Aeneid Flashcards
Vergil
Author
Time period
Augustus
Genre
Epic poetry
Aeneas
Trojan hero, descendants found Rome
Dido
Queen of Carthage; commits suicide
Venus
Mother of Aeneas; goddess
Juno
Hates Trojans; Patron of Carthage; goddess
Jupiter
King of gods; Directs Aeneas’ progress
Turnus
Ruler of Rutulians; Lavina’s other suitor; wages war against Trojans
Evander
King of Pallanteum; father of Pallas; Helps Aeneas against Turnus
Latinus
King of Latins; Father of Lavina
Amata
Wife of Latinus; wants Lavinia to marry Turnus; kills herself
Lavina
Daughter of Latinus and Amata; suitors are Aeneas and Turnus
Pallas
Son of Evander; he trusts him to Aeneas’ care; Turnus kills him and Aeneas avenges him
Themes
Wandering hero; piety; How to live a good life; Devotion to duty; Family; Rome’s divinely willed destiny
Books 1-6
Odyssean part; Aeneas as a wandering hero on hid god-sent mission to found a new city
Books 7-12
Iliadic part; Aeneas and Trojans are at war with the Italians and their allies
What does Aeneas take with him?
Penates (Household gods), his family
What city does his son found?
Alba Longa
Roman hero
Pious epithet; Roman heroism; Personal desires are subsumed for the good of the community
Roman heroism
On the behalf of the community, corporate heroes
Aeneid syle
Part of propaganda; celebrate golden age that Augustus’ reign ushered in; bad stuff pushed to the background
Proem
Tells what the poem will be about: War and men at war, destiny; and fated to found a city
Book 1
Carthage; Juno’s wrath (Tries to drown their ships); arrive with only 7 ships; Venus’ appeal; Jupiter’s prophecy; Dido; Aeneas on himself; Aeneas with venus; Eros assaults Dido
Wrath of Juno
Judgement of Paris; Knew Rome would conquer Carthage
How was Carthage founded in myth?
Dido fled and founded it; real- Punics/Phoenicians colonized there; became powerful
Juno asks Aeolus to drive the Trojan ships off course
Bribe: the nymph, Deiopeia, but Neptune calms the sea
Mother’s appeal
Venus appeals to Jupiter for her son
Jupiter’s prophecy
Lords of the world will be the Romans and the empire will last forever
Aeneas encounters his disguised mother
She tells him Dido’s history; he recognizes her and asks why she disguised herself and he just wants a hug
Aeneas on himself
Duty bound, famous, pious, saved form the enemy, descended from Venus, follows fate
Aeneas and Troy
Lost his wife and city, looking for a new home, left with his father and son
Temple of Juno in Carthage
While Aeneas is in the clouds he describes the city, walls are painted with scenes of the Trojan war, shows Carthage is civilized but he cries at the scenes
Ekphrasis
Describes something visual (Like the shield of Achilles)
Eros assaults Dido
She is inflicted with amour for Aeneas as he tells his story
Book 2
Fall of Troy and the Trojan horse, ghost of Hector
Book 3
Aeneas’ wanderings
Book 4
Pergamum; Aeneas leaves Dido
Who is Dido meant to represent?
Cleopatra (Villainous)
Book 6
Speaks with his father, guided through Hades, meets Dido, other Trojans, monsters, famous people, and souls not yet born (Romulus, Caesar, and Augustus (Propaganda))
Sybil
Aeneas’ guide through the underworld; female prophet
Book 7
Trojans land in Latinus’ territory; Lavinia’s hair catches fire; Latinus seeks an oracle; Trojans have reached destined place; Latinus offers Lavinia to Aeneas
Lavinia’s hair catches fire
Bright future but a great war
Book 8
Aeneas agrees to marry Lavinia, goes to get allies, meets Evander, Evander entrusts Pallas to him, Turnus kills Pallas (Reminiscent of Patrokles killing Sarpedon)
Oracle tells Latinus what?
Lavinia will marry a foreigner and their children will rule all
Book 12
Gods decide to end the war; Turns appeals to Aeneas when he is wounded but Aeneas kills him in an anti-homeric style; Aeneas has become more Roman
Why could it be that Vergil was actually anti-augustan
Makes Romans look bad in the end; Underworld two gates: go through gate of dreams
