddess / kind + wise ruler / Both her + A rep the best of their
races – like Diana she bore herself joyfully among her people

 Love cupid gives her is a poison which Venus uses to inflame the queen to madness

 The woman led the undertaking – shows Dido be a brave + loyal leader AS SHE WAS in
charge of escape

 Founded a city LIKE A will do

 Bk 1 – as noble as A DUE TO similarities as like A she fled homeland under trying

circumstances
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 Pitied the unspeakable grief of Troy – offer to share city + home – ordered society + is
just / A longingly notes the building of her city + admires her / generous / sees they’re
alike + welcomes

 In early Greek legend, Dido commits suicide THAN marry Iarbus – a king whose prayers
alert Jup to A’s overstay SO Virgil reshapes stories to provide tragic + poignant
explanation for eternity between C + Rome

 Virgil DID NOT invent A’s visit to Carthage BUT the fateful encounter between D + A +
their passionate attachment  his inevitable abandonment are of Virgil’s invention

 Vero, 1st century writer, D’s sister killed herself for love of A

AENEAS & DIDO

 1st involvement is in shipwreck like in Odysseus UNLIKE HOMERIC counterpart A DOES

NOT act heroically – involved in LITTLE heroic action in 1st half of epic – dejected by
events + tries to calm men

 opens w/ A in despair – lowest point SO ONLY room for improvement

 LATER MUST come to believe predictions for future + STOP longing for Troy

 Evolves later – descends to embodiment of fury by end

– sympathetic human  perfect demi-god?

 Introduced to Virgil’s fave epithet for A “pious” – A avoids taking the easy path in favour
of following the gods  piety apparent / self-sacrifice / worships gods

 Roman context – man who does his duty to the gods BUT also performs proper
sacrifices + does duty for country

 Jupiter tells Venus that A MUST leave Carthage to found Rome – Roman reader familiar
w/ history of Punic wars + would know Rome + Carth become enemies

 D seems perfect match for A BUT little to doubt fate – star-crossed romance doomed
from start

 Inclusion of Amazon queen Penthesilea among Trojan war scenes in temple PRESAGES
Dido’s fate

 Penthesilea – rages
Dido – rational BUT end of affair Dido LOSES restraint DIES AS TRAGICALLY AS
PENTHESILEA
BOOK ONE

CARTHAGE

 Epitome of well-run society – those who DON’T contribute harangued to do share / arts
of architecture + political discourse co-exist

 Bees – all busily engaged in tasks directed in making of honey fragrant w/ thyme
– admiration – ordered purpose of enterprise / beauty of resulting product

 Foundation of theatre – city NOT ONLY grand BUT cultivated

 Temple of Juno – built on site where found head of horse

– prophetic of C’s abundant resources
– C’s distinction in war

 Artwork of Troj suffering – expresses NOT values of war-like people BUT Carthage’s
aesthetic sense + D’s humanity

 Regal opulence – ceiling of panelled gold / purple coverlets / silver + gold plate

 Banquet – Carthaginians admire beauty of gifts A gives D – gifts relics of civilisation

comparably rich / concludes w/ wine + song as Iopas sings w/ golden lyre of sun + moon

 Creation of man + the animals + of the constellations + seasons = Carthage comparable

in its magnificence, opulence + culture to Troy – makes it a city where A might be
displaced to linger

 Poem about Rome, Virg presents us w/ deed of civilisation initiated by D ironically NOT
A – D founder of Rome’s great rival + adversary

 Virgil wishes to raise OUR admiration for disciplined energy of Carthage