The Aeneid

by Virgil (Publius Vergilius Maro)

Also known as: Aeneis

"The Aeneid weaves Roman destiny into myth, showing how struggle, sacrifice, and divine will forge empire. It meditates on duty, piety (pietas), and the tragic costs of greatness."

Type:Epic Poem

Source:Ancient Rome

Original Date:c. 29–19 BCE (Augustan Rome)

Written Date:19 BCE (unfinished at Virgil’s death)

Length:12 books, 9,896 lines (~12 hours)

Summary

The Aeneid tells the mythic journey of Aeneas, a Trojan prince who escapes the fall of Troy and voyages to Italy, destined to found the line that will become Rome. Along the way he faces storms, divine opposition, tragic love with Queen Dido, and brutal warfare in Latium. The epic serves both as a heroic adventure and a national myth, linking Rome’s imperial destiny to Homeric tradition while elevating Augustus as the fulfillment of prophecy.

Themes

Pietas (duty to gods, family, and country)Fate and destinyThe cost of empireDivine interventionHeroism and sacrificeLove and lossWar and foundation

Major Characters

AeneasAnchisesAscanius (Iulus)DidoTurnusLaviniaJunoVenusJupiterNeptuneMercuryEvanderPallas

Notable Quotes

"I sing of arms and the man, who first from the shores of Troy…"
Book 1, Line 1

"Forsan et haec olim meminisse juvabit. (‘Perhaps someday we will look back on these things with joy.’)"
Book 1, Line 203

"The tears of things touch the heart, and mortal matters move us all."
Book 1, Line 462

Notable Translations

John Dryden(1697)

Famous rhymed translation, very influential.

Robert Fitzgerald(1983)

Smooth, accessible poetic rendering.

Robert Fagles(2006)

Popular, dynamic modern verse translation.

Sarah Ruden(2008)

Modern, faithful, with feminist sensitivity.

Shadi Bartsch(2021)

Recent highly acclaimed modern translation.