The Aeneid

1
The Aeneid

• Book 1

2

• Why is the first book of the Aeneid important?
• It sets the scene by giving the time and the
  place of the tale
• Most of he main characters are introduced. You
  meet Aeneas and Dido, and the gods Jupiter, Juno
  and Venus.
• You are introduced to the mixture of legend,
  history and the timeless supernatural world of
  Fate and the gods that together make up the poem.

3

• Why is the first book of the Aeneid important?
• It indicates the plot. The hero is trying to
  reach Italy, but it is by no means certain that
  he will succeed.
• The main themes are introduced. Aeneas is a man
  with a divine mission, driven by Fate to
  establish in Italy the race that will found Rome
  and rule the world.

4

• Themes
• The themes are given by Virgil in the beginning
  of the poem
• 1) War, the terrible strife caused by the god
  Mars
• 2) Fate, and its forcing of a good man, Aeneas
  into exile. His duty as an agent of fate/destiny
  in the establishment of the roman race and nation
• 3) Divine conflict, caused by the goddess Junos
  unrelenting hatred of the Trojans, and its
  resolution
• 4) Aeneas long labours, his wandering and
  troubles on land and at sea
• 5) The founding of the Roman nation, and the
  Roman race. The succession of Aeneas line to
  Augustus.
• 6) Roman Imperialism and Patriotism/ Romes world
  mission/The many amazing achievements of Rome
• 7) Human suffering and the rancour of the gods

5
What happened to Dido before we meet her?

• Dido has been married to Sychaeus, but her
  brother killed her husband. So she left her
  homeland, Tyre, and migrated with companions to
  Africa where she was building Carthage.

6
What event at the end of Book 1 skillfully leads
into Book 2, and the tale of Aeneas adventures?

• Dido gives a banquet to welcome the Trojans and
  asks Aeneas to tell his story, which he does in
  book 2.

7
The meeting of Dido and Aeneas and the welcome
Dido gives Aeneas have been manipulated by Juno,
Jupiter and Venus. What part does each play?

• Juno caused the storm which blew Aeneas fleet to
  Africa, p.32.
• Jupiter sends Mercury to make sure Dido welcomes
  Aeneas, p.36.
• Venus makes Dido fall in love with Aeneas to make
  extra certain Dido wont harm him, p.47

8
The role of the gods in book 1
God Action Motive Result
Jupiter
Juno
Venus
Neptune
Mercury
Cupid
The role of the gods in book 1.doc
9

• Character of Aeneas in Book 1Skim through the
  book and write notes on Aeneas character each
  time we see him. Explain what he is thinking and
  doing and feeling and what each event shows us
  about his character. You are very likely to be
  asked questions on his character, and his
  character development throughout the whole poem
  in the exam.

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For example

• Eg. The first time we see Aeneas is in the middle
  of a storm that Juno has inflicted on him. We
  expect him to be brave in such danger but instead
  he is terrified and afraid, and wishes he had
  died in Troy when a Greek warrior almost killed
  him. He says he is Jealous of those who did get
  to die. This shows that Aeneas is a normal human
  who is weak and gets scared rather than an
  all-powerful superman. Aeneas his done his best
  for seven years through disaster after disaster
  and is nearly at the end of his tether.

11

• In the Storm
• Landing on the coast of Africa
• Killing Stags
• investigates the land
• Conversation with Venus
• Seeing Carthage being built
• Visiting the temple to Juno and seeing Images of
  the Trojan war
• Seeing his friends from the Trojan war
  againAppearing out of his cloud and addressing
  Dido and the crowd
• Missing his son and Instructing Achates to get
  items for the boat
• Talking to Dido at the banquet