The Aenied

At his death in 19 BC Virgil left three works of literature, all in verse: the first is the Bucolics, a charming collection of ten short poems about country life. The second poem is known as the Georgics which is poetic advice to farmers with a famous section about bees and their habits. The third poem, the Aeneid, is the longest, an epic work of imagination regarding the origins of Romans in times long before Rome itself was founded.

Legend held that Romans could trace their origins back to Troy whose story had been told by Homer. Virgil took this legend and reworked it in his own way to recount how a prince of Troy, Aeneas and his companions managed to escape following the fall of Troy. They set sail for the west coast of Italy which they reached only after many tribulations and adventures, and there at last they were able to establish the beginnings of Rome. All is pre-ordained, the final destiny is unavoidable; the sufferings of Aeneas and his crew merely postpone the inevitable founding of the Roman Empire.

The Aeneid is arranged into 12 books: books 1-6 are concerned with the wanderings of Aeneas and his men as they struggle against enormous difficulties in their attempts to reach the shores of western Italy. Books 7-12 show how because of the sustained opposition of the powerful goddess Juno, Aeneas had to face war once he had reached Italy.

Aeneas was the son of Venus the goddess of love and Anchises, a mortal. Naturally, Venus attempted to watch over her son but had a fierce opponent in Juno, queen of the gods and wife of the supreme god, Jupiter. Juno opposed Aeneas because of her deep hatred of Troy and her wish to promote Carthage. Throughout the Aeneid Juno exhibits her anger and vents it towards the unfortunate Aeneas, although she is well aware of the inevitability of the outcome. Carthage is destined for destruction and Rome will rise, as is pre-ordained. Other gods appear: Jupiter himself works with Destiny and as his will is supreme he ensures that Aeneas will eventually reach Italy, despite the efforts of Juno to deflect him. Other more minor gods and goddesses become involved, either helping or hindering Aeneas’ efforts often through omens or dreams.

As noted, books 1-6 tell of the wanderings of the Trojan group led by Aeneas and books 1-4 show them thrown off course by a great storm, landing them in Carthage in North Africa. Here queen Dido welcomes them and Aeneas relates to her the emotion-charged story of Troy’s fall and their subsequent misfortunes. Dido falls in love with Aeneas who is forced to abandon her in order to follow his destiny: “It is not by my own choice that I voyage onward to Italy”. Book 4 ends with Dido’s desperate suicide with the Trojan sword left by Aeneas. Again deflected off course, Aeneas next lands in Sicily where Funeral Games are held to honor the dead father of Aeneas and in the final book of this first part, book 6, Aeneas visits the underworld. He visits his father there and is shown a pageant of Rome’s future with some of its future great leaders, including Caesar.

In the second half of the Aeneid, the wanderings of the Trojans are over but although they are at first welcomed to Italy’s shores by king Latinus, they become embroiled in battles and war. The king wishes his daughter to marry Aeneas but his wife wants her to marry Turnus, handsome young king of the Rutulians. Juno is behind the conflict and in ensuing battles many of Aeneas’ warriors are killed including Pallas who is slain by Turnus. The final book of the Aeneid describes Aeneas and Turnus battling to the death until Turnus is wounded and begs Aeneas to spare him; Aeneas almost does so but when he sees that Turnus is wearing Pallas’ belt he is filled with vengeful rage and sinks his blade into his opponent’s chest. Virgil’s great epic ends at this point; he has brought Aeneas to the place ordained for him and there Rome will have its beginnings.

The Aeneid speaks across the centuries, still read today and presenting us with an illustrious picture of the beginnings of the great Roman Empire.

Virgil begins his epic: “I sing of arms and the man…” and the man, Aeneas, is an example of one overcoming despair. Destiny, we understand, is to be accepted and trusted by mortals, despite the trials and tribulations of our daily lives.

The Aeneid can be read simply as an exciting story of ancient lives and deeds. However, at a more sophisticated level an understanding of the allusions and symbols in the work can reveal greater depth and meaning to the perceptive reader.