the aeneid

how does Virgil introduce his hero

in an unheroic way

why does Virgil introduce Aeneas as he does

if a character starts at the bottom, they can only go up, and it gains sympathy for the audience

in book one, Aeneas is visited by his mother, Venus, how does their relationship appear?

There’s a feel of rejection and loneliness from Aeneas, and he wishes Venus would just visit him as herself

In Dido’s palace, there’s a tapestry of the war, how does Aeneas react to it

he weeps, and seems comforted by it, something he didn’t get from his mother

what is Dido’s backstory?

her husband was killed by her brother, and she had to leave in order to escape him

what are Dido’s characteristics

she’s beautiful, king and hospitable

how are Aeneas and Dido similar

they’re both lonely, leaders of nations, and lost their partners

what does pietas mean

respect and dutifulness towards the gods/ family/ country

what’s similar in book 2 of the Aeneid with the Odyssey

Aeneas explains to Dido his journey, as did Odysseus

what did Romans think of Greeks, and what did they think of themselves

they believed Greeks to be liars and cheats, whereas they were ‘honourable and kind’

who comes to Aeneas to tell him to leave Troy

Hector’s spirit, Venus (in her true form), and an omen from Jupiter

who is Aeneas’s wife

Creusa

what is the name of Aeneas’s son

Ascanius

how does Aeneas react to Creusa’s death

he goes into a rage, swearing at the gods, Aeneas is overcome with anger a lot in the epic

why are the gods unhappy that Aeneas stayed in Carthage

it delayed his destiny

what happens when Aeneas leaves Dido

she curses him, all of which will come true

what ironic thing did Aeneas say in book 1

he says to Dido ‘may the goddesses bring you the reward you deserve’

why may we find Aeneas in book 4 to be sympathetic

he’s been told by the gods he has to get going, and he does genuinely seem to care for Dido

why may we think Aeneas genuinely cares for Dido

His hesitance around leaving

why has the golden bough from book 6 sparked so much debate

the Sibyl stated that if Aeneas was ‘a man sent by the Fates’ it will come off easily, but if not ‘it will prevail’. When Aeneas finds the flower there’s restraint, and it’s out of impatience that he snaps it off

what change do we see in Aeneas

he adopts a more stoic matter

why is book 6 so important

it’s the middle of the book where it turns from Virgil’s version of the Odyssey to the Iliad.

what key moment happens near the end of book 6

Aeneas sees his future generations - including Augustus, who was the emperor when Virgil was writing the Aeneid

Aeneas is known to prefer peace, what in book 7 shows us this

Rather than charge into battle with the Latins, he chooses to talk

We first see Turnus when the fury (Alleco) visits him in a dream, how does he act

hes more level headed than he is in the later books, and he’s not so quick to believe that Aeneas is going to take over

when conflict begins, what does Latinus do

He hides away, not wanting to be involved, stating he’d already made peace with the Trojans

what does Juno label Aeneas

the second Paris

what imagery is used throughout the Aeneid

deer or stags, and Aeneas is normally depicted as the hunter i.e. Dido and Turnus

Ascanius kills a stag in book 7, what may it represent

the start of undeserved misfortune

in book 9, two men volunteer to send reports to Aeneas, what are their names

Nisus and Euryalus

what happens to Nisus and Euryalus

they are killed and Turnus sticks their heads on spikes for the Trojans to see

what happens with the gods in book 10

there are some arguments, Juptier is mad they caused this conflict, as the Trojans were anyway going to fight Carthage later on, and Venus/ Juno blame each other etc and the gods are told to no longer help

what happens to Pallas in book 10

he and Turnus duel, he will either die with glory or live with honour. He prays to Hercules for help but the gods are unable to help

what is Hercule’s reaction to not being able to help Pallas

He cries and Jupiter comforts him

after Turnus kills Pallas, what does he do

He takes the belt from his body, a disrespectful act

Rumour tells Aeneas that Pallas is dead, how does he react

He is again fuelled with rage and kills any Latin in sight, enabled by Venus

what do the Latins learn in book 11

that Aeneas didn’t want a war

in book 11, Aeneas takes Palla’s body back to Evander, how does he react?

he doesn’t blame Aeneas, he’s grateful for him. but he asks Aeneas to revenge his death and kill Turnus

who do Aeneas and Turnus parallel in book 12

Hector and Achilles

as heroes, how does Aeneas and Turnus differ

Turnus is more traditional while Aeneas is a hero leaning more toward Roman values

if Aeneas is the embodiment of piety, what is Turnus

furor

what is Latinus the king of

Latium

who is Turnus the king of

the Rutulians