The Mythological Background of Iliad

“The glory that was Greece and the grandeur that was Rome”

HOMER- the blind poet of Greece. He is the creator of “ Iliad and Odyssey”. ( his two literary pieces
revolve around fictional Greek heroes and mythological characters. )

ILIAD- tells about the war between the ACHAEANS (people of Greece) &the TROJANS (people of Turkey)

The story of Iliad was divided by three parts A ) THE APPLE OF DISCORD- causes problems, jealousy and
destruction b. THE BATTLE BETWEEN THE ACHAEANS AND THE TROJANS c. THE WOODED HORSE
The goddess Eris tossed in the midst of the feast of the gods at the wedding of Peleus
(mortal) and Thetis(Sea- nymph)  as a prize of beauty, thus sparking a vanity-fueled dispute
among Hera (wife of zeus and goddess of power) , Athena (goddess of wisdom), and Aphrodite
(goddess of love and beauty) that eventually led to the Trojan War.

Characters:
King Menelaus- was a king of Sparta, the husband of Helen of Troy, and the son of Atreus and Aerope.
Menelaus was a central figure in the Trojan War, leading the Spartan contingent of the Greek army, under
his elder brother Agamemnon, king of Mycenae

Prince Paris-the son of King Priam and Queen Hecuba of Troy  Paris as unskilled and cowardly.

Although Paris readily admits his shortcomings in battle, his brother Hector scolds and belittles him after
he runs away from a duel with Menelaus that was to determine the end of the war. His preference for bow
and arrow emphasizes this, since he does not follow the code of honor shared by the other heroes. His
cousin is Cassandra.

Helen-'the face that launched a thousand ships' for her role in the start of the Trojan War

Achilles-was a hero of the Trojan War, the greatest of all the Greek warriors, and is the central character
of Homer's Iliad. He was the son of the Nereid Thetis and Peleus, king of Phthia. Achilles' most notable
feat during the Trojan War was the slaying of the Trojan prince Hector outside the gates of Troy. he was
killed near the end of the Trojan War by Paris, who shot him in the heel with an arrow

Patroclus- Patroclus convinced Achilles to let him lead the Myrmidons into combat. Achilles consented,
giving Patroclus the armor Achilles had received from his father, in order for Patroclus to impersonate
Achilles. Achilles then told Patroclus to return after beating the Trojans back from their ships. Patroclus
defied Achilles' order and pursued the Trojans back to the gates of Troy. Then he was killed by hector.

Hector- was a Trojan prince and the greatest fighter for Troy in the Trojan War. He acted as leader of the
Trojans and their allies in the defence of Troy. He had dueled Achilles and ajax. He killed patroclus
because he thought it was Achilles he was fighting.

King Priam- was the legendary king of Troy during the Trojan War. His many children included notable
characters like Hector and Paris. Hector's father and the ruler of Troy, into the Greek camp. Priam
tearfully pleads with Achilles to take pity on a father bereft of his son and return Hector's body. He invokes
the memory of Achilles' own father, Peleus. Priam begs Achilles to pity him, saying "I have endured what
no one on earth has ever done before – I put my lips to the hands of the man who killed my son."

Odysseus- Odysseus is one of the most influential Greek champions during the Trojan War. Along with
Nestor and Idomeneus he is one of the most trusted counsellors and advisors. He always champions the
Achaean cause, Odysseus is not only ingenious (as evidenced by his idea for the Trojan Horse), but an
eloquent speaker.

Andromache- was the wife of Hector. Andromache was born in Thebe, a city that Achilles later sacked,
killing her father Eetionand seven brothers.  Andromache is portrayed as the perfect wife.

Agamemnon- was a king of Mycenae, the son of King Atreus and Queen Aerope of Mycenae, the brother
of Menelaus. When Helen, the wife of Menelaus, was taken to Troy by Paris, Agamemnon commanded
the united Greek armed forces in the ensuing Trojan War.

ODYSSEY-a story about an Achaean warrior and his journey back home after war. focuses on the Greek
hero Odysseus, king of Ithaca, and his journey home after the fall of Troy. It takes Odysseus ten years to
reach Ithaca after the ten-year Trojan War. In his absence, it is assumed Odysseus has died, and his
wife Penelope and son Telemachus must deal with a group of unruly suitors, the Mnesteres (Proci, who
compete for Penelope's hand in marriage.)

Summary
A battle between the armies of King Agamemnon of Mycenae and Triopas of Thessaly is averted when the great
warrior Achilles, fighting for Agamemnon's army, defeats Thessaly's champion in single combat, forcing Triopas and
Thessaly to join Agamemnon's loose alliance of all the Greek kingdoms. Meanwhile, Prince Hector of Troy and his
younger brother Paris negotiate a peace treaty with Menelaus, King of Sparta. However, Paris is having an affair with
Menelaus' wife, Queen Helen, and smuggles her aboard their home-bound vessel. Upon learning of this, Menelaus
meets with Agamemnon, his elder brother, and asks him to help take Troy. Agamemnon agrees, as conquering Troy
will give him control of the Aegean Sea. Agamemnon has Odysseus, King of Ithaca, persuade Achilles to join them.
Achilles, who strongly dislikes Agamemnon, eventually decides to go, after his mother Thetis tells him that though he
will die, he will be forever glorified.

In Troy, King Priam is dismayed when Hector and Paris introduce Helen, but welcomes her and decides to prepare
for war. The Greeks eventually invade and take the Trojan beach, thanks largely to Achilles and his Myrmidons.
Achilles has the temple of Apollo sacked, and claims Briseis — a priestess and the cousin of Paris and Hector — as a
prisoner. He is angered when Agamemnon spitefully takes her from him, and decides that he will not aid Agamemnon
in the siege.

The Trojan and Greek armies meet outside the walls of Troy; during a parley, Paris offers to duel Menelaus
personally for Helen's hand in exchange for the city being spared. Agamemnon, intending to take the city regardless
of the outcome, accepts. Menelaus wounds Paris and almost kills him, but is himself killed by Hector. In the ensuing
battle, Hector kills Ajax and many Greek soldiers fall to the Trojan defenses. On Odysseus' insistence, Agamemnon
gives the order to fall back. He gives Briseis to the Greek soldiers for their amusement, but Achilles saves her. Later
that night, Briseis sneaks into Achilles' quarters to kill him; instead, she falls for him and they become lovers. Achilles
then resolves to leave Troy, much to the dismay of Patroclus, his cousin and protégé.

Despite Hector's objections, Priam orders him to retake the Trojan beach and force the Greeks home; the attack
unifies the Greeks and the Myrmidons enter the battle. Hector duels a man he believes to be Achilles and cuts his
throat, only to discover it was actually Patroclus. Distraught, Hector euthanizes Patroclus and the armies agree to
stop fighting for the day. Achilles is informed of his cousin's death and vows revenge. Wary of Achilles, Hector shows
his wife Andromache a secret tunnel beneath Troy; should he die and the city fall, he instructs her to take their child
and any survivors out of the city to Mount Ida.

The next day, Achilles arrives outside Troy and challenges Hector; the two duel until Hector is killed, and Achilles
drags his corpse back to the Trojan beach. Priam, in disguise, sneaks into the camp and implores Achilles to return
Hector's body for a proper funeral. Ashamed of his actions, Achilles agrees and allows Briseis to return to Troy with
Priam, promising a twelve day truce so that Hector's funeral rites may be held in peace. He also orders his men to
return home without him.

Agamemnon declares that he will take Troy regardless of the cost. Concerned, Odysseus concocts a plan to infiltrate
the city: he has the Greeks build a gigantic wooden horse as a peace offering and abandon the Trojan beach, hiding
their ships in a nearby cove. Priam orders the horse be brought into the city. That night, Greeks hiding inside the
horse emerge and open the city gates for the Greek army, commencing the Sack of Troy. While Andromache and
Helen guide the Trojans to safety through the tunnel, Paris gives the Sword of Troy to Aeneas, instructing him to
protect the Trojans and find them a new home. Agamemnon kills Priam and captures Briseis, who then kills
Agamemnon. Achilles fights his way through the city and reunites with Briseis. Paris, seeking to avenge his brother,
shoots an arrow through Achilles' heel and then several into his body. Achilles bids farewell to Briseis, and watches
her flee with Paris before dying.

In the aftermath, Troy is finally taken and a funeral is held for Achilles, where Odysseus personally cremates his
body.

SEQUEL-a published, broadcast, or recorded work that continues the story or develops the theme of an
earlier one.

SERIES-a number of things, events, or people of a similar kind or related nature coming one after another

GREEKS AND ROMANS god and goddess

ZEUS (JUPITER)- the most powerful of all, he is the god of the sky and the king of Olympus. Threw
THUNDERBOLTS when unhappy. His Symbols= “OAK” and “THUNDERBOLT”
HERA (JUNO)- goddesses of marriage and the queen of Olympus. Zues’s wife and Sister. Her symbols=
“PEACOCK” and “COW”
POSEIDON (NEPTUNE)- god of the sea. Lived in a beautiful palace under the sea. Caused
EARTHQUAKE when upset. His symbols= “HORSE” and “TRIDENT”
HADES (PLUTO)- king of the dead. Lived in the underworld. He is the husband of PERSEPHONE
(DEMETER’s daughter) whom he kidnapped.
APHRODITE (VENUS)- goddesses of love and beauty and the protector of sailors. Daughter of ZEUS
and TITAN DIONE. Risen from the sea on a shell. Her symbols = “MYRTLE TREE” & “DOVE”
APOLLO- god of music and healing. He is an archer, and hunted with silver bow. Son of ZEUS and
TITAN LETO and twin of ARTEMIS. His symbols= “LAUREL TREE”, “CROW”, “DOLPHIN”
ARES (MARS) – god of war. Born CRUEL and COWARD. FIRST child of ZUES and HERA but his
parents don’t like him. His symbols= “VULTURE”, “DOG”. Carries a bloody spear.
ARTEMIS (DIANA)- goddesses of the hunt and childbirth. She hunted with silver arrows and loved all
wild animals. Twin of APOLLO. Her symbols = “CYPRESS TREE” and “DEER”
ATHENA (MINERVA)- goddesses of wisdom. Skilled in the art of war. Helped heroes like
ODYSSEUS and HERCULES. She is Zeus’s favorite child. Her Symbols = “OWL” and “OLIVE TREE”
HEPHAESTUS (VULCAN)- god of fire and the forge. He made weapons and armors for the gods.
Loved peace. Child of Zeus and Hera. Married Aphrodite. His Symbols= “ANVIL” and “FORGE”
HESTIA (VESTA)- goddess of the hearth. Most gentle of all the gods. Sisters of Zeus. Oldest of the
Olympians. Her symbol = FIRE
HERMES (MERCURY)- messenger god, a trickster, a friend of the thieves. Invented BOXING and
GYMNASTIC. Son of Zeus and CONSTELLATION MAIA. Speediest of all. Wore winged sandals and
headpiece and a magic wand.
DEMETER (CERES)- goddess of the harvest. Word “cereal” comes from her roman name. sister of
Zeus. Her daughter Persephone forced to live with hades. Each winter, she let no crop grow. Her Symbol
is WHEAT.
DIONYSUS (BACCHUS)- god of wine which he invented. Honored in springtime festivals that
centered theater. Son of Zeus and SEMELE (a mortal). His symbols = “IVY”, “SNAKE”, “GRAPES”

COMPARISONS- underlie almost everything that we do.

LITERARY COMPARISONS- the process of examining two or more text in order to establish their
similarities and differences. (graphic organizers, tables and diagrams)

PERSONAL PRONOUNS- a part of speech that replaces a noun, usually referring to a person.
In the following examples, personal pronouns are italicized.

You need to stop lying to me.

We would love for you to join us.

Come look at my cat! He has climbed to the top of that tree.

THREE BASIC PERSONAL PRONOUNS

SUBJECT PRONOUNS- used when the pronoun is the subject of the sentence.
The masculine or feminine subject pronoun is used when gender is known; when referring to an
inanimate object, the gender-neutral form “it” is used. 

In the following examples, you can see exactly how this method works. The subject pronoun is in
bold and is underlined, the verb is in italics, and the object is in bold.

We gave them a head start in the race.

You told Jerry that his score was among the best; that made him feel better.

She lost weight by cutting out junk food.

They drank water from a spring that ran right out of the mountainside.

OBJECT PRONOUNS- used as a grammatical object, either as the direct or indirect object of
a verb, or as the object of a preposition.

In the following examples, the subject is in bold, the verb is in italics, and the object pronoun is in
bold and is underlined.

1.Bob took her to work Monday.

2 Will you please tell them to come in?

He told you a lie about where he was

Saturday.

Our grandparents gave us candy and our

teeth are just fine.
3. POSSESSIVE PRONOUNS- used to indicate that something belongs to someone or has a direct
relationship with someone else. They are often used in speech and writing to avoid repetition. 

I had dinner with Jane and Jane’s brother, Michael.

To avoid repeating the name Jane in the sentence, we use the possessive pronoun her to make the
sentence neater and less repetitive:

I had dinner with Jane and her brother, Michael.

Here are some examples of independent possessive pronouns in sentences:

Who owns this bike? Is it yours?

That’s ours. Please don’t touch it.

The land west of the field is theirs.

This money is all mine.

I can see theirs, but I can’t see his.

FICTION- any kind of writing that is not presented as facts. Tells about a made-up series of events and
imaginary characters

GENRE OF LITERATURE

REALISTIC FICTION- although untrue, may actually happen

NON- REALISTIC FICTION- It could not happen in real life

SEMIFICTION- maybe based on a true story and may only been reconstructed by the author to make it
more interesting for story telling

FORMAL AND INFORMAL DEFINITIONS OF WORDS

INFORMAL DEFINITION- Opinionated

FORMAL DEFINITION- structured in a logical and concise pattern so that the information can be provided
without additional unnecessary words. A formal definition includes the following:

1. TERM (word/ phrase)- to be defined

2. The class of object or concept to which the term belongs
3. The differentiating characteristics that distinguish it from others of it’s class

MAJOR DRAMATIST OF THE ATHENIAN AGE

1. AESCHYLUS- was a poet by profession and he was regarded by the Athenians as the “FATHER OF
TRAGEDY”
2. SOPHOCLES- was born in colonnus. He was a remarkable person. His greatest play is OEDIPUS
THE KING. This was followed by the Oedipus at colonnus and Antigone.
3. EURIPEDES- was called a modern playwright. He did not write true tragedies; he wrote merely
serious plays

VIRGIl- He did not develop his art from oral storytellers. He did not just listen to Homeric poems, he read
them.Based on iliad’s Trojan war, an innovative plot and a new set of characters were created to
produce an entirely new and exciting work of fiction

AENEID BY VIRGIL- among the most significant works in the roman literature.

CHARACTERS
Mortals
Aeneas - The protagonist of the Aeneid. Aeneas is a survivor of the siege of Troy, a city on the coast of Asia Minor.
His defining characteristic is piety, a respect for the will of the gods. He is a fearsome warrior and a leader able to
motivate his men in the face of adversity, but also a man capable of great compassion and sorrow. His destiny is to
found the Roman race in Italy and he subordinates all other concerns to this mission. The Aeneid is about his journey
from Troy to Italy, which enables him to fulfill his fate.
Dido - The queen of Carthage, a city in northern Africa, in what is now Tunisia, and lover of Aeneas. Dido left the
land of Tyre when her husband was murdered by Pygmalion, her brother. She and her city are strong, but she
becomes an unfortunate pawn of the gods in their struggle for Aeneas’s destiny. Her love for Aeneas proves to be her
downfall. After he abandons her, she constructs a funeral pyre and stabs herself upon it with Aeneas’s sword.
Turnus - The ruler of the Rutulians in Italy. Turnus is Aeneas’s major antagonist among mortals. He is Lavinia’s
leading suitor until Aeneas arrives. This rivalry incites him to wage war against the Trojans, despite Latinus’s
willingness to allow the Trojans to settle in Latium and Turnus’s understanding that he cannot successfully defy fate.
He is brash and fearless, a capable soldier who values his honor over his life.
Ascanius - Aeneas’s young son by his first wife, Creusa. Ascanius (also called Iulus) is most important as a symbol
of Aeneas’s destiny—his future founding of the Roman race. Though still a child, Ascanius has several opportunities
over the course of the epic to display his bravery and leadership. He leads a procession of boys on horseback during
the games of Book V and he helps to defend the Trojan camp from Turnus’s attack while his father is away.
Anchises - Aeneas’s father, and a symbol of Aeneas’s Trojan heritage. Although Anchises dies during the journey
from Troy to Italy, he continues in spirit to help his son fulfill fate’s decrees, especially by guiding Aeneas through the
underworld and showing him what fate has in store for his descendants.
Creusa - Aeneas’s wife at Troy, and the mother of Ascanius. Creusa is lost and killed as her family attempts to flee
the city, but tells Aeneas he will find a new wife at his new home.
Sinon - The Greek youth who pretends to have been left behind at the end of the Trojan War. Sinon persuades the
Trojans to take in the wooden horse as an offering to Minerva, then lets out the warriors trapped inside the horse’s
belly.
Latinus - The king of the Latins, the people of what is now central Italy, around the Tiber River. Latinus allows
Aeneas into his kingdom and encourages him to become a suitor of Lavinia, his daughter, causing resentment and
eventually war among his subjects. He respects the gods and fate, but does not hold strict command over his people.
Lavinia - Latinus’s daughter and a symbol of Latium in general. Lavinia’s character is not developed in the poem; she
is important only as the object of the Trojan-Latin struggle. The question of who will marry Lavinia—Turnus or Aeneas
—becomes key to future relations between the Latins and the Trojans and therefore the Aeneid’s entire historical
scheme.
Amata - Queen of Laurentum (a region of Latium, in Italy) and wife of Latinus. Amata opposes the marriage of
Lavinia, her daughter, to Aeneas and remains loyal throughout to Turnus, Lavinia’s original suitor. Amata kills herself
once it is clear that Aeneas is destined to win.
Evander - King of Pallanteum (a region of Arcadia, in Italy) and father of Pallas. Evander is a sworn enemy of the
Latins, and Aeneas befriends him and secures his assistance in the battles against Turnus.
Pallas - Son of Evander, whom Evander entrusts to Aeneas’s care and tutelage. Pallas eventually dies in battle at the
hands of Turnus, causing Aeneas and Evander great grief. To avenge Pallas’s death, Aeneas finally slays Turnus,
dismissing an initial impulse to spare him.
Drancës - A Latin leader who desires an end to the Trojan-Latin struggle. Drancës questions the validity of Turnus’s
motives at the council of the Latins, infuriating Turnus.
Camilla - The leader of the Volscians, a race of warrior maidens. Camilla is perhaps the only strong mortal female
character in the epic.
Juturna - Turnus’s sister. Juno provokes Juturna into inducing a full-scale battle between the Latins and the Trojans
by disguising herself as an officer and goading the Latins after a treaty has already been reached.
Achates - A Trojan and a personal friend of Aeneas.
Gods and Goddesses
Juno - The queen of the gods, the wife and sister of Jupiter, and the daughter of Saturn. Juno (Hera in Greek
mythology) hates the Trojans because of the Trojan Paris’s judgment against her in a beauty contest. She is also a
patron of Carthage and knows that Aeneas’s Roman descendants are destined to destroy Carthage. She takes out
her anger on Aeneas throughout the epic, and in her wrath acts as his primary divine antagonist.
Venus - The goddess of love and the mother of Aeneas. Venus (Aphrodite in Greek mythology) is a benefactor of the
Trojans. She helps her son whenever Juno tries to hurt him, causing conflict among the gods. She is also referred to
as Cytherea, after Cythera, the island where she was born and where her shrine is located.
Jupiter - The king of the gods, and the son of Saturn. While the gods often struggle against one another in battles of
will, Jupiter’s will reigns supreme and becomes identified with the more impersonal force of fate. Therefore, Jupiter
(also known as Jove, and called Zeus in Greek mythology) directs the general progress of Aeneas’s destiny, ensuring
that Aeneas is never permanently thrown off his course toward Italy. Jupiter’s demeanor is controlled and
levelheaded compared to the volatility of Juno and Venus.
Neptune - God of the sea, and generally an ally of Venus and Aeneas. Neptune (Poseidon in Greek mythology)
calms the storm that opens the epic and conducts Aeneas safely on the last leg of his voyage.
Mercury - The messenger god. The other gods often send Mercury (Hermes in Greek mythology) on errands to
Aeneas.
Aeolus - The god of the winds, enlisted to aid Juno in creating bad weather for the Trojans in Book I.
Cupid - A son of Venus and the god of erotic desire. In Book I, Cupid (Eros in Greek mythology) disguises himself as
Ascanius, Aeneas’s son, and causes Dido to fall in love with Aeneas.
Allecto - One of the Furies, or deities who avenge sins, sent by Juno in Book VII to incite the Latin people to war
against the Trojans.
Vulcan - God of fire and the forge, and husband of Venus. Venus urges Vulcan (Hephaestus in Greek mythology) to
craft a superior set of arms for Aeneas, and the gift serves Aeneas well in his battle with Turnus.
Tiberinus - The river god associated with the Tiber River, where Rome will eventually be built. At Tiberinus’s
suggestion, Aeneas travels upriver to make allies of the Arcadians.
Saturn - The father of the gods. Saturn (Chronos in Greek mythology) was king of Olympus until his son Jupiter
overthrew him.
Minerva - The goddess who protects the Greeks during the Trojan War and helps them conquer Troy. Like Juno,
Minerva (Pallas Athena in Greek mythology) is motivated against the Trojans by the Trojan Paris’s judgment that
Venus was the most beautiful among goddesses.
Apollo - A son of Jupiter and god of the sun. Apollo was born at Delos and helps the Trojans in their voyage when
they stop there. Because he is often portrayed as an archer, many characters invoke his name before they fire a shaft
in battle.
Characters from Homer’s Iliad Relevant to the Aeneid
Ulysses - The hero of Homer’s Odyssey, and one of the captains of the Greek army that takes Troy. Ulysses
(Odysseus in Greek lore), like Aeneas, must make a long and treacherous voyage before he finds home again, and
references to his whereabouts in the Aeneid help situate Aeneas’s wanderings in relation to Ulysses’.
Achilles - The greatest of the Greek warriors. Achilles slew the Trojan hero Hector during the war and is the tragic
hero of the Iliad.
Hector - The greatest of the Trojan warriors, killed at Troy. Hector is in some ways a parallel figure to Turnus, who
also defends his native city to the death.
Andromachë - Hector’s wife, who survives the siege of Troy. Andromachë meets Aeneas in his wanderings, tells him
her story, and advises his course to Italy.
Paris - A Trojan prince, son of Priam and Hecuba, and brother of Hector. The handsomest of men, Paris is asked to
judge which goddess is most beautiful: Venus, Juno, or Minerva. Venus promises him Helen as his wife in exchange
for his judgment, so Paris selects Venus. This selection inspires the permanent wrath of Juno against the Trojans.
Stealing Helen from her Greek husband, Menelaus, Paris provokes the Trojan War.
Helen - The most beautiful of mortal women and wife of Menelaus. Helen’s abduction to Troy by Paris sparks the
Trojan War.
Menelaus - A Greek king who wed Helen and made a pact with her other suitors to fight anyone who tried to steal
her. When Paris took Helen, the pact was invoked and the Trojan War began.
Agamemnon - The leader of the Greek army at Troy, and the king of Argos, a city in Greece. Upon his return from
the war, Agamemnon is killed by his adulterous wife, Clytemnestra.
Priam - The king of Troy. Priam is slain before Aeneas’s eyes during the Greeks’ sacking of Troy.
Pyrrhus - The son of Achilles. Pyrrhus, also called Neoptolemus, appears in Aeneas’s account of the siege of Troy
as the brutal murderer of Priam and Priam’s sons.

The Aeneid Summary

Virgil's seminal epic, the Aeneid, tells the story of Aeneas's journey in search of the land where he is destined to build
the city that will one day become the great Roman Empire. Largely influenced by Homer's Odyssey and Iliad, the
Aeneid begins halfway through Aeneas's journey, as he nears the city of Carthage, ruled over by Dido, who built the
city after fleeing from her murderous brother. Over dinner one night, he tells Dido and her court about his travels thus
far.
Aeneas recounts the story of the fall of Troy, and how he was forced to leave the city of his birth with his
father Anchises, his son Ascanius, and his wife Creusa. During the flight, he lost Creusa, whose shade appeared to
him, telling him to follow his destiny, which is to build a great city and take a royal bride. Aeneas and the other Trojan
refugees set out to sea, where they had a great many adventures before arriving in Carthage: believing that their
destined land was in Crete, they founded a city there, only to be struck down by a plague that forced them to leave;
they fought against the Harpies and were cursed by their leader, Celeano; they fled the island of the Cyclops to avoid
being slaughtered by the one-eyed beasts; Anchises died on the island of Drepanum.
When Aeneas finishes telling Dido his tale, she realizes that she has become inflamed with love for him, and she
pursues him relentlessly.Juno manipulates the situation so that the pair spends the night in a cave, where they
become lovers. Eventually, however, Aeneas realizes that he has been abandoning his destiny by dallying in
Carthage, so he readies his men to leave. Dido has convinced herself that the two are in fact husband and wife, and
she is so distraught by her lover's abandonment that she builds a funeral pyre and slays herself on it using Aeneas's
sword. As Aeneas and his men sail away from Carthage, they see the city aflame, the residents in a panic, but they
do not know that the queen has died. The fleet sails to Drepanum, where they engage in celebrations
commemorating the one-year anniversary of Anchises's death, and Aeneas receives a prophecy telling him to travel
to the Underworld to meet with his father.
With the sibyl of Cumae, Deiphobe, as his guide, Aeneas travels through the Underworld in search of Anchises. On
the journey, Aeneas sees a great many terrible sights, including restless souls who have not received proper burials,
the ghosts of dead babies, and the terrifying fortress Tartarus, where the most horrible sinners live in eternal torture.
When he finally locates his father in the beautiful Elysium, where only the most heroic souls go to rest, Anchises
shows him the shades that, once reincarnated, will become the heroes of the Roman Empire. Aeneas returns to the
land of the living, certain of the need to fulfill his destiny, and then sets sail for Laurentum, where he will build his
great city.

When Aeneas and his men arrive in Laurentum, they are greeted warmly by King Latinus, who has heard a prophecy
that his daughter, Lavinia, should be wed to a foreigner. Juno, however, angered by the treaty, sends one of the
Furies to stir up trouble. The Fury Allectostarts a war between the Trojans and the Latins by striking anger into the
heart of Turnus, Lavinia's other suitor. She also inspires Latinus's wife, Queen Amata, to do all that she can to
prevent the Trojans from building their city in Laurentum. Turnus calls the Latin men to arms against the foreigners,
and a terrible, drawn-out battle ensues. Aeneas seeks the aid of King Evander, ruler of a poor neighboring kingdom,
and the Etruscans, who wish to avenge the wrong done to them by Mezentius, one of Turnus's supporters. King
Evander entrusts his son, Pallas, to fight at the great warrior's side, but Pallas is brutally slain by Turnus - a move that
Turnus will come to regret.
Eventually, even the Latins come to realize the inevitability of the Trojan victory, and they call for a one-on-one duel
between Turnus and Aeneas. Just as the duel is about to begin, however, Turnus's sister Juturna inflames the Latin
troops. A young Trojan is killed, and the battle begins once again. Finally, even Turnus realizes that the only way to
end the slaughter is through a duel, so the two meet in a field. Aeneas clearly has the upper hand throughout the
battle, even though Turnus is aided by his sister, Juturna, until Jupiter intervenes and declares that the gods may no
longer meddle in mortal affairs. Finally, Aeneas strikes Turnus to the ground, and the fallen man pleads for his life, or
at least for his corpse to be sent back to his father for burial. Although Aeneas is momentarily moved by his
adversary's plea, he sees that Turnus has callously slung Pallas's belt across his shoulders, and Aeneas decides not
to be merciful. The epic ends with Aeneas plunging his sword through Turnus's heart and then with Turnus's moaning
shade fleeing to the Underworld.