The Aeneid Character List
- Acestes. King of the Sicilian city of Drepanum, Acestes offers Aeneas and his men a safe harbor when they are driven ashore by a raging storm.
- Achaemenides. ...
- Achates. ...
- Aeneas. ...
- Aeolus. ...
- Allecto. ...
- Amata. ...
- Anchises. ...
- Andromache. ...
- Anna. ...
Full Answer
What kind of character is Aeneas in the Aeneid?
Aeneas. Aeneas is the protagonist of the Aeneid. He is the son of Anchises and Venus. He is the father of Ascanius, with his Trojan wife, Creusa, who died at Troy … (read full character analysis)
Who are the main characters in Virgil's the Aeneid?
Course Hero Literature Instructor Russell Jaffe explains the main characters in Virgil's epic poem The Aeneid. Aeneas is the leader of a group of Trojans who fled the destruction of Troy. He is fated to found a new city in Italy. Read More
Who is Venus in the Aeneid?
Venus urges Vulcan (Hephaestus in Greek mythology) to craft a superior set of arms for Aeneas, and the gift serves Aeneas well in his battle with Turnus. The river god associated with the Tiber River, where Rome will eventually be built. At Tiberinus’s suggestion, Aeneas travels upriver to make allies of the Arcadians. The father of the gods.
Who is Anchises in the Aeneid?
Anchises (an- ky -seez) As the father of Aeneas by the goddess Venus, Anchises is a venerable figure of wise counsel and instruction, above all in Book VI, when he reveals Rome's future to Aeneas.
Who are the heroes in the Aeneid?
Aeneas is the protagonist, or main character, of the Aeneid. He is the son of Anchises, a Trojan prince, and Venus, the goddess of love. Virgil portrays Aeneas as a Trojan hero; a warrior who will lead his people to safety, found a new Trojan state, and establish order in his and his countryman's lives.
Who is the protagonist of the Aeneid?
AeneasAeneas. The protagonist of the Aeneid. Aeneas is a survivor of the siege of Troy, a city on the coast of Asia Minor. His defining characteristic is piety, a respect for the will of the gods.
Who is the villain in the Aeneid?
TurnusTurnus is a prince of the Rutulian tribe and the leader of the Latin forces who oppose the settlement of the Trojans in Latium. Like Aeneas, he is a physically superior warrior. He is Aeneas's antagonist, his chief enemy, and heroic counterpart.
Who is Aeneas's best friend?
In the Aeneid, Achates (Ancient Greek: Ἀχάτης, "good, faithful Achates", fidus Achates as he was called) was a close friend of Aeneas; his name became a by-word for a very intimate companion.
Why did Virgil choose Aeneas?
Virgil was looking for an epic hero. With the qualities which Aeneas embodies in the Iliad, it will become more apparent that Aeneas would be the likely choice of Virgil.
Who was Aeneas wife?
Aeneas was first married to Creusa and had a son Ascanius. He was then lover to Dido, Queen of Carthage. Aeneas was later married to Lavinia and had a son Silvius.
Who is Juno in Aeneid?
Juno is a goddess, the wife of Jove and therefore queen of the gods. She loves Dido and Carthage, acting as a patron for that city. She also loves the Latin people and Turnus. (In Virgil's day, she was worshipped as the patron goddess of the Roman Empire.)
Who is Jupiter in the Aeneid?
Jupiter (jyoo-pih-tuhr) Also known as Jove, he is the king of the gods and Juno's husband. Although he cannot alter destiny, otherwise he is all-powerful and regulates the actions of all gods. In the Aeneid, his role is that of a wise, prophetic father who favors the Trojans.
What does Lavinia do in the Aeneid?
Lavinia observes the war from a tower in the palace, and helps to treat the wounded men. She feels terrible guilt over being the cause of a war she never wanted, and she's conflicted because she knows she should support her fellow Latins, but she is also destined for Aeneas.
Who was Aeneas lover?
Aeneas had a year-long affair with the Carthaginian queen Dido (also known as Elissa), who proposed that the Trojans settle in her land and that she and Aeneas reign jointly over their peoples.
Who is Cassandra in the Aeneid?
Cassandra was King Priam's daughter and Troilus's sister. Apollo fell in love with her and gave her the gift of prophecy, but she refused to return his love. Since he could not take back his gift, Apollo rendered it useless: no one would believe her prophecies.
Who did Aeneas fall in love with?
DidoAlthough Aeneas is "shaken still" with love for Dido, he returns to his ship and sails to Italy as Jupiter decrees. Aeneas's responsibilities as a father to Ascanius are called into question in this book, as they were in the previous one.
What book does Ascanius die in?
Ascanius comes of age during the poem—a young boy in Troy, he makes his first kill in battle in Book 9. Aeneas 's father. Beloved and wise, he dies in Book 3 but reappears as a "ghost" in the Underworld in Book 6. The beloved son of Evander, he fights for Aeneas and is killed by Turnus in Book 10.
What does Virgil do in his story?
Virgil often interjects in his story. Sometimes he addresses characters directly, other times he asks rhetorical questions or comments on the action. In this way, he acts as a character too—this is "Virgil as storyteller,"… read analysis of Virgil
Where does Apollo live?
An oracle (fortune teller) of Apollo who lives in Cumae (near Naples) and guides Aeneas to the Underworld. The king of the Latin people in Latium, Italy, father of Lavinia, husband of Amata, and destined father-in-law of Aeneas. His city is called Lavinium. Latinus and Amata 's daughter, destined wife of Aeneas.
Who is Turnus' sister?
Turnus 's sister, Juno 's helper, a nymph. Augustus Caesar. Virgil's real-life patron and emperor of Rome. He appears in the Underworld in Book 6, and on Aeneas 's shield in Book 8.
Who is the protagonist of the Aeneid?
Aeneas is the protagonist of the Aeneid. He is the son of Anchises and Venus. He is the father of Ascanius, with his Trojan wife, Creusa, who died at Troy … read analysis of Aeneas
Who is the Queen of the Volscians?
Queen of the Volscians and a formidable warrior fighting on Turnus 's side. Beloved by the goddess of the hunt, Diana. Evander. King of the Arcadians, who live on the future site of Rome.
Who was the king of the Rutulians?
Turnus. The king of the Rutulians, an Italian nation located about 20 miles from the eventual Rome, and Aeneas 's main mortal enemy. He hoped to marry Lavinia, daughter of Latinus, and become king… read analysis of Turnus.
What is the name of the god in Aeneas?
Cupid ( kyoo -pihd) The god of love. His mother, Venus, has him inspire Dido with passion for Aeneas in Book I. Cymodocea (ky- mah -doh-kee-uh) The leader of the sea nymphs, formerly the ships of Aeneas's fleet. Deiphobë (day- ee -foh-bee) The sibyl of Cumae.
What does Drancs do in Book XI?
In Book XI, he refuses, via a messenger, Turnus's request to fight against the Trojans and their allies. Drancës ( dran -seez) A Latin nobleman, in Book XI he acts as an ambassador between Latinus and Aeneas, decrying Turnus's aggressive stance and calling for a peaceful settlement with the Trojans.
What is Turnus motivated by?
However, unlike the Trojan hero, who always tries to act for the good of his people, Turnus is motivated by intense pride and a desire for personal fame. His doomed future, sealed by fate, signifies the triumph of the ideal of civic virtue embodied by Aeneas. The Gods and Other Non-Human Characters.
What book does the Trojans win?
In Book XI, when it appears certain that the Trojans will win, he is again eager to make peace with them, and his terms are generous.
What book does Laocoön warn the Trojans?
Laocoön (lay- ah -koh-uhn) In Book II, suspecting trickery on the part of the departing Greeks, Laocoön warns his fellow Trojans against bringing an immense wooden horse, left behind by the Trojans's enemy, inside Troy's walls. He and his two sons are slain by two giant sea serpents sent by the goddess Minerva.
What is Amata's name in Latin?
Amata (uh- mah -tuh) The wife and queen of Latinus, her name — Latin for "beloved" — ironically contradicts the actual nature of this highly disagreeable character.
Was Aeneas a patriotic emperor?
As a result of this patriotic role assigned to him, Aeneas sometimes appears too good to be true.
What does Turnus oppose?
Turnus opposes Latinus's decision to allow the Trojans to settle in Latium, and he is angered by Aeneas's pursuit of Lavinia. When Aeneas slays Turnus in the climactic moment of the Aeneid, the event symbolizes the triumph of virtue and piety over pride and egoism.
Why does Creusa plead with Aeneas to flee Troy?
Aeneas's first wife and Ascanius's mother, Creusa pleads with Aeneas to flee Troy to save their family . When their group is besieged during the flight, Aeneas, in a panic, loses Creusa. He returns to Troy in search of her, but is met by Creusa's shade, who urges him to escape so that he can fulfill his destiny to rule a kingdom and win a royal bride.
Why did Laocoon kill the horse?
When two enormous sea snakes kill Laocoon and his two sons, the Trojans believe that it is a portent and that Laocoon was killed because he profaned the horse.
What were the characteristics of Aeneas?
Aeneas is the embodiment of a number of characteristics highly valued by the Romans of Virgil's era, including piety (obedience to the will of the gods), courage, skill at arms, leadership, and determination.
What city did Acestes offer Aeneas?
King of the Sicilian city of Drepanum, Acestes offers Aeneas and his men a safe harbor when they are driven ashore by a raging storm.
What is Ascanius's role in Aeneas's future?
He is a motivating force for Aeneas, and though still a child, demonstrates remarkable courage; he is clearly destined for greatness.
Who is the Queen of the gods?
Queen of the gods and wife of Jupiter, Juno is the driving force behind Aeneas 's trials. She despises the Trojans because Paris, a Trojan, did not choose her as the fairest of the goddesses in a contest of beauty. Although Juno 's wrath causes Aeneas considerable difficulty, she is ultimately unable to alter his fate.
What is the story of Aeneas?
Commissioned by Emperor Augustus to be the great epic tale of Rome, Virgil's Aeneid is the story of how Aeneas, a Trojan prince, was able to flee the city destroyed by Homer's Greeks and reestablish an even more powerful place in Italy. Along the way, Aeneas is helped and hindered by a number of characters. Some of them may be familiar to students of history or mythology, but others are unique to the story itself. In this lesson, we'll take a look at those characters, starting with the family of Aeneas, then moving on to those that both help and hinder his progress. We'll be sure to pay special attention to those that are mortal and those that are deities.
Who is Aeneas in The Odyssey?
Aeneas is the protagonist of the story, and is a proud son of Troy . At the beginning of the tale, he is taking part in the defense of Troy against the Greeks, and is awoken in the middle of the night to tell him to flee. He gathers his father Anchises and his son Ascanius, as well as his wife Creusa. However, the fires of the city claim his wife, who nobly tells him to go on to find new love by pursuing his destiny. Looking past the fact that it takes an incredibly selfless person to say that, you're probably wondering what makes Creusa so sure that Aeneas will find love. That's where his mother comes in. Having the goddess Venus as a mother, Aeneas finds that charm comes quite easily to him with future love interests.
What is Dido's backstory?
Dido's backstory demonstrates her bravery and strength. She has escaped the treachery of her brother, who killed her beloved first husband, Sychaeus; sailed halfway across the known world; and founded a great city in a strange land. However, none of her virtues or accomplishments save her when she crosses Aeneas's path. First Venus and then Juno, Carthage's own patron goddess, push her into a love for Aeneas that is very close to madness. Aeneas's fate inevitably takes him away, and the madness drives Dido to an ending she never would have reached on her own. Virgil also gives her death historical consequences, attributing it as the root of the long conflict between Carthage and Rome. Dido is a memorable symbol of the tragic consequence when the careless will of the gods conflicts with the inevitability of Fate .
What happened to Aeneas in The Aeneid?
The liaison produces a child, Aeneas, whom Venus gives to Anchises to raise. In The Aeneid, Anchises still bears the scars from Jupiter's bolt.
What does Aeneas represent?
Aeneas is a legendary rather than historical figure, but Virgil places him into Italy's geography and history, making him seem historical. As the father of Rome, he represents Romans, including good and bad attributes, and the greatness of their destiny through Virgil's time and beyond.
Why is Turnus a character?
He is defined by anger, in large part because of the rage that the Fury Allecto instills in him to start the war with Aeneas. As Aeneas's opponent, Turnus represents the destiny of those who arrogantly oppose the power of Rome: they will be defeated.
What does Venus represent in Dido?
However, there is nothing temporary about the consequences for poor Dido. Venus represents the spectrum of love, from parental to passionate. Characters Character Map.
What makes Aeneas so good?
Aeneas is famously pious, mindful of his duty to honor the gods, his family, and his country. This makes him awfully good most of the time: measured, generous, and responsible. Like many heroes, he carries divine blood—his mother is the goddess Venus—which makes him large, handsome, and supernaturally strong.
Why is Queen Elizabeth enmity with the Trojans?
Her enmity for the Trojans springs from the cause of the Trojan War —a contest between goddesses in which she was not chosen as the most beautiful. She repeatedly uses her powers as queen of the gods and the goddess of marriage to try to destroy the wandering remnants of Troy.
