classics - the aenied

book 1 summary

juno holds anger towards Aeneas, a surviving Trojan from the trojan war who travels to italy to establish a new home. Carthage, junos favourite city, is prophesised to be destroyed by a race descened from the trojans. on mount olympus, jupiter tells Venus, Aeneas’s mother, that Aeneas will find a home in italy and his descendents, Romulus and Remus, will establish the mightiest empire in the world. After landing in Carthage, Aeneas encounters Venus in disguise who advises Aeneas to go to the city and talk to queen Dido

book 2 summary

Aeneas explains to Dido how the greeks tricked the trojans into accepting a wooden horse filled with soldiers who killed the trojan gaurds and opened the gates to allow their forces to attack. the trojans are outnumbered, and eventuallt, the greeks, led by Pyrrhus, break into the palace and kill king Priam and his son Polites, Aeneas is persuaded not to kill helen, the cause of the war, and instead to flee but not before retrieving his father, Anchises, his wife, Creusa, and his son. Creusa gets lost and later Aeneas meets her spirits, who tells him not to mourn.

book 3 summary

Aeneas continues the story of his travels after the fall of troy detailing how they went from Thrace to Delos, to Crete, to Strophades, where they endured a battle with Harpies, to his encounter with Andromache, who advises the Trojans to avoid Chaybdis and Scylla. Continuing their journey, they met a greek soldier escaping a cyclops and upon landing Anchises dies

book 4 summary

Dido’s love for Aeneas grows, which Juon sees as a way to keep Aneas from going to Italy because if they marry, the Trojans and Tyrians will be at peace and she and Venus could end their feud. Juno casts a storm upon Aeneas and his hunting group, allowing for Aeneas and Dido to wind up in a cave, where they become lovers, Mercury reminds Aeneas that his destiny lies in Italy and he must set sail immediately. The news of Aeneas’ imminent departure leads to Dido killing herself.

book 5 summary

After landing in Eyx, where acestes rules, Aeneas proposes eight days of sacrificial offerings anf a ninth of competitive games. Meanwhile, juom convinces the Tojan women to burn the ships so that the men will be forced to build their new city in Sicily, and though the men stop the fire, Aeneas is shaken and seeks the guidance of Nautes, who suggests they leave some Trojans behind with Acestes, Venus begs Neptune to grant Aeneas safe passage to Italy, which he agrees to do, as long as one of the crew persih as a a sacrifice

book 6 summary

after arriving in Italy and following the advice of the Sybil, Aeneas return with a golden branch and she takes him to the gates of Dis, Aeneas goes through a sea of suffering souls, then Dido in the fields of mourning, where Aeneas sheds a tear for his lost love, to the field of war heroes, where hes sees causualties from the trojan war, and lastly to the place where Aeneas sees Anchises. He reveals the reason for Aeneas journey to the underwolrd; to learn of his future lineage in italy

book 7 summary

virgil describes the political situation in Latium, sharing how the oracles tells king Latinus that his daughter should marry a foreigner. Aeneas sends emissaires to King Latinus, requesting a share of the land for the foundation of a new city, whcih Latinus agrees to, suggesting the Aeneas marry his daughter lavinia. Juno dispatches Allecto to rouse anger on the part of the native against the Trojans, persuading Turnus to assemble his army and drive the trojans out of ital. they plead with king Latinus to launch an assult on the Trojans

book 8 summary

Aeneas forges an alliance with the Arcadian king, Evander, who offers his troops to aid against their common enemy. venus approaches her husband, Vulcan, to make Aeneas weapons and amour thta will give him and advanteage. Vulcan appears to Aeneas at the army camp and presents him with a new set of arms, in particular a shield that depicts the stroy of Roman glory that awaits Italy.

book 9 summary

juno’s messanger, Iris, informs Turnus that Aeneas is away from his camp, prompting Turnus to travel there. Finding no obvious weakness in the fortress, turnus decides to make camp around it. After Turnus lights a tower on fire, the trojans panic, but Ascanius fires an arrow through the head of a Latin captain =, allowing the trojans to attack. turnus suppresses the trojans surge, forcing them to retreat. turnus kills many trojans until he is outnumbere and escapes.

book 10 summary

jupiter decrees that he will not help either side. aeneas and the trojans disembark on the beach. a battle between turnus and pallas commences, in which turnus kills Palla and enrages aeneas. terified by the sight of aeneas slaughtering the latin troops, jupiter allows juno to spare turnus, but aeneas’s aggressive fighting ensures defeat for the latin army.

book 11 summary

after the battle, aeneas sends pallas’s body back to king Evander, who forgives aeneas and wishes for the death of turnus. latin messangers arrive and request a twelve day truce so that both sides may bury their dead. during a council, the latin soldiers say they have lost the will to fight, and they encourage turnus to fight aeneas alone, ending the war once and for all. a messanger warns that the trojans are marching toward the city

book 12 summary

trunus decides to figh aeneas alone, drawing up the appropriate treaty in the process. juno convinces Turnus’s sister to break the treaty, leading to a fight between the tojans and latins, and while aeneas tries to stop his men from fighting, he is struck by an arrow that forces him off the battlefield. turmus lays waste to a slew of trojan soldiers. when aeneas returns, he leads soldiers into the city, where queen amata hangs herself. juno consents to abandon her grudge against aeneas if the trojans take on the name and language of the latins. aeneas sees pallas’s belt tied around Turnus’s shoulder, and in pallas’s name, aeneas kills turnus.