The Aeneid

What three things are found in Epic Poetry?

Starting in the middle, A plea to the gods, and the use of literary tools especially similies.

Why does Juno's anger burn against the Trojans?

She is angry because Paris deemed her less beautiful than Helen. She loathed the whole stack of Dardanus. She was furious at the honors done to Ganymede.

What does Juno request from Aeolus? What does Juno offer in return for the favor?

She request that he raises the sea by his winds and destroy the ships of the trojans she offers Deiopea to be his wife.

For what does Aeneas pray when he and his men are caught in Aeolus' storm?

He wishes and prays that he could have died at Troy.

What is Neptune's reaction to the storm incited by Aeolus?

He was very Angry.

What does Aeneas say to comfort and encourage his men after they reach the shore?

"My friends, this is not the first trouble we have known, We have suffered worse before, and this too will pass." "So summon up hour courage once again. This is no time for gloom of fear."

Summarize Venus' complaint to Jupiter

Basically she asks, "what great harm has Aeneas been able to do t you? What crime have the Trojans committed that they should suffer all this loss of life?" She also reminds him of his promise that from the Trojans, Romans would arise.

What does Jupiter send mercury to do?

He sends mercury to make the lands and citadel of Carthage hospitable to the Trojans.

Whom does Aeneas meet as he "walked through the middle of the wood"? How is she disguised?

He meets his mother, Venus. She is disguised as a Spartan girl that is hunting.

Summarize the story of Dido conveyed to Aeneas by the goddess.

Dido came from Tyre because her father had given her in marriage to Sychaeus. But her brother a great criminal was ruler. A mad passion came between her brother and Sychaeus and her brother killed Sychaeus without her knowing. Dido found out in a dream and she escaped from her native land. She brought treasure and followers, and they made Carthage their home.

What is Aeneas´ reaction when he finds the Spartan woman to be his mother?

He asks why she is so cruel and always mocks him with her disguises.

What image does Virgil use to describe Carthage as Aeneas sees it.

The image is of the beginning of summer.

What does Aeneas see that both allays his fears and causes him much grief?

He see depictions of the Trojans war.

What is Illioneaus' request of queen Dido? How does Dido respond to this request?

"save our ships from the impious threat of fire" She take pity upon them and helps them.

Upon meeting Aeneas, what does Dido do for the Trojans?

She invites his warriors to her house. She sacrifices and sends 20 bulls, 100 hog's backs and 100 fat lams. She orders servants to prepare and feast.

What plot does Venus devise as Dido and the Trojans banquet together? Why does she do this.

She gets Cupid to help her by making Dido fall in love with Aeneas. She does this because she does not trust Dido.

Now caught in a stupor of love, what does Dido request of Aeneas?

"come tell your hosts the beginning about the treachery of the Greeks, the suffering of your people and you wanderings."

How long have the Trojans been at sea since the fall of Troy?

Seven years.

Whats the quote that needs to be memorized

" I sing of arms and of the man, fated to be an exile, who long since left the land of Troy and came to Italy to the shores of Lavinium; and a great pounding he took by land and sea at the hands of the heavenly gos because of the fierce and unforgetting anger of Juno. Great too were his sufferings in war before he could found his city and carry his gods into Latinum. This was the beginning of the Latin race, the Alban father and the high walls of Rome. Tell me, Muse, the causes of her anger. How did he violate the will of the Queen of the Gods? what was his offence? why did she drive a man famous for his piety to such endless hardships and such suffering? Can there be so much anger in the hearts of the heavenly gods?

How does Aeneas feel about recalling the story of Troy to Dido?

He was filled with sorrow, and said "No man could speak of such things and not weep." (Line 6, book II)

How do the Greeks convey that the large horse is harmless?

They sent a Greek man called Sinon, who said he hated to Greeks, and told them it was harmless.

Who protests the acceptance of this gift, and what was the reason for their protest?

Laocoon protests. Capys protests. They do not trust that the Greeks left.

According to Aeneas, why don't the Trojans listen to Laocoon?

Because they pitied and believed Sinon.

Why is the horse so large, according to Sinon? Why do you think it was made so large.

According to Sinon it was so large because they did not want it to fit through the gates or protect the Trojan people. I think it was so big because they wanted to fit as many Greeks inside as possible.

What omen seems to confirm Sinon's story? what explanation is given for why this happens?

Two serpents killed Laocoon. That he was being punished for his crime of throwing a spear into the horse.

What are the Trojans doing as they carry the horse into the city?

They sand hyms and rejoiced.

What tell-tale signs should have made the Trojans stop and think again about what they were doing?

Four times it stopped on the threshold of the gated and the armor clanked inside.

Who appears to Aeneas in a dream while the greeks begin to attack? What does he tell Aeneas to do? what does Aeneas do Instead?

Hector appears and tells him to escape and save himself. Instead, Aeneas puts on his armor and goes to fight.

What does Coroebus suggest to Aeneas and his men to make them more effective in fighting the Greeks?

He says they should wear and use the armor of the Greeks they killed. "Is this treachery of courage? Who would ask in dealing with an enemy?" Line 391-392

What curse does Priam speak to Pyrrhus?

"May the gods give you the reward you deserve for making me see my own son dying before my eyes, for defiling a fathers face with the murder of his son. You pretend Achilles was your father but this is not how Achilles treated his enemy Priam. (538-542)

Realizing he is alone after his men desert him, what does Aeneas decide to do.

He saw Helen and was going to kill her.

Who stop Aeneas from taking vengeance upon Helen? What does she tell him to do?

Venus stops him. She tells him to go to his family and take them to safety.

What reason does Venus give for why Troy is being destroyed?

The gods are destroying it.

Why does Anchises refuse to leave Troy?

He refuses because he in an old man and has no reason to leave his home.

What omens convince Anchises to leave Troy? How does he leave?

Iulus hair went to flames without harming him.

After leaving Troy, what makes Aeneas don his armor and run back into Troy?

His wife is missing.

Who appears to Aeneas as a ghost as he desperately look for his wife? what are her last words?

his wife appears. "Do not fail in your love for our Son" (789)

What occurs when Aeneas pulls out leafy branches to prepare a sacrifice? Why does this occur?

Blood dripped from the branches. It occurs because it was where Polydorus was buried.

Why do the Trojan leaders decide to leave Thrace immediately?

They left because the land was cursed and the people had violated the law of hospitality.

What do the Trojans do before they leave Thrace? Why would they do this?

They gave Polydorus a second burial. They did this because Aeneas had torn up where he was buried, and so Polydorus could have a proper burial.

In response to Aeneas' prayer, what does Apollo tell Aeneas to do?

He tells Aeneas to seek his mother and the land that bore him.

How is Apollo's command interpreted? Why?

It is interpreted that the land they seek is Crete. Because that is where their first father was.

What would make Crete particularly attractive prospect for the weary Trojans?

It was said to be deserted. Also it was the home of their Ancestors

What two commands do the Penates give Aeneas? Why?

His task is to build great walls to protect them, and to never flag in the long toil of exile.

What does Anchises realize after Aeneas tells him of his vision.

He realizes where he needs to go.

How do the Trojans defend themselves against the Harpies? How successful are they?

They lit the altar fires. they are pretty successful.

What prophecy does the Harpy Calaeno give to Aeneas?

That they will go to Italy but they will not be given a city, and they will not be able to build walls, and a deadly famine will come.

How do the Trojans celebrate their escape from Strophades and safe arrival into Actium?

They wrestled.

How did Andromache become queen after being a slave?

She married Helenus.

What advice does Helenus convey to Aeneas after he asks what dangers he is to avoid and what he must do to overcome his trials?

Helenus tells Aeneas to bend the oar in the waves of the Sicilian seas, then cross the ocean of Ausonia and the lakes of the Underworld, then pass Aenea. Helenus gave him a sign--When in an hour of perplexity by the flowing waters of a lonely river you find holm oaks on the shore a great sow with the litter of thirty piglets lying on her side with her young around her, that will be the place for his city. He is to keep away from the close shores of Italy. He is to raise altars and veil himself in purple cloth. there is a lot more. lol

What does Andromache give to Ascanius? WHy does she do this?

She gives him robes embridered with gold thread. She does this because she is grieved they're parting.

What omen do the Trojans see upon sight of Italy's shores? How is this omen interpreted.

Four white horses cropping the grass on a broad plain. it is interpreted as a threat of war, yet also peace aswell.

Why is Achaemenides in Sicily?

His Greek comrades left him there.

What is Polyphemus doing as the Trojans look on?

He was heaving his bulk down the mountain.

What mournful event occurs at Drepanum?

Aeneas' father, Anchises dies.

To what is Dido immovably opposed at the beginning of the book, and what is shaking this conviction?

She is immovably opposed to marriage. The fact the she likes Aeneas is shaking her conviction.

What does Anna say that "lit a wild fire of love in her sister's breast"?

She explains all the good things that could come if Dido married Aeneas.

What does Dido do to make clear her growing infatuation for Aeneas?

She asks for the gods blessing. But that was not enough, so she wandered around the city.

What does Juno propose to Venus in an effort to "divert the empire of Italy to the shores of Libya"?

She suggests they should arrange a marriage between Aeneas and Dido.

Thinking Venus deceived by her story, what does Juno propose be done to "marry" Aeneas and Dido?

She proposes to trap them in a cave and she will be there to marry them.

How does Dido change after her "marriage" to Aeneas?

She no longer gave thought to her appearance or good name and no longer kept her love as a secret in her own heart.

Why does Jupiter send Mercury to Aeneas? What does Mercury say to reprimand Aeneas?

Jupiter sends him because the lovers have lost all recollection of their good names and because Iarbas his son prayed to him. Mercury asks if hes completely forgotten about his own kingdom and destiny.

How does Aeneas feel about having to leave Dido?

He had very mixed feelings. He wanted to leave yet he did not know how to tell Dido.

How does Dido respond to the news that Aeneas must leave Carthage? Of what does she accuse him, and what reason does she give him to stay?

She responds with anger and sadness. She accuses him of being a traitor. She asks him to stay to honor their union in marriage and that if she deserves any kindness from him.

What would have prevented Dido from feeling completely abandoned by Aeneas?

If he left her with a child.

Summarize Aeneas' case to Dido for leaving Carthage.

His case was mostly to take care of his people but it was also the fact that the gods told him to.

Dido, abandoning her hope for Aeneas to honor their "marriage", sends Anna with what last request?

She sends Anna to beg Aeneas to wait, and to tell him she never was at Aulis and made no compact with the Greeks, and she sent to fleet to Pergamum.

What omens does Dido see that begin her descent into madness?

Her milk offering went black and wine turned into gore. She heard the voice of her late husband. She kept remembering ancient predictions.

Why does Dido feel that death is her only option?

She was overwhelmed by grief and possessed by madness.

What is Anna's reproach to her dying sister?

She was angry and disappointed that her sister would deceive her. She was also very sad.

Troy

Native city of Aeneas; setting of Iliad; located on the NW coast of Asia Minor.

Lavinium

a port city in Italy, founded by Aeneas, 19 miles south of Rome.

Juno

The Latin name for the Greek goddess Hera; the wife of jupiter

Muse

a goddess often invoked for inspiration and memory

Tyre

located in ancient Phoenicia, modern Lebanon; NW of Galilee, NNE of Jerusalem.

Carthage

Located in modern Tunisia; almost directly south of Rome.

Samos

an island in thew Aegean close to the coast of Asia Minor; east of athens.

Penates

The Latin gods of the household, along with the Lares

Neptune

Latin god of the seas; Latin name for the Greek god Poseidon; Juno's brother.

Libya

Area in N. Africa bordering modern Tunisia to east; SE of Carthage.

Jupiter

King of the gods and husband of Juno; Latin name for the Greek god Zeus.

Venus

Daughter of Jupiter; mother of Aeneas; Latin name for the Greek goddess Aphrodite

Mercury

Messenger of the gods; Latin name for the Greek god Hermes.

Achates

The companion of Aeneas; rarely mentioned without the qualifier "faithful"

Cupid

A son of Venus and the god of love; Latin name for the Greek god Eros

Ascanius

Son of Aeneas; also called Iulus

Dido

Founder and queen of Carthage; sister of Pygmalion; falls deeply in love with Aeneas

Fates

Typically portrayed as three sisters, they plotted out the life of each individual. In the Aeneid, the decree of the Fates is final, even over the decree of the gods.

Laocoon

A priest of Troy who warns the Trojans not to accept the Greeks' "gift"

Priam

King of Troy

Sinon

A greek who fools the Trojans into accepting a large wooden horse.

Ulizes

Another name for Odysseus, whom we see primarily in the Odyssey.

Palladium

Statue of Athena in Troy which was said to protect Troy

Hector

Son of Priam and Troy's greatest warrior; killed my Achilles in the Iliad.

Cassandra

A princess of Troy; given the gift of prophecy by Apollo

Pyrrhus

Son of Achilles who kills Priam in vengeance; also called Neoptolemus

Creusa

Wife of Aeneas

Anchises

The father of Aeneas

Hecuba

Priam's wife who tries to convince Priam not to fight

Helen

the infamous Greek woman who Paris took from Menelaus in the Iliad