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Book one of The Aeneid

            The foundations for adventure, adversity and divine intervention are laid by Virgil in the first book of The Aeneid . Virgil offers the reader a summary in the first section of book one by outlining Aeneas' escape from his war ravaged home of Troy and by telling us about the destiny he is trying to fulfill. We are given eye-opening accounts of the gods who are acting against each other through Aeneas' journey. Book one sets the stage for the adventures to follow in the next eleven books. .
             The summary laid out by the opening of Book I has an enormous effect on the rest of the poem. We are told that Aeneas is coming from the destroyed city of Troy and his goal is to found a new Troy in Italy. Virgil doesn't waste any time trying to build up suspense in the reader as to what Aeneas' intentions are. The reader knows exactly what Aeneas is trying to accomplish and that he must overcome the wrath of the gods to get there. The opening introduction allows the rest of the poem to focus on the travels and adventures of Aeneas. There may be one down side to the comprehensive summary at the beginning and that is that we already know that Aeneas is going to reach the shores of Italy and found a new city for his people. Virgil, however, is not necessarily concerned with the end result of Aeneas' travels, the story lies in the interplay between the Trojans and the gods. This interplay is what defines the rest of the adventure we are about to embark upon. .
             Virgil outlines for us the role that mythology played in Roman culture. Aeneas' travels are not necessarily a result of mortal intentions, rather they are a result of divine interventions. Juno harbors an immense hatred of the Trojans. This hatred causes her to do anything and everything in her power to sabotage the Trojans that won't catch the attention of Jupiter. Book one gives us a glimpse into depth of this hatred. As the Trojans flee Sicily across the sea, Juno exclaims, "The race I hate is crossing the Tuscan sea.


Essays Related to Book one of The Aeneid

1. The Aeneid

The composition of the rough draft of the Aeneid lasted eleven years. ... For this reason the Aeneid is considered a literary or secondary epic in order to differentiate one from the other. ... Virgil opens Book I of The Aeneid with a sweeping description- a Trojan prince, a valiant warrior and a national hero of Rome, and an appeal to the muse of poetry for divine inspiration in order to tell the tale properly. ... In Book II Aeneas describes the burning of troy to dido and the Carthaginian nobles, this exemplified a typical Virgilian simile. ... The Aeneid longest book is 952 lines and ...

  • Word Count: 1294
  • Approx Pages: 5
  • Has Bibliography

2. The Iliad and The Aeneid

The Iliad and The Aeneid are two of the most famous works of literature ever written. ... The Iliad and The Aeneid were written over half a century apart, yet they share many similar elements. ... He also displays empathy for others by allowing the crippled and unwilling to stay behind in Book V. ... In The Aeneid, Aeneas kills Turnus, and in The Iliad, Achilles kills Hector. ... The one similarity is that they were both written in past tense, even though The Aeneid did have some parts that were in future tense. ...

  • Word Count: 741
  • Approx Pages: 3
  • Grade Level: High School

3. Propoganda and the Aeneid

Does America Need its Own Version of The Aeneid? ... America does not need an Aeneid to strengthen its citizens" pride, especially one like Virgil's, which has ambiguous qualities. ... What is Virgil up to in the Aeneid? ... Book X has an especially grim tone as it tells of Aeneas's rage and revenge for the death of Pallas. ... iv) The Prophecy in Book VI In book VI, Aeneas travels to the underworld seeking the advice of his dead father, Anchises. ...

  • Word Count: 1391
  • Approx Pages: 6
  • Grade Level: High School

4. Pietas in Virgils Aeneid VI

In response to this, Virgil aims to display the notion of "pietas", one of the chief virtues among the Ancient Romans, to the audience, which he uses to prominently describe the chief character of the Aeneid, Aeneas. ... Virgil's abrupt and unsettling ending in Book VI and famously in 12 has divided literary scholars and historians ever since the Aeneid's first publication. ... One could talk about how Virgil simply never got a chance to fully complete his work. ... As said before, the unsettling ending of Book 12 and ambiguous ending of VI has divided the literary comm...

  • Word Count: 1404
  • Approx Pages: 6

5. Virgils Aeneid And Homers Iliad

One such writer of myths was Virgil, who wrote the Aeneid. ... One of the more discerning features of the Aeneid is that unlike the Odyssey and the Illiad who focus primarily it's heroes (Achilles and Odysseus), the Aeneid focuses more on Rome rather than it's hero, Aeneas. ... In the Aeneid, it is quite different. ... In book 10, Virgil contrasts the behavior of Aeneas and Turnus, and thus compares both Roman and Greek heroic styles. ... Turnus, on the other hand, kills Pallas, one of Aeneas dear friends and goes so far to wear Pallas" belt to boast his victory over him. ...

  • Word Count: 906
  • Approx Pages: 4
  • Has Bibliography

6. Aeneas in the Aeneid By Andrew Rambo

"Aeneas in the Aeneid- Virgil's Aeneid is probably the single most important and influential poem written in the history of western literature and civilization. ... Reading and understanding the Aeneid is one of the richest opportunities that can be offered to any one of its readers. ... He is the one totally in charge of the happenings on earth. ... Virgil writes: Dido-doomed to face catastrope-can't sate her soul, inflamed by what she sees (Book II, lines 994-1007)(Commager 155). ... To anyone who has even read a shortened version of The Aeneid can see that death occurs in eve...

  • Word Count: 2516
  • Approx Pages: 10
  • Grade Level: High School

7. The Iliad and the Aeneid - A Comparative Study

The time and place where the book was written is unknown, but probably it was written at mainland Greece, around 750 B.C. Date of first publication and the first publisher for the book is unknown. ... On the contrary the author of "The Aeneid" is Virgil. ... The Aeneid and Iliad stand at adjacent corners of the world's literature. ... In each case, one goddess would specifically seek the harm of the hero. ...

  • Word Count: 8864
  • Approx Pages: 35
  • Grade Level: High School

8. Propoganda From The Aeneid

Some of the ways he adds to the propaganda of Augustus" power and glory is through Aeneas" relationship with Dido, Aeneas" visit to the underworld and the shield he receives a the end of Book VII. The real subject of the Aeneid is the origin of Rome and Augustus. ... One interesting question when looking at this propaganda is whether the voice behind the propaganda is Virgil or is it Augustus. ... The one thing I believe though is that Virgil did not consider these allusions critical to his poem. ... One way that the poem would be widely read was if there were references to the present ti...

  • Word Count: 927
  • Approx Pages: 4

9. Aeneid

The Aeneid of Virgil is an exploration of the behavior of man when he is tested through different trials. ... One of these passages is the conflict that arises between Hercules and Cacus in book VIII after Cacus steals four bulls and four heifers. ... Just as Cacus, who is full of furor and completely lacking of piety, is consumed, so are others in the book that are furious or impious. ... Aeneas is possibly one of the most pious individuals in The Aeneid, but his fury does reveal itself in times of crisis. ... One may argue that this scenario is not one of destruction because in the e...

  • Word Count: 1483
  • Approx Pages: 6
  • Grade Level: High School

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