Virgil, Aeneid worksheet (based on the Stanley Lombardo translation, Hackett Publishing).

Read Books One through Six, address each of the following questions, and bring to class for
a discussion on ____________________. Support your answers with passages and page
numbers (evidence).

Worksheet Rubric (do not mark, project begins at the bottom of this page)

YES NO

1. Answered all questions: (50 points possible)

(If yes, move to question #3)

1a. Number of questions skipped (worth 0.8 points each)

1b. Number of skipped pages. (worth 3 points each)

1c. Value of skipped question:

1d. Value of each skipped page:

2. Worksheet Score /50
(Value of skipped questions and pages subtracted from total value)
YES NO
3. All questions answered with evidence or Stop. No extra
credit
an extensive response (Up to 10 points extra).

3a. Additional Worksheet Score

Questions answered with evidence (up to 5 extra points)

3a. Additional Worksheet Score

Questions answered with extensive responses (up to 5 extra points)

4. Total Worksheet Score /50

BEGIN HERE
Aeneid One
1) Who is the exiled man and from where was he exiled?

Aeneas was exiled from Troy following the Trojan War.

2) What people did Juno favor and why did she want to stop Aeneas?

Juno favored the people of Carthage. She wanted to stop Aeneas because she knew according to
the Fates/Parcae, that someone of Trojan blood would destroy Carthage in the future.

3) Who was Aeolus and how did he anger Neptune?

He was a wind diety, and angered Neptune by doing Juno's bidding and creating a storm to strike
down Aeneas' fleet, as he is not allowed to do this in Neptune's waters.

4) Jupiter tells his daughter what Aeneas’ future will be? Who is Jupiter? Who is his daughter?
What is her relationship to Aeneas? What is Aeneas’ future?

He foresees that Aeneas will settle and win wars in Italy and his descendants, beginning with
Romulus, will establish the Roman Empire. His daughter is Venus, who is the mother of Aeneas.

5) Aeneas’ future will be violent and so to will be the lives of his descendants. What will be the
culmination of this violence (see page 10)?

He will establish a great empire and there will be no more war.

6) Notice the passage on line 895 “Jupiter, Lord of Hospitality. Keep an eye out for the
hospitality of Aeneas towards Dido (up to Book 4). How was Dido’s hospitality rewarded? How
was Jupiter involved?

7) Virgil lived after a series of Roman-Carthaginian wars. What evidence can be found in the
Aeneid that he attempted to establish a pre ordained status for these wars?

The fates had already decided that Carthage would fall to descendants of Aeneas, the Romans.

Aeneid Two
8) What happened to the Greek ships to lull the Trojans into a false sense of peace?

Docked and hid at the nearby island of Tenedos.

9) What did Laocoön argue? What did Sinon argue? Who was Laocoön? Who was Sinon?
(Explain their roles in the horse argument)

Laocoön argues that the horse is a trap made to spy or attack on the city and urges the Trojans
not to trust the horse. Sinon claims the Greek ships are returning to Mycenae and the horse is
meant as an offering to Minerva that must not be damaged.

10) Why (according to Sinon) was the horse built?

Sidon claims it was built to make up for the Paladium statue stolen by Ulysses and diomedes, a
symbol and offering for the gods.

11) What happened to Laocoön? What did this do for his argument?
He was attacked by serpents and killed, which legitimized the argument of Sinon, it was seen as
a punishment for his damaging of the horse when he threw his spear at it.

12) How did Cassandra regard the horse?

She warned against it.

13) Who told Aeneas to flee? Why is it important that supernatural elements communicate to
Aeneas the message of escape? (Hint: think about manliness)?

Hector, the prince killed by Achiles in the war, appeared to Aeneas in a dream telling him to flee.

14) How did Aeneas describe the Greeks and the conquest of Troy? What did Aeneas want to do
as Troy was falling and why could he not follow his instincts?

Corpses were piled, buildings were burning and Aeneas wanted to stay and fight to the end,
knowing he may die.

15) How did Priam respond to the Greeks invasion of his palace?

He donned his armor and prepared to fight and die, before being killed by Pyrrhus along with his
son.

16) Who did Aeneas blame for Troy’s fall? What did he contemplate doing to this person? What
did Venus say to his anger? How did Venus prove her point?
He thought Helen responsible, and he thought to personally deliver justice and kill her. Then
Venus appeared and insisted that it was the gods responsible for the fall of Troy. She allowed him
to see the gods Neptune, Juno and Pallas assisting the Greeks in some way.

17) Who was Crëusa and what happened to her?

She was the first wife of Aeneas. On their way out of the city she was lost, and Aeneas went back
to search for her. Then it was revealed by her ghost that she did not survive.

18) What image does Book 2 close with?

The sun was rising and the Greeks had captured the whole city.

19) What is the theme or purpose of Book 2?

The chapter showcases the deciet and the brutality of the Greeks in their capturing of Troy,
possibly to justify their future conquering the Greeks later on.

Aeneid Three
20) At the beginning of Book 3, how are the Trojans described? Since these people are Rome’s
ancestors, how might this be propaganda for Roman expansion and wars?

Guitless and proud.

21) Why did Thrace turn on Troy?

The king of Thrace was offered treasure by Polydorus but when seeing that Troy was weak the
king joined the Greeks and killed Polydorus, taking his treasure.
22) Why are funerals important?

In Greco-Roman tradition funerals were necessary to send the deceased to the afterlife.

23) Where was the ancient home of the Trojans? Is this accurate?

Aneas is told to go to Crete by his father, who calls it "the cradle of our race." This is not the true
origin of Troy's ancestor though, the gods later reveal.

24) Where is Hesperia?

Hesparia refers to the region of Italy. The gods claim this is the true place of Dardanus' origin,
the founder of Troy.

25) What are Harpies? What did they do to Phineas?

A creature with the face of a woman and bird talons and wings that live on this island having fled
from the king.

26) Who is Andromache? What is the importance for Aeneas’ visit to Andromache and Helenus?

She was the wife of Hector before he was killed. Aeneas heard that Helenus was ruling over
Greek cities and that Andromache was married to a Trojan again, and went to Helenus for advice.

27) What are Scylla and Charybdis? From what famous epic poem do these characters originate?

They are both sea monsters first mentioned in Homer's Odyssey that guard opposite ends of the
island of Sicily.
28) Beginning on line 510, Aeneas was admonished to “worship Juno. Pray to her first.” Why?

Probably because she is displeased with the Trojans, and he recommends this to earn back her
favor.

29) On line 604, “two bears” are mentioned. What does this mean?

He is looking at the star constellations to Hyades, the ones said to bring rain.

30) When Achaemenides told Aeneas why he went to war, what were his reasons?

He said he joined the war because he was poor.

31) Who was Polyphemus and how does this connect the Aeneid to another epic tale?

Polyphemus is the cyclops from the Odyssey that Odysseus wounded, who continues to live on
his island and tend to his sheep, now blinded.

32) Who died at the end of Book 3? How did Aeneas respond?

Anchises, Aeneas' father, passes away. Aeneas feels that this is too soon and notes that this
tragedy was unforetold. He sees it as his final trial.
33) What is the theme/purpose of Book 3?

The chapter makes a lot of connections to the Odyssey and details the travels of Aeneas on his
way to a new land, and seems to build and set the world in which this story takes place, covering
a broad range of geography.

Aeneid Four
34) How can you tell if men were of superior birth?

35) Why was remarriage troubling for Dido?

36) Why did Dido need a man?

37) Why did Dido fall in love? Is she portrayed as being at fault?

38) Notice the interplay between the gods. How do they behave?

39) What happens when Dido and Aeneas sought shelter in a cave? Why was Juno there? What
were the results of this moment?

40) How is Rumor described?

41) What did Jupiter (via Mercury) tell Aeneas?

42) How did Aeneas’ response to Jupiter? Why? What impact did this have on Dido?

43) How did Aeneas explain his actions to Dido? What was Dido’s response?

44) In Book 4, is there any evidence of compassion toward Dido (by anyone)? Who?

45) Once Aeneas’ departure is without doubt, what happened to Dido (her mentally and
physically)? Who/what did Dido blame for this turn of events? How might a Roman view this
foreign queen?

46) Virgil lived and wrote centuries after Rome and Carthage waged three separate wars. How
does Book 4 work as a comment on Roman-Carthaginian conflict?

Aeneid Five
47) How did Aeneas react to the loss of Dido?

48) Who is Acestes?

49) At this point in Aeneas’ voyage, how long has it been since the death of Anchises? How can
you tell?
50) Why did the Trojans initiate games? How might these games be used to illustrate an ideal of
Roman behavior?

51) Remember who these men (Aeneas’ crew) are (professionally). Considering this, how do
their forms of competition make sense?

52) What were the women doing while the men are competing?

53) Who saved the ships?

54) Considering the gods who supported Aeneas, how is this propaganda for a powerful Roman
state?

55) How did Venus’ birthplace make her a favorite of Neptune?

56) What happened to the people of Troy in Book 5?

57) Up to this point in the poem, how are women portrayed?

58) Up to this point in the poem, how are Father-Son relationships portrayed?

59) What is the theme/purpose of Book 5?

Aeneid Six
60) What was the Minotaur?

61) How did Achilles die?

62) How did the prophet/priestess describe the perils to be found in Lavinium?

63) Where must Aeneas go in Book 6?

64) What is Frankincense?

65) When Aeneas met Charon, who else rushed toward the ferryman? Why? Why were they
refused passage? What does this convey in terms of understanding the Roman need for a proper
burial?

66) Palinurus shows up as a shade (line 414). What was he doing when you last read his name (in
what book)?

67) Was Aeneas the first visitor to the Underworld? Who else visited Dis?

68) What is Cerberus? What is Minos’ job in the Underworld?

69) Geographically, how is Dis structured? What are the reasons for division within the
Underworld?
70) How did Aeneas react at the sight of Dido and how did Dido react at the sight of Aeneas?

71) According to U.S. Civil War commander, William Tecumseh Sherman, “War is Hell” and
that “War is cruelty, and you cannot refine it.” Consider the fallen warriors in the Underworld,
how do they behave toward an activity (warfare) that shortened their lives?

72) What was happening to Tityos? After the mention of Tityos’ punishment, Virgil listed a
number of crimes. Is there any commonality among these offenses?

73) Are all shades punished in the Underworld? Where was Anchises?

74) What is going on with the souls yet to be born (Anchises was reviewing a parade of souls and
he would use to illustrate a story for Aeneas)?

75) Based on Virgil’s writing, what was a Roman concept of the interplay between life and
death? How did this process function?
76) Between lines 1015 and 1017, Aeneas told his son about Rome’s mission (destiny). What
was to become of Rome’s destiny?

77) Any guess on what famous literary work will pattern itself upon Book 6?

78) What is the theme/purpose of Book 6? Why did Aeneas go to the Underworld?