Virgil’s The Aeneid
(simplified and popularized by Edith Hamilton)
A eneas – Trojan, son of Anchises and
Venus; destined to rule Hesperia (a
western country)—later called Italy.
- He sailed westward bound to Crete,
where Harpies plagued them and
drove them away from there.
- Landed next to a place where they
met Hector’s wife, Andromache who
**
is enslaved by Achille’s son
(Neoptolemus/Pyrrhus). Pyrrhus
married Hermione, but soon he died.
- Andromache married the Trojan
prophet Helenus; the prophet advised
Aeneas not to land on the nearest
coast to Italy because of the fleet of
Greeks (east).
- He was advised not to avoid a
shortcut between Sicily and Italy,
because the strait was guarded by
Scylla and Charybdis*.
- Aeneas reached the land of Cyclopes,
where a sailor called Ulysses (who
was left behind) warned them about
the giant;
- They left the giant as it was about to
attack them.
- Juno was still mad at Trojans because
Paris chose Venus over her. It made
her mad when she learned that
Aeneas was destined to found a city
that will destroy her favourite city,
Carthage.
- Juno asked Aeolus to sink the Trojan
ships in exchange of a lovely nymph
as a wife.
- Neptune’s intervention saved the
Trojans, calmed the sea and brought
them to land, [Carthage] (north coast
Africa).
- Dido – queen and founder of
Carthage.
Outlined and prepared by: S. Lobrio
- Venus has her own plan; she made
Dido fall in love with Aeneas, but
ensured that Aeneas will not feel the
same (thanks to Cupid).
- Jupiter sends Mercury to Aeneas, and
urged the hero to fulfil his destiny.
- When Aeneas left Carthage, he saw
the place illuminated by fire. It slowly
died down, but he didn’t know it was
Dido’s funeral pyre.
- Carthage to west of Italy is an easy
sail, but they lost the pilot Palinurus,
who drowned.
- Helenus also advised him to find Sibyl
of Cumae upon reaching Italy. She will
take him to the Underworld so he
could meet his father, Anchises.
- To travel the underworld, Aeneas
must find a GOLDEN BOUGH that
gains admittance.
- In his journey to the Underworld, he:
o Met the spirits of Disease,
Hunger and Care
o Saw Dido, but she did not
acknowledge him
o Lured Cerberus with a piece
of cake
o Met War and Discord
o Reached the junction of
Cocytus (river of lamentation)
and Acheron (river of woe)
o He met Charon who would
not row for the living, but saw
the Golden Bough.
o Charon took the bough and
rowed for him.
o Saw Minos, Europa’s son,
passing the final sentence on
the souls
o Passed by Fields of Mourning
– where unhappy lovers
 dwelt; there he saw Dido’s
soul.
o Saw two sides of underworld:
 Rhadamanthus –
punishes soul for their
wicked deed
 Elysian fields
(delightful) – good
dead, heroes, poets,
priests, and all people
remembered because
of they helped people
o Aeneas found his father in
Elysian fields
o Anchises lead him to Lethe,
river of forgetfulness, where
souls would drink there by the
time they are ready to be
reborned.
o Anchises told Aeneas how he
would establish his new
home.
- The war was among Latinus, Turnus,
Mezentius (king of Etruscans) and
Camilla
- Aeneas was helped by the river god,
Father Tiber
- Camilla fell
- Mezentius died after his son was
killed
- Aeneas was winner by sight: “It was
as if Turnus was fighting against
lightning and earthquake—it is
impossible.”
- Aeneas killed Turnus.
- (Aeneas is compassionate, but not
human in battle.)

**

- Juno’s evil plan: make powerful

people of the of the country, Latin
and Rutulians to be against the Trojan
settlement.
- Latinus, king of Latium, great
grandson of Satum
o Was warned by his father,
Faunus, not to marry his
daughter Lavinia to any man
but to a stranger.
o Lavinia - daughter of Latinus
- Juno summoned Alecto (one of the
Furies) to (1) convince Latinus’ wife to
oppose the marriage, and (2) tell
Turnus, king of Rutulians, about
Aeneas.
- There is a custom in the city that war
is determined upon a gate of Janus’
temple. Close: peace | open: war
- Juno opened the gates.

Outlined and prepared by: S. Lobrio