Themes

• the first few lines of the Aeneid give the outline of the story
• 'I sing of arms' - war with all the human suffering, political allainces, moral justification, loyalty - huge topic in itself
• 'and of the man' - if this is an epic about an individual, then all human emotions are there to be explored
• 'fated' - if he is fated, what about free will? how do the gods communicate? what is the importance of prophecy?
• 'to be an exile' - where will he go and how will he be treated
• 'who left Troy' - leaving a city raises questions relating to the past, acceptance of loss, the values of the city left behind, and the possibility of recreating those values
• 'and came to Italy' - why Italy? what clashes will there be between the cultures? what power struggles?
• 'anger of Juno' - why should Juno be angry? who are he gods, and what is there role?
• 'sufferings in war' - death is inevitable in war. The man will undoubtedly lose those he loves. How important are friends and family?
• 'carry his gods' - being entrusted with carrying the sacred images of the gods from their temple in Troy and finding them a new home is a great responsibility. Will he succeed?
• 'the Latin race' - out of the wars will come a new beginning. How will the new race be formed? what is the plan for its development? how important is the vision of the future?
• 'high walls of Rome' - what is the role in this poem of a city which doesn't even exist?
• the themes are discussed throughout the book