THE AENEID-BOOK TWOBy: Nikki Sutliff, Alexis Vanfleet, Shelby Foster, & Job Stepanski

BOOK SUMMARY After being asked by Dido in the previous book to retell his journey, Aeneas

begins his story by telling the painful tale of the Trojan horse and the fall of Troy.

The Trojans think that the Greeks have sailed away when they stumble upon the giant horse. Some of them think that they should take it back into the city, while others thinkt that it could be a trap and they should push it into the sea. Laocoon strongly recommends that they do not take it back; meanwhile Sinon, a Greek soldier left behind, is found and taken prisoner. He then tells his sad story of how the Greeks tried to sacrifice him but he escaped and was abandoned when they left, gaining the Trojans trust and sympathy.

Sinon explains that the horse is a shrine to Minerva and if it is harmed, Troy will be harmed as well. Meanwhile, Laocoon and his two sons had tried to spear the horse. Two serpents rose from the sea and devoured the three men. The Trojans interpreted this as an omen from Minerva and they made the decision to take the horse into the city. They put ropes and wheels on the horse and take it into Troy; everyone prays to it, thinking it is a gift from the gods.

All of Troy goes to sleep. While Aeneas is sleeping, the fallen Hector appears to him in a dream warning him that the Greeks are sabotaging the city. Aeneas awakes and goes outside to see the damage. He grabs his weapons and runs to the heart of the city, meeting up with comrades along the way. After killing Androgeos and his Greek army, they take their armor and dress up as Greeks. They kill some Greeks while in disguise, but it barely does them any good because the Greeks still greatly outnumber them. However, their costume eventually comes back to haunt them when they are attacked by their own Trojan allies.

BOOK SUMMARY CONT. The fight leads them to Priam’s palace, where the fight becomes more

deadly and the god of war cannot be tamed. Priam and Hecuba are in their chamber, and witness the slaughter of their son, Polites. The Greeks then go on to kill Priam on his throne, a sight that shakes Aeneas to the core.

Aeneas then sees a woman hiding behind an altar. He talks about his hatred for this woman and blames her for this terrible war. We can assume that this woman is Helen of Troy. Venus then appears to him, telling him that the war really can be blamed on the gods and their constant feuding. She also reminds him of his family who are also suffering in the fall of the city, and he decides to go see his father.

Ascanius, Aeneas’ father, originally does not intend to leave the city. He says that he would rather die in the city than face a life of exile. Aeneas had also met up with his wife, Creusa, and his son, Ascanius, and the three of them beg for Ascanius to come with them. Eventually he is persuaded to come and they leave.

Aeneas carries his father on his back, and Aeneas and his family along with a group of other followers who are likewise fleeing the city. They leave the walls of the city and agree to meet at a mound near an ancient shrine. Aeneas then notices that his wife is missing and goes back to look for her. He is visited by her spirit, or shade, who tells him not to be upset and that a better life waits for him.

Aeneas then leaves the city and leads the group of people away from Troy.

MOST SIGNIFICANT EVENT In our opinion, the most significant event was when the

Trojans took the giant horse into the city. It was important because if they had not taken the horse into the city, the Greeks possibly may not have been able overtake Troy. This was the event that led to their downfall in the war. Since Troy fell, Aeneas and his men had to leave their home and that’s what led them to go on their journey and to Dido’s palace.

This event also shows how Aeneas was passionate about his country, Troy, and that he is a real person. He gets very emotional and upset when retelling the story of the Trojan horse.

IMPORTANT QUOTES “We brake the walls and bare the battlement … and fat with weapons, the

engine of our fate climbs up the rampart. And boys and unwed girls surround it, singing their sacred chants, so glad to touch the cable… That day was our last- and yet, helpless, we brown the altars of the gods with festive branches about the city.” This quote, spoken by Aeneas, shows how truly deceived the Trojans were when taking

the horse into the city. They really thought that the horse would bring them luck from Minerva to win the war, when it truly brought their demise.

“For if your hands should harm Minerva’s gift, then vast destruction (may the gods turn this prophecy against the priest’s own lips!) would fall on Priam’s kingdom and the Phrygians; but if it climbed by your hands into Troy, then Asia would repel the Greeks and, more, advance in war as far as Pelops’ walls; this is the doom that waits for our descendants.” This is Sinon’s explanation of what would happen if the Trojans destroyed the horse or

took it into the city. After he says this, the Trojans gain full trust in him and decided to take the horse into Troy. It also displays the deception of the Greeks, because what happened turned out to be the total opposite of what Sinon had said.

“And so at last, when night passed, I go again to my companions. Here I find, to my surprise, new comrades come together, vast numbers, joined for exile, a crowd of sorrow… Then I gave way and, lifting up my father, made for the mountains.” This quote by Aeneas shows how the people of Troy united after its fall, and just as

disaster today brings people together, the people of Troy were brought together. It also shows the value of family in Roman culture.

INTERVENTIONS OF THE GODS & GODDESSES Aeneas’s mother, Venus, comes to him to calm

him in the midst of the fall of the Troy. Venus tells him that he should not blame the war on any of the women in the city, such as Helen, because the war is the fault of the gods. She reminds him of his wife, son, and father, who

are also still in the city. She vows to protect him until he arrives safely at his father’s home.

CHARACTER ANALYSIS & DEVELOPMENT Aeneas- Protagonist

The Greeks are the antagonists to Aeneas. The story he tells evokes a lot of emotions. He lost his wife when they were fleeing Troy and he goes back to look for

her because he is upset about her loss. Sinon- A Greek warrior

He tricks the Trojans into accepting the horse. He bashes the Greeks, saying that they attempted to sacrifice him in order

to gain the Trojans’ sympathy and trust. Laocoon- A Trojan priest

He realizes the horse is a trick and tries to warn the Trojans, but he is eaten by two giant serpents from the sea when he tries to throw a spear at the horse.

The Trojans take this as a omen that he’s lying and they should believe Sinon.

Venus- the goddess mother of Aeneas She convinces Aeneas not to kill Helen because this war is not her fault.

She explains that the war should be blamed on the gods. Also she tells him his fate is somewhere else so he should flee Troy after

going to get his wife, son, and father so that they can come with him.

CHARACTER ANALYSIS & DEVELOPMENT CONT. King Priam- The king of Troy

During Aeneus’ story King Priam is the ruler of Troy. He witnesses the death of his son, Polites. He gets his head cut off by Pyrrhus in his own throne, a sight

that greatly angers Aeneas. Hector- Greatest of all Trojan warriors

Although dead, Hector appears to Aeneas in a dream to alert him that the Greeks are terrorizing the city.

Creusa- Aeneus’ wife While Aeneas and his followers are fleeing Troy, Creusa is lost in

all of the commotion. Aeneas returns to the city by himself to look for her, but her shade (spirit) appears, encouraging him to continue on his journey without her.

Anchises- Aeneus’ father Anchises originally does not want to leave the city, but after

omens appear and with some convincing from Aeneus, he leaves with the rest of the group.

**The majority of these characters, being that they are from the Trojan War, which was in the past, will not

be seen again and will not develop any further throughout this book.**

EPIC CONVENTIONS

Epithets Pallas: epithet for Minerva Goddess-born: epithet for Aeneas

Speeches The whole book is essentially a very long speech

of Aeneas telling the story of the Trojan horse and the fall of Troy during the Trojan War.

The Gods & Goddesses Venus interferes in the life of Aeneas in his story

Epic Digression The book is also an epic digression; it is a

flashback from Aeneas’s past. It is important to the epic, but it does not necessarily further the action of the story.

SYMBOLS Sacred Places~ symbolize peace

Everyone took shelter in shrines, and citadels. Serpent ~ symbolizes evil

The serpents ate Laocoon. Fire of Vesta ~ symbolizes safety

When the fire of Vesta goes out destruction comes over Troy.

FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE But now the damp night hurries from the sky into the

sea; the falling stars persuade to sleep. Personification

He pours out his life in streams of blood. Hyperbole

I tried to throw my arms around her neck; three times the Shade I grasped in vain escaped my hands –like fleet winds, most like a winged dream. Simile

Now, he lies along the shore, a giant truck, his head torn from his shoulders, as a corpse without a name. Metaphor, Simile

By now flames would have swept them off, the hostile sword have drunk their blood. Personification

CLASS DISCUSSION..

If you were Aeneas, what would you have done when the Greeks were coming out the horse? Would you have stayed and fought longer or fled sooner? Compare and contrast what you

would have done with what Aeneas actually did.