ENG 273: World Literature

The Aeneid by Virgil

• 70 B.C. – 19 B.C.

• Roman

• Emperor Augustus

• Prominent• Poetry

• Philosophy

• Rhetoric

• Influential• The Divine Comedy by Dante

Virgil

• Tells the story of the aftermath of the Trojan War from the perspective of the Trojans• Retelling of The Illiad and The

Odyssey

• Details the epic journey of Aeneas as he travels from Troy to Italy• Retraces the same path taken

by Odysseus

• Connects the story to the founding of the Roman Empire• Contemporary perspective of

the time period in which it was written

The Poem

• Aeneas

• Venus

• Juno

• Dido

• Cerusa

Key Characters

• Epic Journey

• Heroism and Leadership

• Relationship between divine gods/goddesses and mortals

• Cost of War• On community

• On soldiers

• On family

Key Themes