🏛AP Latin Unit 3 – Vergil, Aeneid, Book 2

Key Characters and Their Roles

• Aeneas, the protagonist and narrator of Book 2, recounts the fall of Troy to Dido, Queen of Carthage
• Sinon, a Greek spy who deceives the Trojans into accepting the wooden horse, leading to the destruction of Troy
• Laocoon, a Trojan priest who warns against accepting the wooden horse, famously saying "I fear the Greeks, even when they bring gifts"
• Priam, the elderly king of Troy who witnesses the city's destruction and is brutally killed by Neoptolemus, son of Achilles
  • Priam's death symbolizes the end of Troy and its royal lineage
• Hecuba, Priam's wife and queen of Troy, who is taken captive by the Greeks after the city's fall
• Hector, Aeneas' cousin and the greatest Trojan warrior, appears to Aeneas in a dream, urging him to flee the city with the Trojan gods and found a new homeland
• Creusa, Aeneas' wife who is lost during the escape from Troy and appears to him as a ghost, prophesying his future journey and destiny
• Anchises, Aeneas' father who is reluctant to leave Troy but is convinced by omens and ultimately carried out of the city on Aeneas' shoulders

Historical Context and Background

• The Aeneid, written by Vergil (Publius Vergilius Maro) in the 1st century BCE, tells the story of Aeneas, a Trojan hero and legendary ancestor of the Romans
• Vergil wrote the epic poem during the reign of Augustus, the first Roman emperor, and the work serves as a founding myth for Rome, connecting its origins to the Trojan War
• The Trojan War, which forms the backdrop for the events in Book 2, was a legendary conflict between the city of Troy and a coalition of Greek forces, sparked by the abduction of Helen, wife of Menelaus, by Paris, a Trojan prince
  • The war lasted for ten years and ended with the destruction of Troy, as recounted in Homer's Iliad
• Vergil draws upon various mythological traditions and earlier works, such as the Iliad and Odyssey, to create a complex and layered narrative that interweaves history, myth, and prophecy
• The Aeneid also reflects the political and cultural context of Augustan Rome, promoting values such as pietas (duty), virtus (virtue), and the divine right of Roman rule
• Vergil's epic serves as a propaganda piece, legitimizing Roman power and presenting Augustus as the culmination of a divinely ordained destiny that began with Aeneas' journey from Troy

Plot Summary of Book 2

• Book 2 of the Aeneid opens with Aeneas recounting the fall of Troy to Dido, Queen of Carthage
• The Greeks, after a ten-year siege, pretend to abandon the war, leaving behind a giant wooden horse as an offering to Minerva
• Sinon, a Greek spy, deceives the Trojans into believing that the horse is a sacred object that will protect Troy, convincing them to bring it inside the city walls
• Laocoon, a Trojan priest, warns against accepting the horse, famously saying "I fear the Greeks, even when they bring gifts," but is ignored and later killed by serpents sent by the gods
• At night, Greek warriors hidden inside the horse emerge and open the city gates, allowing their army to enter and sack Troy
• Hector appears to Aeneas in a dream, urging him to flee the city with the Trojan gods and found a new homeland
• Aeneas awakens to find Troy in flames and battles the Greeks in the streets, witnessing the brutal killing of Priam by Neoptolemus
• Aeneas is reminded of his duty to his family and the gods, and he begins to lead his father Anchises, son Ascanius, and wife Creusa out of the city
• During the escape, Creusa is lost in the chaos, and Aeneas returns to search for her, only to encounter her ghost, who prophesies his future journey and destiny
• Aeneas leads the surviving Trojans out of the city, carrying his father on his shoulders and holding his son's hand, setting the stage for their long journey to find a new home

Major Themes and Motifs

• Pietas, or duty and devotion to family, gods, and country, is a central theme in the Aeneid, exemplified by Aeneas' actions in Book 2
  • Aeneas' pietas is demonstrated through his efforts to save his family and the Trojan gods, even in the face of great personal loss and danger
• The tension between fate and free will is explored throughout the epic, as Aeneas struggles to accept his destiny while making difficult choices
  • In Book 2, Aeneas must choose between his desire to defend Troy and his duty to follow the gods' plan for him to found a new city
• The destructive power of hubris and the importance of heeding divine warnings are illustrated through the story of Laocoon and the Trojan horse
• The theme of loss and sacrifice permeates Book 2, as Aeneas and the Trojans experience the destruction of their city and the deaths of loved ones
  • Aeneas' personal losses, including the death of his wife Creusa, underscore the sacrifices he must make to fulfill his destiny
• The motif of the fall of a great city and the founding of a new civilization is central to Book 2, foreshadowing Aeneas' future role in establishing Rome
• The gods' intervention in human affairs and the role of fate in shaping history are recurring themes throughout the Aeneid, evident in Book 2 through omens, prophecies, and divine actions

Literary Devices and Techniques

• Vergil employs a non-linear narrative structure in Book 2, with Aeneas recounting the fall of Troy to Dido, creating a sense of tragic inevitability and dramatic irony
• Vivid and detailed descriptions of the destruction of Troy and the suffering of its inhabitants evoke pathos and emphasize the human cost of war
  • The graphic depiction of Priam's death at the hands of Neoptolemus is a particularly poignant example
• Similes and metaphors are used to heighten the emotional impact of the narrative, such as comparing the fall of Troy to the felling of an ancient ash tree (2.626-631)
• Foreshadowing is employed to hint at Aeneas' future journey and the founding of Rome, such as through Hector's ghostly visit and Creusa's prophecy
• Vergil incorporates intertextual references to earlier works, such as Homer's Iliad and Odyssey, adding depth and resonance to the narrative
  • The story of the Trojan horse and the deception of Sinon, for example, draws upon elements from the Odyssey
• The use of speeches and dialogues, such as Sinon's deceptive speech to the Trojans and Aeneas' encounter with Creusa's ghost, allows for the exploration of character motivations and emotions
• Symbolism is employed throughout Book 2, with the fall of Troy representing the end of an era and the beginning of a new one, and the Trojan gods serving as a symbol of cultural continuity and destiny

Important Quotes and Passages

• "Timeo Danaos et dona ferentes" (2.49) - "I fear the Greeks, even when they bring gifts," Laocoon's famous warning about the Trojan horse, highlighting the theme of deception and the importance of heeding divine warnings
• "Heu, fuge, nate dea, teque his, ait, eripe flammis" (2.289) - "Alas, flee, son of the goddess, and tear yourself away from these flames," Hector's urgent plea to Aeneas in the dream, emphasizing the need for Aeneas to escape Troy and fulfill his destiny
• "Non tibi Tyndaridis facies invisa Lacaenae / culpatusve Paris, divum inclementia, divum, / has evertit opes sternitque a culmine Troiam" (2.601-603) - "It is not the hated beauty of the Laconian woman, daughter of Tyndareus, nor Paris that is to blame, but the gods, the relentless gods, who overturn this wealth and topple Troy from its peak," Aeneas' lament, acknowledging the role of fate and divine intervention in the fall of Troy
• "Iamque vale et nati serva communis amorem" (2.789) - "And now farewell and preserve your love for our son," Creusa's parting words to Aeneas, emphasizing the importance of familial bonds and Aeneas' duty to his son Ascanius
• "Cessi et sublato montem genitore petivi" (2.804) - "I yielded and, lifting my father, sought the mountain," Aeneas' description of his escape from Troy, carrying his father Anchises on his shoulders, symbolizing his pietas and the preservation of Trojan heritage

Cultural and Mythological References

• The Trojan horse, a giant wooden horse left by the Greeks as a supposed offering to Minerva, is a famous mythological device that highlights the themes of deception and hubris
  • The story of the Trojan horse is also recounted in Homer's Odyssey, and Vergil draws upon this earlier work to create a vivid and emotionally resonant narrative
• The gods play a significant role in the events of Book 2, with their actions and interventions shaping the course of the story
  • Neptune, Apollo, and Minerva are mentioned as having aided the Greeks in the destruction of Troy, reflecting the complex relationships between gods and mortals in classical mythology
• The serpents that kill Laocoon and his sons are sent by the gods as a punishment for his warning against the Trojan horse, demonstrating the consequences of defying divine will
• Aeneas' encounter with Creusa's ghost and her prophecy about his future journey and the founding of a new city reflects the importance of omens and prophecies in classical literature
  • This scene also draws upon the mythological trope of the hero receiving guidance and encouragement from a deceased loved one
• The Penates, the household gods of Troy, are entrusted to Aeneas by Hector in the dream, symbolizing the preservation of Trojan culture and the continuity of the Trojan lineage
  • The Penates play a significant role throughout the Aeneid, representing the sacred duty of Aeneas to establish a new home for the Trojan people

Connections to Other Parts of the Aeneid

• Book 2 serves as a crucial turning point in the epic, marking the end of Troy and the beginning of Aeneas' journey to found a new city
  • The events of Book 2 set the stage for the rest of the epic, as Aeneas and the surviving Trojans embark on a quest to find a new homeland
• The themes of pietas, fate, and divine intervention introduced in Book 2 continue to be developed throughout the Aeneid
  • Aeneas' struggle to balance his personal desires with his duty to the gods and his people is a central conflict that drives the narrative
• The fall of Troy and the suffering of its inhabitants foreshadow the future struggles and losses that Aeneas and the Trojans will face on their journey
  • The destruction of Troy also serves as a reminder of the cyclical nature of history and the rise and fall of civilizations, a theme that resonates throughout the epic
• Aeneas' recounting of the fall of Troy to Dido in Book 2 sets up the tragic love story between the two characters, which unfolds in later books
  • The contrast between Aeneas' duty to his mission and his feelings for Dido highlights the tension between personal desires and larger destinies
• The Trojan heritage and the preservation of Trojan culture, symbolized by the Penates and Aeneas' escape from Troy, are central to the founding myth of Rome that the Aeneid seeks to establish
  • The events of Book 2 underscore the importance of Aeneas' role as the legendary ancestor of the Romans and the bearer of Trojan heritage