The Aeneid is a Latin epic in twelve books, written in the last years of Virgil's life. It follows Aeneas, a Trojan prince who escapes the ruin of his city and sets out across the Mediterranean to find a new home in Italy. Gods help and hinder him, and he meets love, loss and war along the way.
The first half echoes the Odyssey with its wanderings, and the second echoes the Iliad with its battles. The poem explores duty, fate, suffering and the price of founding an empire. It also celebrated Rome and the age of Augustus, while leaving room for doubt and sorrow.
Quotes
Arms, and the man I sing, who, forc'd by fate, And haughty Juno's unrelenting hate, Expell'd and exil'd, left the Trojan shore.