The Aeneid

Aeneas is the son of a mortal man, Anchises, and the goddess Aphrodite. One day Aeneas has a dream in which he is told that his destiny is to sail to the Western Country of Italy. During the travel he and his crew encounter Harpies and when they are unable to defeat them they are left no other option except to try and escape. After a successful escape Aeneas and his crew meet his cousin Hector’s widow, Andromache, who has been captured by Achilles’ son during the war. After Achilles’ son dies Andromache escapes enslavement and marries Helenus, the Trojan prophet. Helenus informs Aeneas that when he arrives in Italy to make sure he lands on the west coast. She then gives him directions of how to do this and how to avoid the Scylla and Charybdis …show more content…
Juno summons Aeolus, King of Winds, for assistants to help take down Aeneas. Aeolus sends a giant storm to hit the path of Aeneas’s ship. Neptune intervenes and the Trojans are saved by being blown off their course to Carthage in Africa. Seeing as her first plan to stop Aeneas didn’t work Juno again comes up with a plot to take Aeneas down. Juno plans to have Aeneas fall in love with the queen of Carthage, Dido, in the hopes that because he would be in love he would never leave. Venus however, comes up with her own plan. Venus sends Cupid to make sure that Dido falls madly in love with Aeneas but that Aeneas does not return the feelings. Dido pours all of her attention onto Aeneas and his crew and Aeneas enjoys all of the gifts and remains in Carthage where he continues to be spoiled. Acting on behalf of Venus, Jupiter sends Mercury to urge Aeneas to fulfill his destiny. Mercury appears to Aeneas and encourages him to leave Carthage and achieve what he has set out to do. Sadly he leaves and Dido is crushed. Dido in grevieing over Aeneas departure takes her own …show more content…
When they find Sibyl Aeneas is told that she must take him to the underworld to meet his father. Aeneas and his trusted friend Achates must first find a golden bough in order to gain enterance into the underworld. After Venus leads them to the golden bough he and Sibyl enter the underworld. In the underworld the two pass by many horrifying things, including the ghost of Dido herself. The ferryman Charon sees that Aeneas carries the golden bough and takes them across the river. In order to reduce the rage of Cerberus, the three-headed dog, Aeneas feeds him cake. Finally the two find Anchises, his father. Anchises tells Aeneas about the souls that will one day rise to become his future descendants and will help him build his home. His father also provides the information about where and how Aeneas should set up his home in