AENEID

ROMAN LITERATURE
WORLD LITERATURE
GROUP 6
 MAIN CHARACTERS

AENEAS TURNUS DIDO

mythical hero of Troy and legendary warrior and leader The queen of Carthage.
Rome, son of the goddess of the Rutuli people.
Venus and Anchises.
 MAIN CHARACTERS

JUNO VENUS PRINCE PALLAS

The queen of the gods, the The goddess of love and the Pallas was the son of King
wife and sister of Jupiter, and mother of Aeneas. Evander.
the daughter of Saturn.
 MAIN CHARACTERS

ANCHISES LATINUS EVANDER

Father of Aeneas and Venus' A shadowy personality who The son of the goddess
husband. was perhaps invented to Carmentis (or Carmenta) and
explain the origin of Rome and the god Hermes.
its relations with Latium.
 SETTINGS (TIME)

● In the aftermath of the Trojan

War, about 1000 B.C.
 SETTINGS (PLACE)

● The Mediterranean, including

the north coast of Asia Minor,
Carthage, and Italy
 SUMMARY
The Aeneid begins after the fall of Troy. The Trojan
fleet carrying the surviving warriors is being battered
by a storm in the Mediterranean Sea south of Sicily.
The storm has been sent by Juno, queen of the gods
who holds a grudge against the Trojans and their leader,
Aeneas. Just as it seems the Trojans will be destroyed,
the sea god Neptune guides their ships to shore. They
discover they are near the city of Carthage, ruled by
Queen Dido, who welcomes them. The Trojans have been
traveling since Troy was destroyed. Worried that
Aeneas, her son, will have no place to rest, the goddess
Venus makes Dido fall passionately in love with him.
 SUMMARY
Aeneas tells Dido the epic story of their travels so far, beginning
with the destruction of Troy. Dido is impressed by Aeneas and
his feats, and succumbs to her feelings for him. Hoping it will
keep Aeneas out of Italy and prevent his fate, Juno maneuvers
Dido into having sex with Aeneas. However, it is not an official
marriage. Noticing Aeneas is getting too comfortable, Jupiter
sends his messenger Mercury to remind Aeneas of his fate and
duty so he abandons the Queen. Dido is terribly distraught
climbs on her funeral pyre, where her dead body will burn, and
fatally stabs herself with his sword as he sails away. The Trojan
fleet stops again in Sicily, just in time to celebrate the first
anniversary of Anchises' death. Aeneas and his people make
sacrifices and feast before the games of speed and skill. The
ghost of his father appears, telling him to sail to Italy and visit
him in the underworld.
 SUMMARY
Aeneas's first stop in Italy is Cumae, where Sibyl delivers
prophecies to Aeneas and where the door to the
underworld lies. He finds his father in the Elysian Fields,
and Anchises shows him many of his Roman descendants
who will build the Roman Empire. The Trojans finally find
the Tiber River, where they are meant to settle. Aeneas
sends an envoy to make peace with the king of Latium.
Following a prophecy, King Latinus offers his daughter,
Lavinia, in marriage. But before the deal can be made, Juno
sends the Fury of Rage to turn both Latinus' queen and
Turnus, one of Lavinia's suitors, against Aeneas. They
rouse Italy to war with the Trojans. Turnus gathers allies,
and Aeneas needs to find allies of his own to fight with
him.
 SUMMARY
The highest point of the story is when Pallas
attacks first, but Turnus' attack is deadlier, and
Pallas dies with a spear in his chest. Fatefully,
Turnus takes Pallas's sword belt to wear as a
trophy. Aeneas, enraged by news of Pallas's
death, finally frees the Trojan fort. Turnus
unsuccessfully tries to trap Aeneas and the other
half of his army, the warrior princess Camilla
defends the city. Camilla is as deadly as Turnus
or Aeneas, but she gets distracted, allowing an
Etruscan soldier to get a spear through her
defenses.
 SUMMARY

Turnus agrees to single combat with Aeneas.

When Aeneas tries to stop the escalating
hostilities, he is struck by an arrow, but Venus
helps heal him. When Aeneas attacks the city,
Turnus finally returns for the duel. Turnus is no
match for Aeneas assisted by the gods. Wounded
and humbled, he asks for mercy. Aeneas is about
to grant it when he sees Turnus is wearing
Pallas's sword belt. In a blaze of fury, Aeneas
stabs Turnus through the heart.
PLOT
 HIGHLIGHTS
Book 1: Aeneas encounters a storm and is cast ashore at Carthage.
Book 2: The hero tells Dido of his escape from Troy.
Book 3: The wanderings of Aeneas: Harpies, meeting with Helenus. Death of
Anchises.
Book 4: Dido's passion for Aeneas. At Jupiter's command, Aeneas departs.
Dido kills herself.
Book 5: Aeneas reaches Sicily. Funeral games for Anchises.
Book 6: Aeneas with the Sibyl at Cumae. He meets Anchises in the Underworld.
Book 7: Aeneas lands in Latium. Latinus promises Lavinia. Juno and Allecto stir
up war.
Book 8: Aeneas secures the help of Evander and the Etruscans. Story of
Hercules and Cacus. Armor from Vulcan.
Book 9: Turnus attacks the Trojan camp. The camp is hard pressed.
Book 10: Council of gods. Turnus kills Pallas. Juno saves Turnus from raging
Aeneas.
Book 11: Burial of Pallas. Diomedes' refusal. The Trojans attack. Death of
Camilla.
Book 12: Single combat arranged, but treachery provokes a general
engagement. Trojans attack the city. In single combat, Aeneas kills Turnus.
 THEME

FATE
Aeneas will carry out his fate/destiny and create a city in Rome. Also
fate controls both the plot as a whole and the protagonist Aeneas’
entire life. Since Aeneas' fate is to build an Empire in Rome, he will
stop at nothing to complete his ambition to build a foundation for his
son and future generations. Aeneas maintains resolve and presses
forward in the face of hurdles and heavenly tests imposed by Juno.
The fate to be accomplished is not deterred by these difficulties.
Jupiter occasionally needs to step in to prevent the Gods from
preventing Aeneas from achieving his objectives.
 THEME

How does Fate reflect/connect

on Roman Culture and on our Culture today?

● Romans strongly believed that nothing could change fate. No God

can stop the inevitable death that awaits every mortal.

● This depiction of fate seems to support the notion that everyone

has both good and terrible luck. Any accomplishment, whether
personal or collective, is frequently credited to luck or God rather
than to efforts. Filipinos tend to trust fate because of their carefree
attitude or the “bahala na” attitude and frequently let fate decide
whatever will happen and to just go with the flow of life.
 THEME

Honor & Respect

Another theme of The Aeneid is Honor and Respect. Aeneas was called a pious, and came from
the Latin word Pius, which means dutiful. Pious refers to a person who is marked by or showing
reverence for deity and devotion to divine worship. Aeneas, all throughout the story, was a strong
believer and obeys the Gods and Goddesses. He pays respect to the Gods in Roman Culture.
Honor refers to higher respect and great esteem. On the other hand, Respect is a feeling of
deep admiration for someone or something elicited by their abilities, qualities, or achievements.
Honor & respect was shown in the Aeneid many times. In Book 1, it was mentioned that Dido
admires and honors Aeneas as he tells their epic story since the fall of Troy. In addition, it was
written in Book 5 that Aeneas went to Sicily to hold his father’s first death anniversary. They had
funeral games and offerings for his father as a sign of him honoring and respecting Anchises. In
Book 8, it was also said there how King Evander and Prince Pallas honor and respect Aeneas as
their leader and ally. At the end of the poem, he failed to honor what his father told him, which is
to spare the defeated when he stabbed Turnus in the chest.
 THEME

How does Honor and Respect reflect/connect

on Roman Culture and on our Culture today?
● Romans during the 30-19 BC, the time frame Virgil created the Aeneid, was reigned
by the emperors. They served as the Gods or Goddesses of the country, Rome.
They also have slaves before wherein these slaves, along with the ordinary
Romans, honors and respects those who are leading their country. As it was
reflected in the Aeneid, we can remember that Aeneas was called a pious because
he never forgets to fulfill his duty and that showed as a sign of honor and respect to
his Gods and Goddesses, also to his father.
● In Filipino Culture, we are doing honor and respect, too. This is mostly seen in our
elders. We are honoring their life experiences and struggles in the past. Also, we
are all aware of “pagmamano” or the honoring gesture as a sign of respect to our
elders. Honor and respect is one of the most important values everybody should
possess. No matter what the situation is, never forget to honor and respect the
people around you.
 THANK YOU
FOR LISTENING
GROUP 6

Atenciana, Aniel Rose Therese

Esmana, Sarah Khamil
Famadico, Zynine
Jaravata, Jhenica
Lahom, Hanna
Ramos, Karlyn
Patrecia Carmela