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By Xi Cao (Dorothy) |Summary | Quotations | Character Analysis | Theme Analysis | A Letter to Author |Creative Writing | Literary Connection | Illustration | Bibliography| Quiz|
Setting- begins in 1183 B.C, Itlay. Main Character: Aeneas- the leader of the Trojans after the surviving of the siege of Troy. Because of his destined fate, Aeneas found the Roman race in Italy and created the Golden age of Rome. Aeneas is a man fill with piety and fortitude, these awesome characteristics bestowed him with the ability to rescue his men by confronting adversities. Dido- the Queen of Carthage, a powerful city in northern Africa. When Aeneas arrives to Libya and asks for her help, Dido falls in love with Aeneas because of the arrow of love of Cupid, the son of Venus and the god of erotic desire. However, when Aeneas abandoned Dido, she prepares a funeral pyre and kills herself by Aeneas' sword. Turnus- the King of the Rutulians in Italy, also the suitor of Lavinia, the princess of Latins. When he discovers that the King of Latin, Latinus encourages the alien, Aeneas to become a suitor of Lavinia, Turnus is incited and is in fury. It makes Turns the biggest antagonist toward Aeneas. Juno- the wife of Jupiter, also the queen of the gods. When she perceives that Aeneas and the Trojans are destined to devastate Carthage, her favorite city, Juno becomes vitriolic and bursts out her fury and tries her best to prevent Aeneas' and his men establishing the city of Rome. Venus- the mother of Aeneas and the goddess of love. She assists her son when he is in danger and needs her help. Venus' ministration is a vital factor that contributes Aeneas' success of founding Rome in Italy. Main Conflicts Aeneid and the citizens of Troy force to leave their homeland since it is pulverized by the Greeks. According to the prophecy, Aeneas is destined to found Rome and the Trojan descendent will accomplish a powerful Roman country later on. However, there are many hurdles that tarry Aeneas' progressing to found Rome. Because of Juno's failure in the beauty contest, she execrates the Trojans. She asks the other gods, such as Aeolus, the god of the winds, and her furies, Iris and Allecto to obstruct Aeneas from his journey to Italy. Moreover, Turnus, the greatest opponent of Aeneas in the narrative rouses his temerity to rival with Aeneas because of Lavinia. Aeneas, however, in respect of his destiny, mulishly continues his calamitous journey regardless of its torments. The Climax After Aeneas leaves his men, Turnus seeks this peerless opportunity to attack the Trojans. When Aeneas comes back, both parties, Trojans and Latins are in imponderable damages. Turnus calls for hand to hand battle with Aeneas in order to despite the sanguinary casualties of both parties. Juno, in this moment, compromised with Jupiter since she knows Aeneas will win by the destiny. She decides to give up the feud but the Trojans have to inherit the language and name of Latin. Jupiter consents with Juno and sends down the furies in order to weaken the power of Turnus. Aeneas, because of Jupiter's assistance, wounds Turnus. Aeneas, wants to spare Turnus by benevolence. However, when he notices the belt of Pallas, one of his best ally, is tied around Turnus' shoulder, which means that Turnus' is the culprit for Pallas' death. The flame of dudgeon pervades Aeneas's mind, he kills Turnus without hesitation for Pallas.
My Favorite Five Quotations From the Book "And shall he go, and flout my kingdom thys? No arms leap out, not all my city chase and drag the ships from dock? Go! Fetch me quick Firebrands; bring arms! Ply oars!" (Book IV) This quotation expresses Queen Dido's grievance toward Aeneas. Aeneas provokes by Venus, prepares to sail to Italy after he falls in love with Dido. Aeneas, emphasizes the destined fate and must finish his mission. His decision to leave shocks Dido and pushes her toward death. "A God, in light revealed, and drank his voice. Cease with thy plaints to inflame thyself and me: I seek not Italy by choice." (Book IV) This quotation describes the ambivalent feelings of Aeneas toward going to Italy or staying in Libya with Dido. Aeneas has no volition in front of the destiny, he must follow the will of the gods. "All this poor crowd thous seest due burial lack: yon ferryman is Charon: those who cross were buried: none that bellowing awful stram pass, till their bones are laid in quiet rest." (Book V) This quotation depicts Aeneas' sympathy and melancholy toward the souls of dead people whose body have not properly buried. It shows Aeneas' benevolence toward people. "Behold the promised gifts my lord hath wrought! Doubt not, my son, but soon defiance hurl on proud Laurentines and on Turnus bold!" (Book VII)This quotation mentions Venus's predilection toward her son, Aeneas. Venus is solicitous about Aeneas might hurt by Turnus later on, so she begs her husband Vulcan, god of fire and the forge, to craft the sovereign weapons for Aeneas in order to ensure his safety in the battle with Turnus in the future. "Shalt thou in my dear ones' spols escape me? Pallas, Pallas with this blow strikes, and takes vengeance from thy guilty blood!" (Book XII) This quotation construes the vindictive feeling of Aeneas toward Turnus since Turnus slayed Pallas. The death of Turnus also ends the sorrowful journey for Aeneas and Trojans. There is no one prevent they toward prosperity, they can establish the city of Rome in Italy and achieve its pinnacle in the future.
Aeneas is a heroic, patriot, and virile leader for the Trojan people. When the Greeks raze the city of Troy, Aeneas escorts his father, Achises and his son, Ascanius, as well as other citizens of Troy to find another foothold for settling. During the erratic journey to Italy, Aeneas shows his ability of leadership and decisiveness. For Aeneas, will of the Gods and the destined fate dominate all of his thoughts. He can sacrifices his romantic love, his happiness, and even his volition of doing things. When Aeneas sails to Carthage, located in the northern coast of Africa with his followers, he falls in love with Queen Dido here. They live together as lovers, Aeneas indulges himself in the ocean of romance with Dido, which makes a stagnation to his mission. When his mother, goddess Venus reminds him about his crucial responsibility for founding Rome, Aeneas is startled by this message. He decisively give up the love to Dido and prepare to continue his journey to Italy with his men. After Aeneas arrives Italy, he visits his deceased father underworld by the help of the Sibyl. There, he sees many resentful ghosts of dead people whose body have not buried. After his trip, Aeneas persists that the corpse of the casualties, no matter the ally or that of the enemy should be well buried. In conclusion, Aeneas' subordination of his faith accomplishes both good and bad influence in his life. If Aeneas' chooses to be apathetic to his destiny and make his own choice, he might live with Dido happily. However, Aeneas' chooses to obey the destiny, which makes him suffer the lose of his lover, Dido, but also make him becomes the most venerated hero in the history of the Rome.
Throughout history, people are struggle to defend for their homeland. Aeneid by Virgil depicts the intricate and tortuous journey for founding Trojan's permanent homeland, Rome. One of the themes of Aeneid is that a homeland is the place for people to obsess and originate. Regardless how far people leave from their homeland, it always live in people's heart. When we see the brightest star in the sky, it will lead us to our homeland...by our memory. Aeneas and the Trojans suffer the calamities during their journey. They stop for many times, in Thrace, in the holy land of Delos, in Carthage, and finally arrive in Latium, Italy. Each stop produces conflicts between the Trojans. When they stops at Delos, where they decide to build a new city, plagues undermine the hope of the Trojan. When they arrive in Carthage, Aeneas falls in love with Dido, make the great leader of Trojans inert about his responsibility. When Aeneas rouses his ambition of searching the Rome, the final stop in Italy not bring them the peace, but war. The Trojans are in conflicts with the local Latins incited by Juno, Turnus, and Amata, the Queen of Latin. In conclusion, these contretemps happen in the sinuous journey makes both Aeneas and his men feel exhausted and repugnant. Even some of them give up their goal, settle in the Sicilian port of Eryx, most of Trojans keep sailing to search their dreaming homeland in the wandering sea. Finally, they found Rome in Italy, start the new page of history of the Trojans.
Dear Virgil, After I finished reading Aeneid, I think it is a compelling masterpiece. You explicitly depict the suffering of Aeneas and the Trojans during their wandering travel to Italy. To increase the splendor of the narrative, you augment the number of catastrophe in order to show the endurance and fortitude that Aeneas and the Trojans embody to conquer these disasters. My favorite part of the narrative is book III, which describes the romantic, but also tragic love between Aeneas and Queen Dido. Dido and Aeneas have both disparate characters. Dido is a woman that can sacrifice herself for love, however, Aeneas is a hero that is most emphasized his destined mission. When love and his mission is in a conflict, no doubt , Aeneas will choose his mission. Dido, even deeply understand the character of Aeneas, can't accept the fact that her bevoted lover will leave her soon. Because of the obsession of Aeneas, Dido drives herself toward Dis... I have thought another ending for book III, which rescue Dido's life by the hands of Aeneas, but I reject this idea later on. I believe the character you bestow to Aeneas is not a romantic character, like Romeo in Shakespeare's play. Aeneas is a man who values his faith weightily and obeys it. This is a destiny of a hero, he supposes to be the man for everybody, not just for one woman. Sincerely Yours
The City of Rome Is Established 1800 B.C King Latinus bestowed two third of the territory of Latium to Aeneas and the men came from Troy. Both parties signed the formal proposal in the Castle of Latium yesterday. Aeneas told that he will name the land as Rome, which becomes the perpetual homeland for the Trojans. Aeneas said that Rome's official language will be Latin in order to make Trojans easily contact with the Latins since two parties are neighborhood to each other. After the death of Turnus, Aeneas defeated most of the Latium's army with his men. It supposed to be the great chance for Aeneas to take over the entire land of Latium, however, as described by Aeneas, "King Latinus is a benevolent person, the battle between Trojans and Latins was provoked by Turnus. If the Trojans and Latins can live in one country peacefully, it must be the most graceful things I have ever experienced!" The establishing the City of Rome spotlights attentions from the other cities in Europe. Who will be the ruler of the new city of Rome, will he be Aeneas? What is Latins response toward the diminution of the size of the Latium and the establish of Rome, the city that takes away their two third territory? There will be more series reports and news coming soon on The Rome Times.
Aeneas, the heroic leader of the Trojans in Aeneid written by Virgil, has a somewhat similar condition with the prince Hamlet, the protagonist in Hamlet written by Williams Shakespeare. Aeneas, provokes by his own will of escorting the Trojans to found Rome, tries his best to eradicate all the hurdles and adversities for this group of people. Prince Hamlet has the motive of revenge for his father. He also tries his best to overcome difficulties that obstructs his perfect revenge toward King Claudius. However, there is a big difference between Aeneas and Hamlet, which is their resolution. Aeneas, in the beginning of the narrative, gives audiences a strong impression of his resolute ambition of founding a new city of Rome according to the omens of the gods. Hamlet, in return, shows his hesitation and scruple in the first four acts of the play for preparing to kill his opponent, Claudius. Aeneas gives up his love to Dido immediately when he realizes that his destined duty has not yet accomplished. Hamlet seeks a great chance of killing Claudius when he is confessing his fault to the God, but gives up the chance because he thinks that the confession leads Claudius to heaven instead of hell. Hamlet considered this murder is not a perfect retaliation toward Claudius. Aeneas, because of his decisive and resolute attitude toward his goal, successfully builds the City of Rome for the Trojans. Hamlet, by his hesitated character, drives him toward stagnation of avenging. Even at the end of the act he rouse his resolution, it is too late for him to seek a good chance to kill Claudius. Hamlet drives himself toward death because of the scruples.
These are the sources used for illustrations http://www.philipresheph.com/demodokos/aeneas.jpg http://www.ngart.com.au/images/perrin-aeneas-anchises-ascanius.jpg http://www.andante.com/images/Articles/MetTroyensLHL130x279.jpg http://images.amazon.com/images/P/0553210416.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg |
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