The Aeneid Quotes

First and last lines of the opening proem, Book 1

'I sing of arms and of men'
'can there be so much anger in the hearts of the heavenly gods?'

Juno's bribery to Aeolus, Book 1

'fourteen nymphs of the rarest beauty'

Trojans in the storm, Book 1

'wherever the Trojans looked, death stared them in the face'
'why could I [Aeneas] not have … breathed out of my life on the plains of Troy'

Aeneas encouraging his crew, Book 1

'you have been to Scylla's cave and heard the mad dogs howling in the depths of it. You have even survived rocks thrown by the Cyclopes. So summon up your courage once again. This is no time for gloom or fear'

Jupiter about future Rome, Book 1

'I impose no limits of time or place. I have given them an empire that will know no end'

Aeneas recognising Venus, Book 1

'why do you so often mock your own son by taking on these disguises? You are too cruel'

Venus disguising Aeneas and his men, Book 1

'the goddess spread a great veil of cloud over them so that no one could see them or touch them'

Descriptions of Carthage, Book 1

'they were like bees at the beginning of summer'
'laying deep foundations'
'Dido was building for Juno a huge temple rich with offerings'

Aeneas being hindered by Dido, Book 1

'He is in the hands of the Phoenician Dido, who is delaying him with honeyed words'

Dido's hospitia and pietas, Book 1

'[the Trojans] will leave here under my [Dido's] protection'
'she [Dido] poured a libation of wine in the table to honour the gods'
'through my own suffering, I am learning to help those who suffer'

Cupid disguised as Ascanius, Book 1

Cupid was sent in the form of 'the lovely young Ascanius to inflame the heart of the queen'
'winding the fire of passion round her bones'

Weeping at the fall of Troy, Book 2

'no man could speak of such things and not weep'
'who could weep tears to match that suffering?'

Fate and the gods' role in the fall of Troy, Book 2

'if divine Fate, if the minds of the gods had not been set against us, Laocoon surely would have forced us to tear open the hiding places of the Greeks… Troy would still be standing'

The Trojan Horse, Book 2

'if your hands violate this offering to Minerva, then total destruction shall fall upon the empire of Priam and the Trojans'
'I [Laocoon] am afraid of the Greeks even when they bear gifts'

Sinon's trickery, Book 2

'Listen now to this story of Greek treachery'

'I am the sort of man who will confess the whole truth to you'

Minerva's serpents, Book 2

'two serpents… their eyes blazing and flecked with blood'
'they seized [Laocoon] and bound him in huge spirals… and all the time he was raising horrible cries to heaven'

Hector appearing to Aeneas, Book 2

'look for a great city to establish'
'he had on his body all the wounds he had received around the walls of his native city'

Chaos of the Trojan War, Book 2

'the clamour of men and the clangour of trumpets rose to high heaven'
'frenzy and anger drove me [Aeneas] on and suddenly it seemed a noble thing to die in arms'
'I myself saw Neoptolemus in an orgy of killing'

Hopelessness in the fall of Troy, Book 2

'the Trojans are no more'
'your bravery is in vain'

Wolf simile, Book 2

'like wolves foraging blindly on a misty night… we ran the gauntlet of the enemy to certain death'

The plan to trick the Greeks, Book 2

'let us change shields with the Greeks and put on their insignia. Is this treachery or is it courage'

Unfairness of the gods, Book 2

'it is the gods, the cruelty of the gods'
'these things do not happen without the approval of the gods'

Priam's death, Book 2

'I saw Priam's blood all over the altar, polluting the flame which he himself had sanctified'
'[Pyrrhus] was dragging Priam to the very altar, his body trembling as it slithered through pools of his son's blood'

Aeneas loses Creusa, Book 2

Aeneas didn't 'look behind me or think of her or realise she was lost'
'this was the cruellest thing I saw in all the sack of the city'

Aeneas tries to embrace Creusa's ghost, Book 2

'three times I tried to put my arms round her neck. Three times her phantom melted in my arms'

Anna convinces Dido to pursue Aeneas, Book 4

'to what a pinnacle of glory will Carthage be raised if Trojans are marching on our side'
'Anna lit a fire of wild love in her sister's breast'

Dido loses herself in her love for Aeneas, Book 4

'what use are prayers and shrines to a passionate woman'
'Dido gave no thought to her appearance or her good name and no longer kept her love as a secret in her own heart, but called it marriage, using the word to cover her guilt'
'becoming slaves of lust'

Carthage without Dido, Book 4

'The towers she was building ceased to rise'
'her men gave up the exercise of war'

Juno interfering, Book 4

Juno 'shall join them in lasting marriage and make her his'
'the heavens were witness to the marriage'

Foreshadowing, Book 4

'this day was the beginning of [Dido's] death'
'let there be war between the nations and between their sons for ever'

Dido curses Aeneas, Book 4

'you are a traitor'
'you are not the son of a goddess… Hyrcanian tigers offered you their udders'

Anna's reaction to Dido's death, Book 4

'did you not want your sister's company when you were dying?'
'so cruel as to lay yourself down here to die without me'

Metaphors to describe Aeneas, Book 4

'The arrow flies and is left in [Dido's] body without [the shepherd, Aeneas] knowing it'
'this second Paris with eunuchs in attendance and hair dripping with perfume'
'he was like Apollo leaving his winter home'

Dido going mad, Book 4

'she raged and raced round the whole city like a Bacchant stirred'
'Dido was overwhelmed by grief and possessed by madness'
'she was not dying by the decree of Fate… [but] in a sudden blaze of madness'

Aeneas' true ambition, Book 4

'If the Fates were leaving me free… my first concern would be to tend the city of Troy'

The Trojans leaving Carthage, Book 4

'delighted to receive their orders [to leave Carthage] and carried them out immediately'

Daedalus mourning Icarus, Book 6

'Twice your father tried to shape your fall in gold and twice his hands fell helpless'

Apollo controlling the Sibyl, Book 6

'the more she tried to shake her body free of the great god the harder he strained upon her foaming mouth'

Foreshadowing the narrative, Book 6

'I [the Sibyl] see wars, deadly wars'
'a second Achilles is already born in Latium'
'Juno too is part of Trojan destiny and will never be far away'

Future Rome, Book 6

'This is the greatest grief you and yours will ever suffer'
'Augustus Caesar, son of a god, the man who will bring back the golden years to the fields of Latium… and extend Rome's empire… to a land beyond the stars'

Aeneas wanting to see Anchises, Book 6

'I pray to be able to look upon the face of my dead father'

Misenus is dead, Book 6

'you have a friend lying dead'
'Aeneas took the lead in all this work [Misenus' funeral]'

Aeneas trying to obtain the golden branch, Book 6

'it resisted, but he broke it off impatiently'

Aeneas talking to Dido in the underworld, Book 6

'It was the stern authority of the commands of the gods that drove me on'
'I could not have believed that my leaving would cause you such sorrow'
Dido 'kept her eyes upon the ground'

Pietas, Book 6

'you should be sacrificing seven bullocks… nor were the Trojans slow to obey'
'I [Ascanius] knew your devotion would prevail over all the rigour of the journey'

Key lines of the proem, Book 7

'This is a greater work I now set in motion'
'You too, Caieta, nurse of Aeneas, have given by your death eternal fame to our shores'

Prophecies and portents, Book 7

'many frightening portents from the gods forbade [Turnus and Lavinia's marriage]'
'it was prophesied that [Laviana's] own fate and fame would be bright, but that a great war would come'
'strangers will come to be your sons in law and by their blood to raise our name to the stars'

Aeneas lands in Italy, Book 7

'Hail to the land owed to me by the Fates… This is our home. This is our land'
'This Aeneas is the man the Fates demand'

Juno's reaction to the Trojans landing in Italy, Book 7

'When [Juno] saw that they were already at work on their buildings… she stopped in mid

Allecto causing war, Book 7

'Taking one of the snakes from her dark hair, Allecto threw it on Amata's breast… a horror driving her to frenzy'

Turnus' view on war (copied from Hecto)r, Book 7

'War is the business of men'

Introduction to Mezentius, Book 7

'cruel Mezentius from Etruria, scorner of the gods'
'[Lausus] deserved… a father other than Mezentius'

Introduction to Turnus, Book 7

'the fairest of them all, and taller by a head than all the others'

Introduction to Camilla, Book 7

'the warrior maiden of the Volsci… she could have run over the ocean… and never wet her foot in the waves'

The Latins declaring war, Book 8

'When Turnus raised the flag of war… there was instant confusion'
'the whole of Latium rose in a frenzy to take the oath and young warriors were baying for blood'

Aeneas' reaction to war being declared, Book 8

'The Trojan hero… saw it all and great tides of grief flowed in his heart'
'heart sick at the sadness of war'

Aeneas' dream, Book 8

'He saw in his sleep the god of the place, old Tiber himself'
'this is the home that is decreed for you. Do not give it up'
'you will find a great sow with a litter of thirty piglets… this will be a sign that… Ascanius will found the city of Alba'

The Arcadians' history with the Latins, Book 8

'[the Arcadians] wage continuous war against the Latin race'

Aeneas' pietas towards Juno, Book 8

'This sow devout Aeneas offered to you as a sacrifice, even you, O greatest Juno'

Descriptions of Pallas, Book 8

'Boldly he told them not to disturb their holy feast, and seizing a weapon he rushed off to face the strangers by himself'
'O my dear son, my only source of joy'

Pietas of the Arcadians, Book 8

'Ever since that time [Hercules killing Cacus] we have honoured his name and succeeding generations have celebrated this day with recjoicing'

Aeneas' shield, Book 8

'Shaping one great shield to be a match for all the weapons of the Latins'
'laid out the story of Italy and the triumphs of the Romans'
'on one side Augustus Caesar, leading the men of Italy… his father's star shone above his head'
'the greatest outrage of all, his [Mark Antony's] Egyptian wife!'

Mezentius' cruelty, Book 8

'I shall not speak of the foul murders and other barbaric crimes committed by this tyrant'
'He even devised a form of torture whereby living men were roped to dead bodies'

Turnus' pietas, Book 9

'offered to prayer upon prayer to the gods and burdened heaven with his vows'

Aeneas' orders to the Trojan camp, Book 9

'if anything should happen in his absence, they were not to dare take up position… only to defend the camp and the walls'
'though shame and anger urged them to battle, they nevertheless obeyed orders'

Turnus trying to attack the Trojans, Book 9

'like a wolf in the dead of night… by a pen full of sheep'
'the boldness and confidence of Turnus never wavered'

Turnus' reaction to the sea nymphs, Book 9

'so now the seas are barred to the Trojans and they have no hopes of escape'
'this Phrygian talk of destiny and the oracles of the gods does not dismay me'

Turnus' threats to the Trojans, Book 9

'I too have a destiny… to cut down with the sword this vicious people that has robbed me of my bride'
'I shall soon make sure they realise it is not the Greeks they have to deal with'

Introduction to Nisus and Euryalus, Book 9

'They were one in love, and side by side they used to charge into battle'

Euryalus' mother, Book 9

'Your mother will be my [Ascanius'] mother in everything but the name Creusa'
'crazed with grief'

Nisus contemplates about the gods, Book 9

'Is it the gods who put this ardour into our minds, or does every man's irresistible desire become his god?'

Euryalus' helmet, Book 9

'Euryalus had forgotten about the helmet, and its glittering betrayed them'

Euryalus' death, Book 9

'his neck grew limp.. like a scarlet flower languishing'
'aim your weapons at me [Nisus] Rutulians!'

Nisus and Euryalus' fame (kleos?), Book 9

‘The day will never come when time will erase you from the memory of man'

Jupiter at the council of gods, Book 10

'I had forbidden Italy to clash with the Trojans'
'let each man face his own fortune and set his course by his own hopes. Trojan and Rutulian I shall treat alike'

Turnus' bravery, Book 10

'Fortune favours the bold'
'I wish his [Pallas'] father were here to see it [Pallas' death]'

Aeneas' return to the Trojan camp, Book 10

'On the head of Aeneas there blazed a tongue of fire… like the dismal blaze of Sirius the Dog

Aeneas' aristea, Book 10

'He now captured alive… to sacrifice them as offerings to the shade of Pallas'
'He struck Lichas… little good did it do to the baby to escape the hazard of steel at birth'
'[Aeneas' sword] pierced the tunic his mother had woven for him… with blood'

Pallas' bravery, Book 10

'Where are you running to, comrades? …These are not gods who are pressing you so hard, they are mortals pursuing mortals'
'the Arcadians were stung by Pallas' reproaches'

Trojans versus the Latins, Book 10

'Trojans and Latins were battling… like opposing winds fighting their wars… equal in spirit and equal in strength'

Pallas and Lausus' deaths, Book 10

'They were almost of an age, and noble in appearance, but Fortune had denied each of them a homecoming'
'O Pallas, a great grief and a great glory are coming home to your father!'
'Young Lausus leapt forward and threw himself between them'

Mezentius in battle, Book 10

'like the wild boar… stands his ground unafraid'
'let the right hand which is my god not fail me now'

Pallas' corpse, Book 11

'There he lay like a flower… a soft violet or a drooping lily'

Pallas' funeral, Book 11

'Then came the captives… to send them as offerings to the shades of the dead and sprinkle the funeral pyre with their blood'
'Achotes was led along for the procession, bearing his chest with his fists and tearing his face with his nails'

Evander and Aeneas mourn, Book 11

'Fortune came to me with smiles, but took you from me while you were still a boy'
'forever hail, great Pallas, and forever farewell'
'a father should not survive his son'

Aeneas returns the bodies of the Rutulians, Book 11

'You ask me for peace for the dead… I for my part would have been willing to grant them peace when they were still alive'

Aeneas accepts the peace treaty, Book 11

'Good Aeneas could not refuse this petition [of a truce]'

Drances speaks, Book 11

'What should I praise first? Your [Aeneas'] justice, or your labours in war?'
'you [Turnus] who are the single source and cause of all these sufferings of Latium… we are all asking you for peace'

Diomedes urges the Latins to agree to the peace treaty, Book 11

'what Fortune is it that disturbs your peace and persuades you to stir up wars you do not understand?… let your hands join in a treat of peace'

Lavinia is ashamed, Book 11

'Lavinia, the cause… her lovely eyes downcast'

Description of Camilla, Book 11

'glory of Italy'
'she tracked him through all the army, burning with a woman's passion for spoil and plunder'

Camilla's final words, Book 11

'Acca, my sister… Take my last commands to Turnus. He must come into battle and keep the Trojans away from the city'

The Latins defend Latium, Book 11

'Camilla was their example. Wildly they hurled missiles from their walls… longing to be the first to die in defence of their city'

Turnus' devotion to Lavinia, Book 12

'Turnus was distraught with love and fixed his eyes in Lavinia'

Turnus' pietas, Book 12

'Turnus stepping forward quietly with downcast eyes to worship at the altar like a supplicant'

Juturna encouraging another fight, Book 12

'By such words [Juturna] more and more inflamed the minds of the warriors'

Venus heals Aeneas, Book 12

'Venus, dismayed by her son's undeserved suffering… All the pain left Aeneas' body'

Aeneas' anger at Turnus, Book 12

'While the victorious Turnus was dealing death on the plain, Aeneas was taken into the camp… bleeding… in a fury'

Aeneas' final words to Ascanius, Book 12

'He took Ascanius in an armed embrace and kissed him lightly though the helmet, saying: "From me, my son, you can learn courage and hard toil."'

Amata's suicide, Book 12

'[Amata's] mind was deranged with grief and she screamed that she was the cause… she resolved to die'
'Latinus… dazed by the death of his wife and downfall of his city'