Book 1 Aeneas

Aeneid            Book 1            Revision

Lines 1- 33            Juno, the queen of the gods

After the fall of Troy, Fate decreed that Aeneas would reach Italy and build a city called Lavinium.  He found it difficult to get there because the goddess Juno stood in his way and caused him many difficulties and hardships

Why did Juno hate Aeneas and the Trojans?

• Juno loved Carthage above all other cities.

•         She wanted to make Carthage the most powerful city in the world

•         She had heard a prophecy that one day the Trojans would found a great empire

•         That empire would destroy Carthage her favourite city

•         She was still angry about the beauty contest.  Aeneas voted for Venus, the goddess of love.  He did not vote for Juno, the queen of the gods

Lines 34-80                 Juno visits Aeolus, the king of the winds

The Trojans were on the last leg of their journey to Italy.  They were just setting sail from Sicily.  Juno felt resentment against the Trojans because she has been unable to stop the Trojans reaching their destination.  She was angry that she had not been given enough respect as queen of the gods.

• Athena was able to punish Greeks such as Ajax
• But I am having no success with stopping the Trojans reaching Italy.
• Does no one respect my power any more?

Juno went to Aeolia.  Here Aeolus had control of the winds. He kept them in a massive cave under a great mountain.  Without his control the winds would sweep land and seas into space.  Aeolus was supposed to release the winds only on the orders of Jupiter.  Juno begged Aeolus’ help:

• The Trojans, whom I hate, are close to reaching Italy
• Release your winds so as to sink and scatter the Trojan ships.
• I have fourteen gorgeous nymphs.  I will give you one of them as a reward

Aeolus was happy to do what Juno wanted.  He only had his kingdom and the goodwill of Jupiter because of Juno’s influence.

Lines 81-123               Aeolus releases the winds.  Aeneas’ ships are scattered and

 wrecked

When the storm arose Aeneas reacted badly.  He was not a good leader who should

have taken control of the situation:

• His limbs grew cold and weak
• He lifted his hands to the stars
• He said that those who had dies at Troy were three times luckier than he was
• He wished he too could have died at Troy

Lines 124-141             Neptune restores order

Neptune realised that a storm had blown up without his permission.  He raised his head above the waves and saw the scattered ships of Aeneas’ fleet.  He immediately realised that his sister Juno had been up to something.  He summoned the winds in order to speak to them:

• How dare you create all this confusion without my permission
• Go and tell Aeolus your king that command of the seas was allotted to me, not him
• Let him command his…