The Adventures of Aeneas

The Adventures of Aeneas Juliana Gines, Vaughan Hazeldine, James Lee, Zack Murphy, & Hannah Raleigh February 2014 ~ Block 3

Heroic Qualities Flaws • Has a strong will and knows what needs to get done • Protector • Fearless, brave • A great leader • A strong warrior • Persevering • Was hated by Juno because he was a Trojan • Got too attached to Queen Dido of Carthage • Selfish • Apathetic in fulfilling his fate

The Journey of Aeneas

Escape from Troy and A Dream of Italy • Aeneas was a top officer on the side of the Trojans in the Trojan War, and was second in command, only behind Hector. • Escaped from Troy with the help of Venus after it was taken by the Greeks and helped many other Trojans escape as well. He got out his son and his father with the help of his mother (Venus). • Saw in a dream that he would settle in Hisperia (Italy) • Took a long voyage to Hisperia

Andromache, Helenus, and Good Advice • As they were sailing, Aeneas and his crew next encountered Hector’s widow, Andromache, who had been enslaved by Achilles’ son after the war. • After her captor’s death, Andromache married Helenus, the Trojan prophet. Helenustold Aeneas that he should land on the western coast of Italy, and gave him directions, even telling him how to avoid the dreadful Scylla and Charybdis. • Aeneas set sail once again.

Sicily and the Cyclopes • Despite Helenus’s good advice, Aeneas still managed to sail into Sicily, an island south of Italy, where a clan of murderous Cyclopes lived. • Escaped within seconds of being eaten, with help from a sailor from Odysseus’s crew who had been marooned by accident. The sailor told Aeneas and his crew to fly away from the island, as it was only way to escape.

Supernatural Intervention: Juno, Neptune, & Venus • Juno was angry with the Trojans because Paris chose Venus as the fairest. • Juno got Aeolus (a wind god) to send a gigantic storm toward the Trojans as they sailed away from Sicily. • Neptune stopped the storm from killing the Trojans and allowed them to dock in Carthage. • Venus helped Aeneas all along the way: • Venus realizee Juno’s plan to make Aeneas fall in love with Dido and had Cupid make Dido fall in love with Aeneas, not the other way around. • To get into the underworld, Aeneas had to find a golden bough. Venus led them to the bough and they entered the Underworld.

Queen Dido of Carthage • Aeneas and his crew landed in Carthage, where Juno tried to get Aeneas to fall in love with Dido. • Venus realized this plan and had Cupid make Dido fall in love with Aeneas. • Aeneas enjoyed the luxuries and treatment of a royal and stayed in Carthage for awhile. • Jupiter then had Mercury (the messenger god) urge Aeneas to leave Carthage and fulfill his destiny. • As Aeneas pulled out of harbor, leaving an upset Dido, he saw smoke rising from the city. He did not know he was looking at Dido’s funeral pyre.

The Sibyl of Cumae & The Task • Helenushad told Aeneas to find the prophetic Sibyl of Cumae once he arrived in Italy. • Sibyl said that she must take Aeneas to the Underworld to meet the spirit of his father, Anchises, to get his advice. • To get into the Underworld, Aeneas had to find a golden bough in the forest.

The Underworld • Aeneas brought the Sibyl of Cumae with him • Used a golden bough from a tree in the forest to gain access to the Underworld • He sees the forms of Disease, Avenging Care, Hunger, War, and Discord on the way down, as well as many spirits on the banks of the river. • He had Charon (undead ferryman) give him a ride across the river and he also gave a cake to Cerebus, the three headed dog, to make for a smooth descent.

Ghosts of the Past • While on the way down, they passed the Fields of Mourning, where Aeneas saw Dido. • Upon arriving at a crossroads, Aeneas heard the sounds of evil spirits being punished on the left, but saw the Elysian Fields on his right, where his father lived. • His father then showed Aeneas what their descendants would be like, and gave him advice on how to establish his new home (Rome) and how to deal with his upcoming hardships in winning the impending war.

Journey to Italy • Made it out of the Underworld easily and then sailed to Italy • King Latinus of Latinum was told by the spirit of his father to marry his daughter, Lavinia, to Aeneas. King Latinus welcomed Aeneas and his crew as friends.

Juno’s Wrath • Juno sent Alecto, one of the Furies, to cause many hardships for Aeneas. • She made the Latins and the Rutulians (another kingdom) oppose Aeneas.

Alecto’s Wrath • Made Queen Amata, King Latinus’s wife, oppose the marriage of Lavinia and Aeneas. • Helped induce Turnus, the king of the Rutulians, to wage war against the Trojans • Tricked Ascanius, the son of Aeneas, to kill a stag (male deer) that the farmers loved, which drove the farmers against the Trojans

Winning Lavinia? • Because of the prophecy King Latinus received from the spirit of his father, Latinus initially welcomed Aeneas and his crew with open arms. • However, Aeneas was not Lavinia’s only suitor. The most favored of these men was Turnus, king of the Rutulians, a neighboring kingdom of Latinum, making him Aeneas’s natural enemy. • Turnus also had other allies who aided him in trying to prevent the marriage of Aeneas and Lavinia.

Enemies: Turnus, Mezentius, & Camilla • Turnus, Mezentius, and Camilla were all formidable enemies which Aeneas had to overcome in order to win the hand of the princess Lavinia. • Turnus, king of the Rutulians and Lavinia’s most favored suitor, obviously did not want Lavinia to marry another man. • Mezentiuswas the ex-king of the Etruscans, and ally of Turnus against Aeneas and his Trojan army. He was a superb soldier, but so harsh that his subjects rose up in rebellion against him. He, in turn, fled to Turnus. • Camilla was another ally of Turnus. She was something of a mortal Diana (Artemis), who had been raised in the deep forest by her father and had been maneuvering a bow, sling, javelin, and ax since she was a toddler. She loved the battle and the chase, and was firmly set against marriage. She was followed by a group of warriors, along with several maidens.

Help from the Gods • Neptune helped Aeneas and his crew when they were sailing from the island of Sicily to the north coast of Africa. Juno had Aeolus, the King of the Winds, try to sink Aeneas’s ship, but Neptune stopped him. Neptune saw what Juno was trying to do, but it did not bode well with him to have her manipulate his domain. He calmed the sea and allowed Aeneas and his crew to reach land. • Venus spoke to Jupiter about his promise to her to make Aeneas, her son, the ancestor of a race that would one day rule the world. Jupiter reconfirmed his promise in order to mollify Venus. • Venus also summoned Cupid upon Aeneas’s arrival in Carthage. Queen Dido was known not to fall in love easily, so Venus used Cupid to make sure Dido would fall in love with him.

Help from the Gods (continued) • On the day of Aeneas’s arrival in Carthage, Venus disguised herself as a huntress and gave him directions to immediately seek the queen and request her help. She also put a protective mist around them (that they did not know was there) so they could walk without interference through the city until they found Dido. • When Aeneas had spent too long in Carthage with Dido, Jupiter sent Mercury (the messenger god) to him, telling him that he needed to get a move on, and to start seeking his destiny. Soon thereafter, Aeneas set sail out of Carthage.

Help from King Evander • Father Tiber, god of the Tiber River, visited Aeneas in a dream and told him to seek help from the small kingdom of Arcady. King Evander of Arcady gives Aeneas advice that helps him win the war – he tells Aeneas that he needs to enlist the help of the Etruscans, whose ex-king was working with Aeneas’s enemies. Because the Etruscans’ ex-king was so awful, they would be more than willing to help Aeneas bring him down.

Nisus and Euryalus • They were two soldiers who were best friends and fighting companions that tried to get a message to Aeneas • Fought for Aeneas • They snuck through the enemy’s camp during the night and killed any sleeping soldier that they saw • While they were leaving, they were then spotted and chased by their enemies

Nisus and Euryalus (continued) • Euryalus got lost while in the woods and the enemies found him • Nisus then tried to rescue him and killed most of the enemies • The leader then killed Euryalus • Nisus then killed the leader and then died from his own wounds

Marriage to Lavinia & Gifts to the World • After conquering Turnus in one-on-one combat, Aeneas wins Lavinia’s hand in marriage. • Faunus’s (Latinus’s father’s) prediction came true. Aeneas and Lavinia founded the Roman race. According to the poet Virgil, the descendants of Aeneas and Lavinia left the world things like art and science, and also built an empire that left a legacy of fairness that “spared the humble and crushed the proud.” They were also destined to bring all the peoples of the earth under their empire.

Major Archetypes, Motifs,& Themes

The Fall • While he was at Carthage, Aeneas had everything that he needed, and was treated like royalty • He had to leave Carthage after Jupiter commanded him to, and had to go back to being a soldier

Rag to Riches • Aeneas started out as a soldier who fled from Troy after they were defeated, and had noting • After his journey, he married Lavinia and founded the Roman race

Character Archetpyes • Aeneas – The Hero • Juno – The Villain/Shrew • The Harpies – The Villain • The Cyclopes – The Villain • The Sibyl of Cumae – The Wise Old Woman • Turnus, Mezentius, & Camilla – The Villains • Nisus and Euryalus – Complimentary Pairs • King Evander – The Wise Old Man

Setting Archetypes • The Underworld – The Cave • The River of the Dead – The River • Sailing – The Sea • Sicily – The Island

Other Archetypes and Motifs • Juno, Neptune, the God of the Tiber River, Jupiter, Venus, etc. – Supernatural Intervention • Aeneas had to learn what to do from his father – The Journey • Aeneas winning the war – The Task • The power of fate • Prophecies and predictions

Story Summation • Son of Venus • A traveler • He fought on the side of the Trojans in the Trojan War, and was second in command, only behind Hector • Escaped from Troy with the help of his mother after it was captured by the Greeks and was followed by many Trojans. He got out his son and his father with the help of Venus • Saw in a dream that he would settle in Hisperia (Italy) • He took a long voyage to Hisperia • Along the way, they encountered Hector’s widow, Andromache, who had married the Trojan prophet Helenus, who told Aeneas that he should land on the western coast of Italy and provided him with directions, including how to avoid the dire Scylla and Charybdis. • He found Sicily and the Cyclopes, from which an abandoned sailor of Odysseus’s told them to fly away from. Aeneas sailed into a storm caused by Juno, but that is calmed by Neptune.

Story Summation (continued) • He sailed to Carthage (Africa), and met its queen, Dido. • Venus and Cupid made Dido fall in love with Aeneas, but made sure he only accepted her gifts, but did not fall in love with her. He stayed for awhile and was treated like royalty. • Jupiter sent Mercury with a message to Aeneas to get a move on with his fate • Aeneas tries to sneak out, but word gets back to Dido. She confronts him and is upset, but he is set on leaving. • As he pulled out of harbor, he saw smoke rising from the city, not knowing that it was Dido’s funeral pyre.

Story Summation (continued) • He went to Italy and found Sybil of Cumae. She told him that he needed to go to the Underworld to see his father and get his advice, and that she would accompany him. But first, he had to retrieve a golden bough to gain admittance to the Underworld. • They passed many horrors on their way down, but made their way through with the golden bough. • Aeneas saw Dido, but she refused to acknowledge him • They found Anchises (Aeneas’s father), who told him how to start his empire in Italy • He came back to the surface and set sail

Story Summation (continued) • He docked at the kingdom of Latinus, where he was warmly received, due to the prophecy that the king’s daughter, Lavinia, was to marry a foreigner and found a race that rules the world • Juno made high-ranking officials, the Latins, and the Rutulians unhappy about the arrival of the Trojans. She also made Lavinia’s mother oppose marriage between Lavinia and Aeneas. • Turnus, leader of the Rutulians, was seen as the most worthy suitor of Lavinia, and was a natural opponent of Aeneas. Another enemy, Mezentius, fought under Turnus with ally Camilla. • Alecto(a Fury) continued to attempt to make Aeneas look bad. • Also ran into conflicts with other kingdoms whose princes wanted to marry Lavinia • Nisus and Eurylus (on Aeneas’s side) were fighting companions and when Eurylus put himself in danger and was about to be killed, Nisus sacrificed himself.

Story Summation • They turned the war around by enlisting the help of the Etruscans and won • Aeneas married Lavinia and is considered the founder of the Roman race. • Our hero became much braver after his adventures and became a much better warrior. • Aeneas learned that sometimes you have to give up the good things in order to do a better service to those around you and that follow you

Cultural Values and Lessons in Society • The Romans valued war more than the Greeks did because they were meant to rule the world. • You cannot change your fate. Not even the gods can change it, no matter how hard they try. • Regardless of all the challenges and tasks you may face in achieving your fate, you can never give up. SENATUS POPULUSQUE ROMANUS

The Adventures of Aeneas