THE AENEID

1
THE AENEID

• BOOK 3

2
BOOK 3 VS. THE ODYSSEY

• Book 3 has aspects that imitate that of the
  earlier epic The Odyssey.
• In the Odyssey, Odysseus (Ulysses) recounts to
  the Phaeacians his travels, with his narration
  forming books 9-12 of the epic. Aeneas is doing
  the same in Carthage retelling his story to
  Dido and her followers at the banquet.
• Book 3 also depicts the voyage of the hero to
  many lands and places (just as Odysseus did).
• However, Aeneas ensures his companions make it to
  Latium. Odysseus fails to do this and arrives
  back in Ithaca alone.Virgil emphasises Aeneas
  responsibility for others over Odysseus loss of
  companions.
• At the end of book 3, Virgil brings Aeneas to a
  spot that Odysseus visited in the Odyssey the
  land of the Cyclops and has him rescue one of
  Odysseus own companions.

3
SUMMARY

• Book 3 is narrated by Aeneas to Dido (but may
  have been placed here at a later stage).
• In the first sentence Aeneas attributes the
  destruction of Troy to the gods and emphasises
  the whole course of exiled journeys is directed
  by omens from the gods.
• Aeneas has left Troy in a search of a western
  land across the sea (Rome). Aeneas begins to
  understand his mission more clearly in this book.
• Aeneas tries to obey the vague orders of the
  Gods, and keeps making false starts for seven
  long years.
• Most of the prophecies in book 3 are concerned
  with first getting Aeneas to Italy and then to
  the right spot in Latium.
• First he tries to settle in Thrace, but an evil
  omen drives him away and he consults the oracle
  at Delos for directions (but oracles are vague
  and ambiguous). This is one of the many
  prophecies that they receive in this book.
• .

4
THRACE

• Aeneas narrates how he founded a city, Aeneadae,
  which he named after himself. The real interest
  of this first episode is the story of Polydorus.
  The image that appears is blood and a voice that
  emerge from a plant that Aeneas tries to uproot.
  This omen the voice of Polydorus confirms
  that Thrace is a violently, inhospitable land of
  treachery and death.

5

• The story of Polydorus He was sent as a guest to
  the Thracian king, Lycurgus, to be raised away
  from the besieged Troy as a sort of insurance
  policy so that whatever happened Priams male
  line would not die out. As soon as the king
  learned of the Greek victory, he killed Polydorus
  and kept the money.

6
DELOS

• The Trojans stop here to learn the advice from
  Apollos famous oracle.
• King Anius displays a model of positive
  hospitality.
• In response to Aeneas request to Apollo preserve
  the second citadel of Troy the oracle tells him
  to seek your ancient mother, the land that
  first bore the Dardan line.

7

• Anchises decides that seek out your ancient
  mother means Crete, home of Teucer, a founder
  and king of Troy.
• Aeneas and his followers try to settle in Crete
  but drought and disease show they are wrong.
• The gods then tell Aeneas that the correct
  western land is Italy, home of ancestors Dardanus
  and Iasius.
• Anchises admits his mistake, and remembers
  Cassandra once made this prediction, so it must
  be right.
• The Trojans set sail and once again a storm blows
  the fleet off course

8

• Aeneas makes his way up the coast of Greece.
• At Actium he holds games to offer thanks to the
  gods and puts up a trophy of arms captured form
  the Greeks.
• To the Romans of Virgils time Actium was
  renowned as the place where Octavian defeated
  Antony and Cleopatra in 31BC to become sole ruler
  of the Roman world. These lines commemorated the
  victory and peace of Octavian, now Augustus

9
BUTHROTUM

• An interlude look back to Troy.
• Two former royal Trojans, Andromache and Helenus,
  gained freedom from slavery and built another
  city Buthrotum (or little Troy).
• Aeneas visit here comprises the final and most
  significant episode of the second stage of his
  travels as he realises that he must stop looking
  back to Troy. As much as he longs for his old
  city, his destiny lies in a new land and Helenus
  tells him how to get there.

10

• The issue of Greek imitation in book 3 is
  underscored by the circumstances of Helenus and
  Andromache. Andromache tells the story of how
  Phyrrus (Achilles son) took her as part of his
  war booty and how he made her his concubine.
  Helenus, a priest, was enslaved. When Phyrrus
  decided that he was going to marry Helens
  daughter Hermione, he gave Andromache to Helenus
  a slave to a slave. However, Hermione had
  already been betrothed to Orestes, who was
  enraged by this and murdered Phyrrus.
• Helenus and Andromache now owe everything they
  have, and now are, to a Greek.

11

• Aeneas sets sail again, across the heel and toe
  of Italy and around Sicily, avoiding all the
  Greek cities.
• In Sicily he picks up one of Ulysses sailors who
  is left by mistake in the Cyclops cave. Even
  though he is Greek, Aeneas takes him on board.
• At Drepanum Anchises dies and Aeneas sets out
  again for Italy but he meets Junos storm which
  drives him to Carthage. This is where book 1
  begins.

12
AENEAS DIVINE MISSION

• In Delos he is told to seek out your ancient
  mother which Anchises assumes is Crete, home of
  Teucer.
• In Crete he is told the land is Italy, home of
  Dardanus.
• Helenus tells him he will reach Italy but only
  after a long and dangerous voyage, and there he
  should consult the Sibyl of Cumae about the wars
  he has to fight.

13

• The gods are not particularly unkind in this book
  (exception of Apollo) but they arent much help
  either.
• Storms seem to occur at the wrong times and the
  messages are vague.
• Anchises dies. He is no longer able to remind
  Aeneas of his divine mission so he forgets his
  duty for a while in Africa.
• The whole Dido episode would not have occurred if
  Anchises was still alive.