The Aeneid Book 1 Why is the first

The Aeneid Book 1

Why is the first book of the Aeneid important? n It sets the scene by giving the time and the place of the tale n Most of he main characters are introduced. You meet Aeneas and Dido, and the gods Jupiter, Juno and Venus. n 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.

Why is the first book of the Aeneid important? n It indicates the plot. The hero is trying to reach Italy, but it is by no means certain that he will succeed. n 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.

Themes n 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 Juno’s unrelenting hatred of the Trojans, and its resolution 4) Aeneas’ long labours, his wandering and troubles on land 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/ Rome’s world mission/The many amazing achievements of Rome 7) Human suffering and the rancour of the gods

What happened to Dido before we meet her? n 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.

What event at the end of Book 1 skillfully leads into Book 2, and the tale of Aeneas’ adventures? n Dido gives a banquet to welcome the Trojans and asks Aeneas to tell his story, which he does in book 2.

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. n Jupiter sends Mercury to make sure Dido welcomes Aeneas, p. 36. n Venus makes Dido fall in love with Aeneas to make extra certain Dido won’t harm him, p. 47 n

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

n Character of Aeneas in Book 1 Skim 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.

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.

n n n n n 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 again Appearing 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