The Aeneid
...epic; mythological story
Language Latin
Time and place written - Around 20 B.C., probably in Rome and in the north of Italy, and perhaps in Greece
Date of first publication - Virgil died in 19 B.C., before he finished revising the Aeneid; it was published after his death.
Narrator - The poet Virgil, although Aeneas himself assumes the narration in Books II and III, when he gives a retrospective account of his adventures
Point of view - When Virgil controls the narration, the point of view includes the actions of the gods as well as the human story; Aeneas, in his storytelling, does not have this access to the gods' perspective and relates events only from his own perspective.
Tone - When treating the glory of Rome, the epic is solemn, celebratory, and honorific. When Virgil depicts the victims of historythose who suffered in the course of the founding of Rome, like Didohis tone is tragic and sympathetic.
Setting (time) - In the aftermath of the Trojan War, about 1000 B.C.
Setting (place) - The Mediterranean, including the north coast of Asia Minor, Carthage, and Italy
Protagonist Aeneas
Major conflict - Aeneas is fated to travel from the ruins of Troy to Italy, where he will establish a race that will lead to the founding of Rome. Juno, harboring feelings of vengeance against the Trojans, impedes Aeneas's mission by inciting a romance between Aeneas and Dido and then a war between the Trojans and the Latins, causing suffering for the hero, his fleet, and many whom they encounter on the way.
Rising action - The epic has two parts: Aeneas's wanderings in Books IVI, and his struggle to establish himself in Latium in Books VIIXII. In the first half of the epic, Aeneas tells the story of the siege of Troy and his escape, causing Dido to love him. In the second half of the epic, King Latinus offers the hand of his daughter,...
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