A.

The Aeneid Characters:

Aeneas- Aeneas is the protagonist of the Aeneid. He is the son of Anchises and Venus.

Juno- Juno is a goddess, the wife of Jove and therefore queen of the gods. She loves Dido and Carthage,
acting as a patron for that city.

Turnus- The king of the Rutulians, an Italian nation located about 20 miles from the eventual Rome, and
Aeneas's main mortal enemy. He hoped to marry Lavinia, daughter of Latinus.

Dido-The founder and queen of Carthage, a city in modern-day Tunisia. She fled from Tyre after her
greedy brother Pygmalion, who was the king of Tyre.

Virgil- Virgil often interjects in his story. Sometimes he addresses characters directly.

MINOR CHARACTERS:

Venus- The goddess of beauty and the mother of Aeneas. She watches over him and helps him, such as
enchanting Dido to love him, and getting Vulcan, her husband, to craft him special armor.

Ascanius- Aeneas's son. Also known as Iulus, which connects him to Julius Caesar and his Caesar's
adopted relative Augustus. Ascanius comes of age during the poem—a young boy in Troy, he makes his
first kill in battle in Book 9.

Anchises- Aeneas's father. Beloved and wise, he dies in Book 3 but reappears as a "ghost" in the
Underworld in Book 6.

Pallas- The beloved son of Evander, he fights for Aeneas and is killed by Turnus in Book 10. Aeneas
avenges his death in the final scene of the poem.

Jove- The king of the gods and husband of Juno. Also called Jupiter. He doesn't take sides in the Trojan-
Latin conflict, instead letting fate run its course, but tries to keep Juno and Venus in check.

Vulcan- The god of fire and volcanoes, and Venus's husband. With his cyclops helpers, he forges Aeneas's
fortune-telling shield and other armor. He had also crafted Turnus's father's sword, which Turnus loses
right before his duel with Aeneas.

Aeolus- The god of the winds, he lets Juno convince him to stir up a storm against the Trojans.

Apollo- The god of music, poetry, and oracles. He gives Aeneas a prophesy in Book 3.

Mercury- The messenger god who spurs Aeneas to leave Dido.

Neptune- The god of water and oceans, he ends Juno's storm in Book 1.

Mars- The god of war.

Minerva- The goddess of defense and wisdom.

Iris- The goddess of the rainbow and Juno's messenger.

Allecto- A fury, or goddess of discord, who helps Juno start the Latin-Trojan war.

Priam- The elderly king of Troy.

Laocoon- A Trojan priest of Neptune who doesn't want to accept the Greeks' wooden horse.

Sinon-A young Greek man who tricks the Trojans into accepting the wooden horse.

Creusa- Aeneas's wife and mother of Ascanius. She died during the fall of Troy.

Achates- Aeneas's trusty right-hand

man.

Palinurus- Aeneas's navigator, taken by Neptune as a sacrifice in exchange for safe seas.

Acestes- King of the Sicilian land where Anchises is buried, and the Trojans play funeral games.

Sibyl of Cumae- An oracle (fortune teller) of Apollo who lives in Cumae (near Naples) and guides Aeneas
to the Underworld.

Latinus- The king of the Latin people in Latium, Italy, father of Lavinia, husband of Amata, and destined
father-in-law of Aeneas. His city is called Lavinium.

Lavinia- Latinus and Amata's daughter, destined wife of Aeneas. Turnus also wants to marry her (and in
the process become king of the Latin people).

Amata- Queen of the Latins, wife of Latinus and mother of Lavinia. Juno enchants her to hate Aeneas.

Mezentius- A cruel Tuscan/Etruscan king who fights for Turnus's side. Father of Lausus. Killed by Aeneas.

Lausus- Mezentius's son, an enemy warrior second only to Turnus. Battles Pallas in Book 10. Also killed
by Aeneas.

Camilla- Queen of the Volscians and a formidable warrior fighting on Turnus's side. Beloved by the
goddess of the hunt, Diana.

Evander- King of the Arcadians, who live on the future site of Rome. Father of Pallas and Aeneas's ally.

Nisus- Best friend of Euryalus. A daring warrior who meets a tragic end.

Euryalus- The younger, less experienced, but equally brave best friend of Nisus.

Juturna- Turnus's sister, Juno's helper, a nymph.

Augustus Caesar- Virgil's real-life patron and emperor of Rome. He appears in the Underworld in Book 6,
and on Aeneas's shield in Book 8

Anna- Dido's sister. Anna encourages Dido to let herself love Aeneas for both personal reasons (so Dido
won't be lonely) and for political reasons (to help Carthage gain allies).

Sychaeus- Dido's first husband, who died sometime before.

B. The Aeneid Plot Summary

Introduction:

Trojan ships are driven by a storm to Carthage.

Rising Action:

1. Aeneas tells Dido of their journey from Troy.

2. Aeneas leaves Dido to follow his fate; she kills herself.

3.Aeneas celebrates the anniversary of Anchises's death.

4.Aeneas and the Sibyl visit Anchises in the Underworld.

5.Trojans find their fated destination and begin to build.

6.Juno drives Queen Amata and Turnus to start a war.

7.Turnus traps the Trojans, but Aeneas arrives with allies.

Climax:

Turnus kills the prince Pallas, igniting Aeneas's rage.

Falling Action:

The girl-warrior Camilla fights bravely and dies in battle. After another battle, Aeneas duels Turnus in
single combat.

Resolution:

Aeneas kills Turnus in combat, becoming ruler of Latium.

C. The Aeneid SYMBOLISM used.

-In the Aeneid, fire symbolizes unbridled energy, for good or ill. On a literal, instead of symbolic, level,
fire imagery features prominently in the destruction of Troy. As a symbol, the "fire" in Dido's veins
represents her passionate desire and love which ultimately leads to her destruction.
D. Themes in The Aeneid

Fate

-Fate is one of the major themes of the epic, The Aeneid, governing the whole epic, as well as the whole
life of the protagonist, Aeneas. His determination to lay the foundation for his son and generations to
come is to be fulfilled at every cost. Despite obstacles and divine challenges thrown by Juno, Aeneas
does not waiver in his resolution and continues to move forward. These challenges do not deter the fate
to be fulfilled. Even at times, Jupiter has to intervene to stop the gods from delaying Aeneas from
achieving his goals. Since it has been decreed by Jupiter himself, other gods cannot stop it from
happening: as shown by the depiction on the shield Vulcan builds, it has been decreed by Fate that
Aeneas is to build the Roman Empire.

Divine Intervention

-Divine intervention in human affairs is another major theme of the epic, The Aeneid. Some of the gods
and goddesses are so interested in human affairs that they come down to directly impede the progress
of some, or to facilitate others, trying to avoid what Fate has predestined for them. When the fight
between Venus and Juno reaches its pinnacle for intervening in the affairs of Aeneas and his progress,
Jupiter calls the council of gods on Mount Olympus. The gods then discuss the fate of Turnus and
Aeneas. In fact, wherever Aeneas encounters obstacles, the gods intervene in one way or another. For
example, Venus is hellbent on helping her son, while Juno’s hatred for the Trojans prompts her to
obstruct Aeneas’s efforts.

Patriotism

-Patriotism or love for one’s motherland is another major theme of the epic, The Aeneid. The very
purpose of writing this great epic is to appeal to the Romans to work for the greatness of the Roman
Empire founded by Aeneas, himself a great hero. Not only does the epic refer to the destiny of Aeneas,
but it also refers to the Romans to be the progeny of the great people like Anchises. When Virgil was
writing this epic, Caesar Augustus ruled the empire; Virgil mentions this twice in the course of the epic.
The reference to the heirs and the predecessors is not only appealing to the Romans but also the
common readers, exposing the real intentions of Virgil. Thus, the epic lays the groundwork for exciting
patriotism among the common Romans.

Humanity

-The humanity of the characters is another major thematic strand of the epic, The Aeneid. Although
there is intervention from deus ex machina and gods and goddesses siding with one character or
another, there is a clear distinction between good and bad characters. Aeneas has been painted a
virtuous hero despite having some shortcomings; this character development shows Virgil’s skill in
creating authentically human characters. On the other hand, Turnus is a bad character who is also
human but has more flaws than Aeneas. Aeneas’s shortcoming of showing passions for Dido shows his
human character, too, while another human flaw emerges when he flies in panic from Troy.

Familial Relationships

-Familial relationships are another major theme of the epic, The Aeneid. The epic highlights the father-
son relationship through the portrayals of Anchises and Aeneas, Ascanius and Aeneas, and then Pallas
and King Evander. Aeneas’s determination to fulfill his destiny seems more a concern of a father for his
son, Ascanius. In fact, his rise aided by the advice of his father, Anchises, too, is a familial concern which
also demonstrates the Romans’ respect for their ancestors – a tradition set by their forefathers. That is
why Aeneas continues paying homage to his father even after his father is long dead. On the other hand,
though Mezentius is an evil character, his lamentation over the death of his son shows a deep familial
bond that wins the sympathy of the audiences.

Piety

-Despite having connotations of righteousness in the existing semantics, piety here means devotion to
one’s cause and priority to perform obligatory duties. That is why Aeneas is referred to as pious at
various places in the epic, which is another significant thematic strand of the epic. The reason is that
Aeneas always chooses to perform these obligatory duties before doing anything else and fulfilling his
desires. When he meets Dido and falls in love with her, he feels that he must leave her to fulfill his
obligations first, which he then does. Even when his determination wavers after facing blasts when
defending Troy, he still wishes to die doing so.

E. Lesson in the Aeneid:

In life when we are facing or enduring difficulty, we must remind our hearts and our souls to endure- to
remind ourselves that we once endured even more difficult things in the past! And that this difficult time
in our life will pass! Someday, perhaps, remembering even this will be a pleasure.

F. Key Events of 'The Aeneid'

1: The wanderings of Aeneas: Harpies, meeting with Helenus. Death of Anchises.

2: Dido's passion for Aeneas. At Jupiter's command, Aeneas departs. Dido kills herself.

3: Aeneas reaches Sicily. Funeral games for Anchises.

4: Aeneas with the Sibyl at Cumae. He meets Anchises in the Underworld.

5: Aeneas lands in Latium. Latinus promises Lavinia. Juno and Allecto stir up war. Catalogue of Italian
heroes.

G. Tone and Mood

MOOD

-The general atmosphere, is dark and threatening with a sense of weariness. Flashes of heroic ardour
relieve the gloom among the Trojans who are like refugees, seeking a new homeland. The rich luxurious
setting in Carthage, with which the epic opens, turns out to be a short-lived euphoria. Even when
enemies are being cut down in battle there is an atmosphere of energy bordering on brutality, but very
little of a sense of exhilaration that justice has been done. The hero seems more stoical than exuberant
and he is no longer in his youth.

TONE

-Despite the hope it expresses for the future, the Aeneid is also very focused on the transitory nature of
human affairs. In keeping with this emphasis and with its subject matter of struggle and warfare, the
tone of the Aeneid is generally serious and dignified.