Book 1

• Virgil plunges us in media res
• invokes muse


  speaks of war (Iliad) and journey (odyssey)
• Storm and shipwreck


  Juno gets Aeolus to send winds
• Aeneas wishes he had died in Troy
• Neptune calms the seas and is angry at Aeolus
• Jupiter’s prophecy


  Foundations of Rome

  • crush tribes
  • build wars
  • Iulus will build Alba Longa
  • Romulus
  • empire with no limits
  • Augustus
• Venus visits Aeneas in the woods

  Disguised as Spartan girl

  Informs him of Carthage and Dido
• Aeneas killed 7 stags

  • 1 for each of his remaining ships
• Aeneas recognises his mother
• Aeneas and Achates marvel at the temple of Juno


  Battles of Trojan war are depicted on the walls

  Aeneas is emotional
• Carthaginians are compared to bees in their construction of the city
• Scenes on temple of Juno

  Trojans retreating from Achilles on his chariot

  Tents being torn down by Diomedes

  Troilus running away from Achilles having been stripped of his armour

  women of Troy supplications to Pallas Athene

  Achilles dragging Hector around the walls of Troy 3 times

  Aeneas in battle

  Penthesilia and Amazons in battle
• Which Goddess is Dido compared to?

  Diana
• Aeneas’ lost ships appear in Carthage and Aeneas and Achates veiled in aegis watch on


  say that they will either leave for Latium if Aeneas is alive or return to Acestes in Sicily
• Aeneas gets Achates to bring Ascanius and gifts for Dido from their ships


  But Venus disguises Cupid as Ascanius and veils Ascanius in mist and takes him to a safe space in the Italian woods and sends Cupid to make Dido fall in love with Aeneas
• Dido asks to hear Aeneas’ story