Aeneid wikisource autobiography sparknotes

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.

Aeneid book 11 summary

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.

Aeneid (sparknotes)

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.