virgil summaries

lines 12-22?

virgil describes carthage as a powerful and wealthy city founded by tyrian settlers. virgil says that juno heard a prophecy saying that the romans descended from the trojans would someday destroy carthage. so juno freaks out, full of rage and dear, and starts trying to stop aeneas, a trojan from ever reaching italy.

who is aeneas?

a trojan prince who fought on the trojan war. after troy was destroyed, he was chosen by fate to lead the survivors and found a new city in italy- which would eventually become rome.

why does juno not like aeneas?

he’s trojan, he’s ‘going’ to destroy carthage because rome will destroy carthage, and also because of the judgement of paris- where a trojan prince chose venus as the prettiest and not juno.

lines 23-33?

Juno remembers the trojan war, which she fought for the greeks. she is also mad about the judgement of paris, in which paris chose venus over her. she feels insulted because her beauty was rejected. she hates the trojan race in general. she is also is jealous of Ganymede, a trojan boy who was taken to the be the cupbearer of gods- a role that Juno thought was disrespectful to her daughter. all of this makes Juno more and more angry, so she keeps trying to stop Aeneas and the trojans from reaching italy so that they won’t found rome.

lines 34-45?

aeneas and the trojan have just left sicily, heading towards italy. juno is still furious, holding onto the grudge like it’s a full-time job. this is the moment that she decided to act- she’s about to stir up the storm that hits them hard. there is also reference to pallas and ajax- pallas caused a storm that destroyed the greeks fleet as they were trying to return how to troy.

what did ajax do?

after the greeks had taken the city, ajax raped cassandra- a roman princess.

lines 46-57?

juno reminds herself that she is queen of the gods, so she is powerful and has authority. she feels as if she has the right to act because of her divine status, unlike Aeneas who has to follow fate. juno vents her frustration and decided to take action andd stir up a storm to stop aeneas from reaching italy. she goes to aeolus, the ruler of the winds, to make use of his power. aeolus controls the winds which are a key part of the storm that juno wants to create.

lines 51-70?

virgil talks about why the winds are not free to rome. they are imprisoned by jupiter. the winds are kept in a cave under the control of aeolus. aeolus is entrusted by jupiter to release the winds at will, but only certain conditions. juno approaches aeolus with a plan to use the winds against aeneas and his fleet, she ask saeolus to release the winds and cause a storm that will disrupt the trojan ships as they are sailing to italy. this emphasises how manipulative she is..

lines 71-80?

juno approaches aelous with flattery and a promise of reward, she tells him that the gods favour him and she will reward him with the beautiful nymoh-deiopea. aeolus replies, acknowledging that he has been given control over the winds by jupiter, but he is aklso a servant that must obey the will of the gods, he expresses his loyalty to juno and agrees to do whatever she asks, he knows that he is indebted to her.

lines 81-91?

aeolus releases the winds immediately from the cave. virgil describes how the winds are wild and uncontrolled when released. the winds cause a terrible storm, and darkness spreads over the ocean. the sky is covered with clouds, and the waves grow furious as the storm intensifies

lines 92-101?

aeneas is filled with panic. he fears that all their struggles and all the hardships they have earned, might be in vain. he wishes that he perished at troy. this reflects his overwhelming sense of hopelessness. he feels as though all of his efforts and sacrifices are for nothing. yhe starts to recall the great warriors who fell at troy- hector, sarpedon… men who fought bravely and died honourably. he emphasises that their deaths, were noble and have lasting significance, whereas his own struggles seem like endless suffering.

lines 102-112?

the storm begins to overwhelm the fleet. the ships are battered by the violent winds and waves causing a great disaster. aeneas fleet is being destroyed and the ships are being tossed around the rough seas. the storm splits apart the fleet, some are swallowed by waves, others are smashed against rocks. aeneas is filled with horror and despair as he sees his mighty fleet destroyed.

lines 113-123?

some ships are sunk in the rocks and the sailors are caught in the turmoil of the sea. virgil emphasises the violent nature of the storm, described as relentless and merciless. the sailors of the ships are utterly powerless against the overwhelming force of the waves. some ships are carried far away, others are stuck in dangerous places, but still being destroyed by the storm’s fury.

what crime did ajax commit, that pallas had to punish him?

• stealing her image from a temple in troy

what name is pallas better known as?

athene

what disgraceful thing to aeacus do with hector’s body after he had killed him?

• dragged it round the walls of troy