VAE: Lesson - Aeneid Book I, Summary

Aeneid Book I, Summary

The time has finally come: we are going to begin reading selections from Vergil's Aeneid in Latin in this module, and we are going to start with Book I. Before we get to the Latin, though, let's refresh our memory with a quick summary of the events that take place in Book I.

Neptune calms the storm - engraving by Giulio Bonasone from the 16th century.
This engraving by Giulio Bonasone from the 16th century shows Neptune calling on Aelous to calm the winds of the tempest. Neptune's action saves Aeneas and his remaining ships.

Aeneid Book I: Summary - The Beginning

Vergil's Aeneid begins with the declaration of its subject, "I sing of war and a man." The man in question is Aeneas. Aeneas is fleeing the ruins of Troy, which has been ravaged in a war with Achilles and the Greeks. The surviving Trojans accompany Aeneas on a perilous journey to establish a new home in Italy, but they must contend with a vindictive goddess, Juno.

Let's take a moment to discuss Juno, as she is a central antagonist in this epic. Juno's anger against Aeneas, on the surface, seems a bit petty, especially since she knows she will not be able to overcome the whims of fate. She harbors anger toward Aeneas for several reasons, but the following are the two primary drivers of her wrath:

  • She holds a grudge against anyone who fought on behalf of Troy, which has its roots in her being angry about the outcome of the judgment of Paris.
    • In case you are unfamiliar, the Trojan War began because a Trojan prince named Paris was tasked with judging a beauty contest for three goddesses: Juno, Minerva, and Venus (really - it was their Greek counterparts: Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite). Because Aphrodite/Venus promises him the love of the world's most beautiful woman (a Greek woman named Helen), he chooses her, angering the other two goddesses in the process. Complicating matters is the fact that Helen is already married to a Greek king, so her "kidnapping" by Paris triggers the Trojan War. Hera/Juno never gets over the affront, instead doing all she can to destroy Troy and anyone who fights for Troy. 
  • Carthage is her favorite city, and a prophecy holds that the race descended from the Trojans will someday destroy Carthage. Remember that Vergil is writing this epic as a way to glorify Rome, and the conquest and destruction of Carthage by the Romans is central to Rome's ascent to power in the Mediterranean.

Aeneid Book I: Summary - The Storm

Alright - back to the action. Seeing the fleeing Trojans in their boats, Juno calls on Aeolus, the god of the winds, directing him to bring a great storm down upon Aeneas as he sails south of Sicily in search of a friendly harbor. Aeolus obeys, unleashing a fierce storm upon the battle-weary Trojans. As the tempest intensifies, Neptune, the god of the sea, senses the presence of the storm in his dominion. He tells the winds that Aeolus has overstepped his bounds and calms the waters just as Aeneas’s fleet seems doomed. Seven ships remain, and they head for the nearest land in sight: the coast of Libya. When they reach the shore, a weary and worried Aeneas reminds his companions of previous, more deadly adversities they have overcome and the fated end toward which they strive.

Aeneid Book I: Reading Tips

At this point in the course, you have already read the entirety of Book I in English. Use this to your advantage as you begin working through the Latin. Also remember that the goal of reading Latin is not getting a perfect translation, but rather gaining a basic understanding of the text. Some key hints and tips for reading:

  • Seek familiarity: whether reading English or Latin (or any other learned language), your journey starts with what you know and then you work to fill in the gaps for the content that is less clear. Think about it this way: you don't analyze every word you read in English (quick - what's the subject of that sentence? - does that feel like a normal question you ask yourself while reading English, or is it just intuitive?). If you did, it would be the world's most tedious task. We're asking you to do the same but with Latin as the text instead of English. Grasp on to the pieces you know and build your understanding from there, whether it's a familiar set of vocabulary words or a common construction.
    • Vergil re-uses a lot of constructions. If you pay attention to what you are reading, you'll start to see similar vocabulary or constructions repeated. This is intentional, as these repetitions build up his thematic goals.
  • Take notes: while reading in English is often a leisurely task, this reading is academic - you need to be able to understand the events that you are reading about, as you will be asked to explain and respond to these events. So, as you read, jot down some notes. You can use the reading handout to do this, or just take notes in a regular notebook (physical or digital). You can also make notes about parts of the text that you did not understand, so you can go back and revisit those sections.
  • Read out loud: yes, it's Latin, but one of the "tricks" for language acquisition is to practice reading it aloud. Reading out loud can give you a sense of the pacing, the meter, and some of the subtle ways Vergil constructed the text for meaning, through word order and figures of speech. Not everyone is comfortable with this task - but it's not about being "good" it's about triggering your brain to think in Latin. We build lots of associations in our brains when we read a text out loud, so take a moment to do so before digging in.

And most of all - enjoy the experience! You've spent a lot of time learning these skills, so put them to work for you and enjoy the process!

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