Characters within the Aeneid

Aeneas

Lead of the epic

Leads the Trojans to found Lavinium

Father of Ascanius/Iulus

Wife is Creusa (who dies in Troy), then later Lavinia

Ascanius/Iulus

Son of Aeneas and Creusa

Goes on to found Alba Longa

Dido

Queen of Carthage

Made to fall in love with Aeneas

Committed suicide after Aeneas left in Book 4

Turnus

King of the Rutulian

Brother of the sea nymph Juturna

Blinded with rage by Allecto, and goes on to declare war on the Trojans

Is eventually killed by Aeneas in battle.

Lavinia

The daughter of Amata and King Latinus

Prophesied to marry a foreigner, and so is promised to Aeneas by King Latinus

Has no speaking roles within the Aenied

Is also sought after by Turnus, with Turnus being encouraged by marry her by Amata

Amata

The Mother of Lavinia and Wife of King Latinus

Favours Turnus to Aeneas for the marriage of her daughter.

Helps rally the Latin women against the Trojans

Commits suicide after believing falsely that Turnus had died.

King Latinus

The ruler of Latium

Husband of Queen Amata and father of Lavinia

Latinus’ decision to betroth his daughter to Aeneas sparks Turnus’s call to war alongside Amata.

Euryalus

A young Trojan warrior and companion of Nisus

In book 9 he sneaks out of the besieges Trojan camp to kill Ratulian soldiers and send a message to Aeneas

Euryalus is caught after being seen with a Ratulian helmet, being captured and killed

His head is then mounted on a spike, resulting in his mother’s lament.

Nisus

An experienced Trojan soldier.

In book 5 he slips during a foot race, and trips up another competitor so that Euryalus could win.

Nisus creates the night mission to sneak out and kill Ratulian soldiers and deliver a message to Aeneas

Nisus escapes into the woods then storms as Euryalus is being executed, killing Volcens the enemy commander and falls dead onto Euryalus’s body

Anchises

The father of Aeneas

During Troy’ destruction he was carried out by Aeneas

He went along with the Trojans but died in Sicily before he could reach their final destination.

Venus

Goddess of love and beauty and the mother of Aeneas

Disguises as a young huntress to give Aeneas advice and directs him to safety in the city (Book 1)

Creates the plot to make Dido fall in love with Aeneas

Persuades her husband Vulcan to create Aeneas’s divine armour

Juno

The Goddess of marriage and queenly power

Acts as Aeneas’s greatest divine enemy, holding a grudge due to the Judgement of Paris, choosing Venus not her

She also has a deep love for Carthage, knowing that Roman descendants will eventually destroy it, causing further resentment and dislike of what will be the Romans.