Characters in the Aeneid

Question 1

Euryalus

Answer 1

Role: Young Trojan warrior, companion of Nisus
Description: Euryalus is the youthful and eager companion of Nisus. He joins Nisus on the daring night raid but is captured and killed when their plan is discovered. Euryalus’s innocence and bravery make his death especially poignant.
Key Traits: Youthful, brave, devoted
Significance: Euryalus’s tragic fate, alongside Nisus, underscores the themes of loyalty and the harsh realities of war, with their friendship serving as one of the emotional highlights of The Aeneid.

Question 2

Nisus

Answer 2

Role: Trojan warrior, companion of Euryalus
Description: Nisus is a brave and loyal Trojan warrior known for his deep friendship with the younger Euryalus. During a night raid on the Rutulian camp, Nisus and Euryalus demonstrate their courage, but both are ultimately killed. Nisus sacrifices himself in a desperate attempt to save his friend.
Key Traits: Brave, loyal, self-sacrificing
Significance: Nisus’s bond with Euryalus highlights the themes of friendship and loyalty, and their tragic deaths serve as a reminder of the high costs of war.

Question 3

Evander

Answer 3

Role: King of Pallanteum, ally of Aeneas, father of Pallas
Description: Evander is the wise and noble king of Pallanteum, an Arcadian city on the future site of Rome. He befriends Aeneas and provides crucial support in the war against Turnus, including sending his son Pallas to fight alongside Aeneas. Evander represents the ancient connection between the Greeks and Romans and offers Aeneas both military aid and guidance.
Key Traits: Wise, hospitable, paternal
Significance: Evander’s alliance with Aeneas symbolizes the link between Troy and Rome’s future, and his deep grief over Pallas’s death emphasizes the tragic cost of war.

Question 4

Juturna

Answer 4

Role: Sister of Turnus, nymph
Description: Juturna is a water nymph and the devoted sister of Turnus. She is manipulated by Juno to intervene in the war on behalf of her brother, trying to protect him from his fate. Despite her efforts, Turnus’s destiny is sealed, and Juturna is left grieving his death.
Key Traits: Loyal, protective, divine
Significance: Juturna’s role emphasizes the power of fate in The Aeneid. Her inability to save Turnus highlights the inevitability of destiny, even for divine beings.

Question 5

Amata

Answer 5

Role: Queen of the Latins, wife of Latinus, mother of Lavinia
Description: Amata fiercely opposes Aeneas’s marriage to her daughter Lavinia, preferring Turnus as a suitor. She is manipulated by Juno and driven to madness by her opposition to Aeneas, eventually taking her own life when it becomes clear that Aeneas will triumph.
Key Traits: Passionate, stubborn, tragic
Significance: Amata’s resistance to Aeneas and her tragic end reflect the destructive consequences of defying fate and the emotional toll of the conflict between personal desires and destiny.

Question 6

Mezentius

Answer 6

Role: Former king of the Etruscans, ally of Turnus
Description: Mezentius is a cruel and tyrannical ruler, but he is also portrayed as a loving father to Lausus. After Lausus’s death, Mezentius fights Aeneas out of grief and a desire for vengeance, but he too is killed by Aeneas.
Key Traits: Tyrannical, vengeful, loving father
Significance: Despite his harshness, Mezentius’s grief over Lausus humanizes him, adding depth to his character and highlighting the complexities of familial love in the epic.

Question 7

Pallas

Answer 7

Role: Son of Evander, ally of Aeneas
Description: Pallas is the young and brave son of King Evander, who is entrusted to Aeneas as a protégé. He fights valiantly in the war against Turnus and the Latins but is ultimately killed by Turnus, which ignites Aeneas’s rage and desire for vengeance.
Key Traits: Courageous, loyal, youthful
Significance: Pallas’s death is a pivotal emotional moment for Aeneas, driving him to seek revenge and escalate the conflict with Turnus.

Question 8

Lausus

Answer 8

Role: Son of Mezentius, ally of Turnus
Description: Lausus is the noble and devoted son of Mezentius, who fights bravely in defense of his father and their cause. Despite his valiant efforts, he is killed by Aeneas in battle. His death is one of the tragic moments in the epic, highlighting the human cost of war.
Key Traits: Dutiful, brave, selfless
Significance: Lausus’s death evokes sympathy, as he sacrifices his life for his father, contrasting with the harsh realities of war and the consequences of duty.

Question 9

Camilla

Answer 9

Role: Warrior maiden, ally of Turnus
Description: Camilla is a fierce warrior who fights alongside Turnus in the battle against Aeneas. She is portrayed as a skilled and courageous fighter, admired for her valour.
Key Traits: Brave, fierce, loyal
Significance: Camilla’s presence highlights the theme of martial valour and the tragic consequences of war.

Question 10

Latinus

Answer 10

Role: King of the Latins
Description: Latinus is the ruler of Latium, who initially welcomes Aeneas and offers him his daughter Lavinia in marriage, as foretold by prophecy. However, his kingdom is thrown into conflict due to the opposition of Turnus.
Key Traits: Wise, hospitable, diplomatic
Significance: Latinus’s support of Aeneas emphasizes the role of prophecy and destiny in the epic, showing the inevitability of Aeneas’s mission.

Question 11

Lavinia

Answer 11

Role: Daughter of King Latinus, future wife of Aeneas
Description: Lavinia is the Latin princess destined to marry Aeneas, despite being previously courted by Turnus. Her role is largely passive, but she is central to the political conflict between Aeneas and Turnus.
Key Traits: Silent, symbolic, noble
Significance: Lavinia represents the fulfilment of Aeneas’s destiny and the foundation of the future Roman race.

Question 12

Turnus

Answer 12

Role: King of the Rutulians, antagonist
Description: Turnus is a warrior king and Aeneas’s primary mortal adversary in Italy. He opposes Aeneas’s settlement and engages in a bitter war against him, driven by pride and a desire to marry Lavinia.
Key Traits: Proud, fierce, aggressive
Significance: Turnus embodies the forces of resistance against fate, and his conflict with Aeneas highlights themes of war, destiny, and honor.

Question 13

Venus

Answer 13

Role: Goddess of love, mother of Aeneas
Description: Venus constantly aids her son Aeneas throughout his journey, guiding and protecting him from the dangers posed by other gods and mortals. She often intervenes on his behalf in both divine and human affairs.
Key Traits: Protective, loving, divine
Significance: Venus’s involvement shows the importance of divine favor in Aeneas’s success and represents maternal care.

Question 14

Juno

Answer 14

Role: Queen of the gods, antagonist to Aeneas
Description: Juno harbors a deep hatred for the Trojans and Aeneas, mainly because of the future prophecy that Aeneas’s descendants will destroy her beloved city of Carthage. She repeatedly intervenes to try to thwart Aeneas’s mission.
Key Traits: Vengeful, powerful, determined
Significance: Juno’s opposition represents the forces of fate and divine intervention that challenge Aeneas on his journey.

Question 15

Ascanius (Iulus)

Answer 15

Role: Son of Aeneas
Description: Ascanius is Aeneas’s young son, who symbolizes the future of the Trojan lineage and the eventual founding of the Roman people. He is often portrayed as brave and eager to learn from his father.
Key Traits: Brave, youthful, symbolic
Significance: Ascanius represents the future of Rome, linking Aeneas’s journey to the eventual establishment of the Roman Empire.

Question 16

Anchises

Answer 16

Role: Aeneas’s father
Description: Anchises is the wise and venerable father of Aeneas, who dies during the journey but continues to guide his son from the Underworld. He represents the connection to Trojan heritage and the importance of legacy.
Key Traits: Wise, paternal, guiding
Significance: In the Underworld, Anchises reveals Rome’s future glory to Aeneas, strengthening his resolve to fulfil his destiny.

Question 17

Dido

Answer 17

Role: Queen of Carthage, Aeneas’s lover
Description: Dido falls in love with Aeneas after he arrives in Carthage, but when he leaves to fulfill his destiny, she is heartbroken and eventually takes her own life. Her tragic love story serves as a key emotional conflict in the epic.
Key Traits: Passionate, proud, tragic
Significance: Dido’s relationship with Aeneas highlights the tension between personal emotions and duty. Her curse on Aeneas foreshadows the future conflict between Rome and Carthage.

Question 18

Aeneas

Answer 18

Role: Protagonist, Trojan hero
Description: Aeneas is the son of the Trojan prince Anchises and the goddess Venus. After the fall of Troy, he embarks on a journey to found a new homeland, which eventually leads to the founding of Rome. His devotion to the gods and his destiny is central to his character, as he balances personal desires with his duty.
Key Traits: Piety, leadership, bravery
Significance: Aeneas embodies the Roman virtues of pietas (duty to the gods, family, and country), serving as a model for Roman ideals.

Question 19

Priam

Answer 19

Role: King of Troy, father of Hector
Description: Priam is the elderly and noble king of Troy, who is killed during the fall of the city by Achilles’ son, Pyrrhus. His tragic death is recounted in Book 2 of The Aeneid, where Aeneas witnesses the final destruction of Troy. Priam’s fate symbolizes the end of the Trojan era and the collapse of his great kingdom.
Key Traits: Noble, dignified, tragic
Significance: Priam’s death represents the fall of Troy and the end of the old order, reinforcing the need for Aeneas to seek a new future in Italy.

Question 20

Hector

Answer 20

Role: Trojan prince, greatest Trojan warrior
Description: Hector is the heroic son of Priam and the greatest defender of Troy. Though killed before the events of The Aeneid, Hector appears in Aeneas’s dreams in Book 2, warning him of Troy’s imminent fall and urging him to flee and save the Trojan people.
Key Traits: Heroic, brave, protective
Significance: Hector’s ghost motivates Aeneas to take on the responsibility of leading the surviving Trojans, setting him on his destined journey to found Rome.

Question 21

Achates

Answer 21

Role: Close friend and companion of Aeneas
Description: Achates is Aeneas’s faithful companion, often referred to as “faithful Achates.” He is a trusted warrior and remains by Aeneas’s side throughout his journey. Though not a major character, his loyalty and friendship provide steadfast support to Aeneas.
Key Traits: Loyal, steadfast, courageous
Significance: Achates represents the ideal of loyalty and friendship, accompanying Aeneas on his mission and playing a supportive role in critical moments of the epic.

Question 22

Anna

Answer 22

Role: Sister of Dido
Description: Anna is Dido’s devoted sister who plays a key role in encouraging her to pursue a relationship with Aeneas. She believes that Aeneas will strengthen Carthage through his alliance with Dido, unaware of the tragic consequences. After Dido’s death, Anna is filled with grief and guilt for her role in the tragedy.
Key Traits: Supportive, loving, tragic
Significance: Anna’s encouragement of Dido’s relationship with Aeneas helps set the tragic events in motion, and her deep grief underscores the personal cost of Dido’s fate.

Question 23

Deiphobus

Answer 23

Role: Trojan prince, son of Priam
Description: Deiphobus is one of the sons of Priam and a prominent Trojan warrior. After the fall of Troy, he is brutally mutilated and killed by the Greeks, a fate he reveals to Aeneas in the Underworld (Book 6). He blames his death on Helen, who betrayed him to the Greeks on the night of Troy’s fall.
Key Traits: Brave, tragic, betrayed
Significance: Deiphobus’ ghost serves as a grim reminder of the horrors of the fall of Troy and the treachery of Helen, adding to the sombre atmosphere of Aeneas’s visit to the Underworld.