The Aeneid Book IX Analysis

Book IX SummaryBook IX Summary

Juno sends Iris down to Turnus to tell Juno sends Iris down to Turnus to tell him that Aeneas is awayhim that Aeneas is away

Turnus and his men attack the Trojan Turnus and his men attack the Trojan campcamp

Turnus sets fire to the Trojan shipsTurnus sets fire to the Trojan ships The ships sink themselves and The ships sink themselves and

escape from fire because they were escape from fire because they were forged of sacred woodforged of sacred wood

Turnus attacks again until nightfallTurnus attacks again until nightfall

Book IX Summary ContinuedBook IX Summary Continued

Nisus and Euryalus volunteer to go Nisus and Euryalus volunteer to go out and find Aeneas and leave with out and find Aeneas and leave with Ascanius’s blessingAscanius’s blessing

The two friends ransack the Rutilian The two friends ransack the Rutilian camp but are discovered and killedcamp but are discovered and killed

Turnus attacks and gets through to Turnus attacks and gets through to the Trojan camp and fights off many the Trojan camp and fights off many Trojans inside before jumping into Trojans inside before jumping into the river and making an escapethe river and making an escape

The Relationship between Nisus The Relationship between Nisus and Euryalusand Euryalus

Some scholars speculate that their Some scholars speculate that their relationship was more than just relationship was more than just friendship but some don’t care to friendship but some don’t care to delve too deep into the subjectdelve too deep into the subject

Vergil does not go into this much Vergil does not go into this much detail with tragedy between friends detail with tragedy between friends in any other characters in the books, in any other characters in the books, because both end up dying, and because both end up dying, and Nisus while trying to take fall for Nisus while trying to take fall for EuryalusEuryalus

Nisus and EuryalusNisus and Euryalus

Turnus as fireTurnus as fire

His helmet was gold with a red triple His helmet was gold with a red triple plume which exhaled Aetnean fireplume which exhaled Aetnean fire

His temperament is described as a His temperament is described as a cauldron boiling over with a fire cauldron boiling over with a fire beneath itbeneath it

Metaphors for TurnusMetaphors for Turnus

A wolf on the prowlA wolf on the prowl A preying bird with talons, or a wolfA preying bird with talons, or a wolf LightningLightning A tigerA tiger A savage lionA savage lion

Parallels between this war and the Parallels between this war and the war in Troywar in Troy

Turnus compares himself to AchillesTurnus compares himself to Achilles The Trojans are defending their camp The Trojans are defending their camp

with a wallwith a wall Turnus is able to infiltrate the camp Turnus is able to infiltrate the camp

like the Greeks didlike the Greeks did Turnus makes several references to Turnus makes several references to

how they will breach the walls faster how they will breach the walls faster than the Greeksthan the Greeks