Virgil's Aeneid: Book 1 and Book 2 Lecture Notes

A set of vocabulary flashcards covering the key terms, characters, and themes found in Books 1 and 2 of Virgil's Aeneid as discussed in the lecture notes.

Pietas

Aeneas' sense of duty to his men, gods, and mission; shown when he provides 7 carcasses for 7 ships and shares wine after being shipwrecked.

Furor

Uncontrolled passion or madness; exemplified by Juno's desire to sink the Trojan fleet and the 'blind resistance' of Trojans during the fall of the city.

Paterfamilias

The male head of a household; refers to the duty Aeneas and Anchises have to protect their family and accept Fate rather than resist it.

Imperium

Divine or political authority; illustrated by Neptune's responsibility over the sea and Dido's productivity in ruling Carthage.

King Aeolus

The ruler of the winds who, at Juno's request, stirs up the sea to destroy the Trojan fleet, overstepping his domain.

Dido

The Queen of Carthage who oversees the city's construction and laws; she is compared to Diana and is later driven to madness by Cupid.

Venus

Aeneas' mother who protects him by appearing in disguise, veiling him in mist, and influencing Dido's heart through Cupid.

Jupiter

The king of the gods who reassures Venus by revealing the prophecy that Aeneas will wage war in Italy and lead to the rise of 'Trojan Caesar' Julius.

Laocoon

A priest of Neptune who is killed by two serpents along with his sons after throwing a spear at the Trojan Horse.

Sinon

A Greek who uses 'treacherous scheming' to convince the Trojans that the horse is a sacrifice, gaslighting them into bringing it into the city.

Hector

The fallen Trojan hero who appears to Aeneas in a dream, telling him to take the household gods and establish a new city.

Priam

The elderly King of Troy who is killed by Neoptolemus after witnessing the death of his son Polites.

Creusa

Aeneas' wife who goes missing during the escape from Troy; her ghost tells him it is the gods' will that she stay behind.

Cupid

The god who, at Venus' command, disguises himself as Ascanius to infect Dido with a 'fire of passion' for Aeneas.

Homeric Intertextuality

The literary parallels between the Aeneid and the Odyssey, such as Aeneas' cries at sea and the use of divine mists and disguises.

Imagery of the bees

A description of the construction of Carthage where the hive 'seethes with activity' and the city smells of honey and thyme.

Cassandra

The Trojan prophetess whose warnings about the Trojan Horse were ignored because the gods prevented the Trojans from hearing her.

Anchises

Aeneas' father who carries the weight of the past; he agrees to leave Troy only after receiving a sign of fire on Iulus' head and a falling star.

Ira

Anger or rage; specifically Aeneas' urge to kill Helen to 'avenge my country' before Venus lifts the veil of his madness.

Neoptolemus

The son of Achilles who kills Polites and King Priam, representing the brutal end of Priam's lineage.