Latin Aeneid Outline Book III Page 1

Transcription

1 Latin Aeneid Outline Book III Page Gathered at Mt. Ida, the Trojans sail in a new fleet at direction of Anchises. 1-8 With Troy destroyed by the gods, exile in a deserted land is decreed by auguries; so a fleet is built, men are gathered for an uncertain future As summer starts, at Anchises order, I set sail from the area of Troy with my men, my son, the great gods, and the Penates of Troy The first attempt to settle in Thrace; the unhappy story of Polydorus On the coast of Thrace, in a land where King Lycurgus had been a friend of Troy, I build my first city, calling it Aeneadae after myself Sacrificing to Venus, I pull cornel and myrtle bushes from a nearby mound; blood emerges in drops, staining the ground and chilling my spirit A second attempt produces the same dreadful result: blood After I pray to the Nymphs and Mars, the god of Thrace, a third pull at the bushes elicits a sad groan from within the mound Don t violate my tomb, but flee this greedy land. I am Trojan Polydorus Stunned with fear, I recall the story of Polydorus: Priam, worried about the siege of Troy, sent the boy to be reared in Thrace by the king, who, when Troy fell to Agamemnon, broke his treaty, killed Polydorus, and seized the gold Apostrophe by Aeneas the narrator, lamenting the passion for gold that drives men I bring the omen to my people and Anchises, who unanimously agree to leave this polluted land at once I perform the proper funeral rites for Polydorus, putting his spirit to rest The Trojans head to Delos for a consultation with the oracle As soon as possible the Trojans leave Thrace behind them The holy island of Delos, sacred to the gods, especially Apollo, who has anchored the oncefloating island that offered his mother a birth-place for her children by Jupiter Greeted and welcomed by King/Priest Anius, who recognizes Anchises as a friend, I begin praying at once at the temple: Grant a secure and lasting home to the Trojans who have survived the Greeks. Where should we go? Give us a sign At once the entire area is shaken and a voice comes to their ears: Seek your original land, which will receive you back with riches; seek your ancient mother. There the house of Aeneas and its descendants will rule over all the shores As all wonder what walls Apollo means, Anchises provides his interpretation: Crete, island of a hundred cities, was home of Teucer, who came to Rhoetean shores, before Troy and its citadel stood. Crete was also home of Cybele, the Magna Mater Let us follow the god s advice and with Jupiter s help we will soon be there Anchises sacrifices a bull each to Neptune and Apollo, and sheep to the winter and to the West Wind The second attempt to settle in Crete: a new Pergamum, plague, and a new direction indicated by the Penates, confirmed by Anchises The rumor that Idomeneus, a major Greek leader at Troy, has abandoned Crete encourages the Trojans as they sail through the Cyclades Islands to the shore of Crete, saying: We seek Crete and our ancestors A new city is walled, called Pergamum, and the Trojans busy themselves with the work of a new civilization A plague strikes men and crops, followed by a scorching drought Anchises advises another consultation at Delos with the oracle The Trojan Penates appear to me as I sleep We, who have followed you and will give power to your race and city, will tell you what Apollo would tell you at Delos. Don t give up Apollo did not mean Crete, but Hesperia, now called Italy after its ruler. Dardanus, founder of our race, came from there. Jupiter denies you Crete Awakened from sleep, awe-struck, I offer pure gifts at the hearth/altar Informed of the dream, Anchises realizes that he has misread the omen because of Troy s double ancestry.

2 Latin Aeneid Outline Book III Page Cassandra used to speak of Hesperia, but no one listened to her. Let s follow Apollo and do as we are told All agree and set sail at once, leaving everything they had built The three-day storm and the island of the Harpies Once out of sight of land, a storm blocks out night and day for all, including the chief helmsman Palinurus; we wander for three days in a mist until on the fourth smoke and mountains are seen, and happily the men row for land This is one of the Strophades Islands, set in the Ionian Sea, where the Harpies, led by Celaeno, dwell; they are foul birds, with virgins faces, always hungry The Trojans land, killing the cattle and goats they find. After sacrificing to the gods, they recline for a rich feast on the shore The Harpies attack with their wings and follow everything they touch In a protected shelter the feast is again attacked and polluted by the Harpies I declare war on the Harpies and the men hide their weapons amid the grass before the next attack At the trumpeter Misenus signal, a battle begins, from which the Harpies depart unwounded and with the food fouled Celaeno stood on a high rock to proclaim: Do you children of Laomedon treat the guiltless Harpies thus, killing our cattle and driving us from our land. I have a prophecy from Jupiter to Apollo to me for you You will reach Italy but, before you can build your city, a dreadful hunger will force you to eat your tables As she departs, my companions panicked and asked me to make peace with these creatures, until Anchises prayed with a loud voice: O gods, turn away such threats and misfortune; protect this pious race We sail away, past various Greek islands, including Ithaca, home of savage Ulysses, until we reach the region of the promontory of Leucata and go ashore at a small city (Actium) The Games at Actium and the establishment of the shield monument The Trojans, delighted to have sailed past so many Greeks, celebrate with traditional games and sacrifices I set up a shield as a memorial of the events, with this inscription: Aeneas gives these weapons from the victorious Greeks We set sail and approach Buthrotum The stay at Buthrotum Here a rumor, that Helenus, son of Priam, rules over the Greek city of Pyrrhus and has taken Andromache, Hector s wife, as his wife, fires me up to find out the truth in person As I approach from the harbor, Andromache comes out to the empty tomb of Hector to perform her yearly mourning. When she recognizes me in my Trojan armor, she faints, finally recovering to ask: Is it really you Aeneas? Or if I have died, where is Hector? As she weeps, I respond briefly, upset: I live indeed, through all my difficulties. But what has happened to Andromache, wife of Hector? Do you preserve the marriage of Pyrrhus? Sad and with a low voice she replies: Priam s daughter, sacrificed at Achilles tomb, was lucky to escape a master s bed in slavery I endured Pyrrhus bed and bore his child, until he sought Menelaus daughter by Helen. I was passed on as a slave to his slave Helenus. When Neoptolemus was killed by Orestes, angered over his stolen bride, Helenus inherited part of this land and has called the area Chaonia, building a Trojan citadel of Pergamum What has driven you here? Does Ascanius miss his mother? Do Hector and you serve as models of courage and manliness for him? As she weeps, Helenus approaches and recognizes us, and leads us within his city We enter, recognizing a little Troy, carefully crafted after the original in every way. We sit down to a rich feast as King Helenus prays and offers libations Time passes quickly, and the sails are filled with the inviting winds; I approach the prophet-king and ask: O most learned prophet of Apollo, since the gods have told me to seek

3 Latin Aeneid Outline Book III Page 3 Italy and only Celaeno has predicted any harm, tell me what dangers to avoid or how I can best achieve such great labors After performing proper sacrifices to you, Apollo, Helenus leads me to your doorway where, inspired by your divine power, he predicts: I can only tell you a few things to make your trip to Italy safer, even though your mission is sanctioned by Jupiter; the Fates and Juno forbid me to know or speak more Italy is not close, and first you must sail around Sicily, the lake of the Underworld, and Aeaea, Circe s island, before you reach your city s site When you find under an oak a white pig with thirty white piglets around her, then you will have found your site Don t worry about eating the tables; the fates will find a way, and Apollo will also be there when called Avoid the Italy that lies across the Adriatic; Greeks have settled everywhere When you land, veil your hair with a purple mantle, so that no enemy s face can stop the ceremony. Pass this practice on to all future generations Avoid Scylla and Charybdis (the straits of Messina); sail around Sicily, even if it is a long route If I know anything of prophecy and if Apollo inspires me, the most important thing is to always win Juno over with prayers and gifts When you reach Cumae and Avernus, you will find an inspired priestess, who writes her words on leaves that blow apart as soon as the door is opened; she does not put them back in order, and so men hate the Sibyl Here, no matter what, make sure that she sings her prophecies in your presence, telling you of the peoples and wars that will come in Italy, and what you should do This is all I am allowed to tell you; your role is to carry Troy to the heavens by your deeds After he finishes, Helenus presents me with lavish gifts; then he presents Anchises with gifts, and also supplies horses and guides, and even refurbishes my ships and crew. As Anchises orders us to fit the fleet with sails, Helenus says: O honored Anchises, twice saved from Troy; here is Ausonian Italy, but glide past this shore and go the long path of Apollo. But why do I waste time? A sad Andromache presents Ascanius with a Phrygian scarf and other gifts, saying: Take these gifts as reminders of Hector s Andromache. Oh, how much you look like my son Astyanax in every way I replied in tears: Live happy in your restored Troy, free from the Greeks and with good omens. If I ever found my city, the Trojans of Italy and of Epirus will make new the spirit of Troy The Trojans proceed, reaching Arx Minervae (Castrum Minervae) and seeing an omen of four white horses We sail past the Ceraunian mountains, then put ashore for some much-needed sleep. But before midnight Palinurus wakes us because the winds and stars are most favorable At dawn, Italy is spotted as Achates raises the cry and Anchises makes a libation to the gods, praying: O gods of land and sea, help us on our journey As we enter the harbor of Arx Minervae, I see four white horses grazing over the plain Anchises interprets: These horses are signs for both war and peace Veiled as Helenus instructed, we sacrifice to Minerva and to Juno The Trojans sail past Tarentum and with Etna in sight row hard past Scylla and Charybdis; they spend a sleepless night on the shore near the erupting volcano We leave Greek lands and sail across the Gulf of Tarentum towards Mt. Etna As we hear the noisy sea and the pounded rocks, Anchises cries out: This is the Charybdis Helenus warned about; row for our lives With the rowers efforts and Palinurus expert guidance, we make it safely to the shores of the Cyclops (Sicily) Nearby Etna erupts through the night, terrifying us as we hide in the forests, unable to see or understand what was happening. The giant Enceladus, blasted by the thunderbolt, lies beneath Etna, which trembles whenever he turns his body.

4 Latin Aeneid Outline Book III Page The Trojans find Achaemenides, an abandoned member of Ulysses crew, hear his story, and encounter the Cyclops The next morning a dirty figure appears on the shore, a Greek from the Trojan War, who rushes up to us, despite our Trojan weapons, and begs: Take me with you, even though I am a Greek. Or kill me horribly if necessary; it is better to die at the hands of men We urge the suppliant to tell us who he is and what his story is; Anchises gives his hand and cheers the man by this gesture. With fear put aside, he begins: I am Achaemenides, whose poor father sent him as a companion of unlucky Ulysses to the Trojan War My panicked companions deserted me in the Cyclops cave. The cave is monstrous and bloody and he is an unfriendly giant and a devourer of men. I saw him kill and eat two of our men in his cave But Ulysses took vengeance, boring through his one giant eye with a heated stake Flee at once, for a hundred other Cyclopes roam these hills. For three months I have lived on berries, nuts and roots, hiding in the woods in fear for my life. You are the first fleet I have seen and I place myself freely in your power. It is better to escape this tribe and die at your hands As he finishes the blind Polyphemus makes his way to shore to rinse his bleeding wound amid much gnashing of teeth When he sensed our presence as we fled with Achaemenides, he pursued us. Unable to reach us, he raised a cry, summoning the other Cyclopes, who appear like lofty trees on the ridges surrounding the harbor We escaped past Scylla, sailing along the coast of Sicily to Drepanum, where Anchises died unexpectedly; a storm then drove me here to Carthage As we sail past Scylla, Achaemenides points out the places he knew from his trip with Ulysses. We sail on past many places in Sicily, worshipping the great divine powers of the land, especially at Arethusa At Drepanum, Anchises died without warning, which no one had predicted or cursed him with. This was the hardest part of my journey. 715 A god then drove me as I left Drepanum to your shore Aeneas ends the story of the gods fates and his wanderings, with all attentively listening.

5 Latin Aeneid Outline Book IV Page Dido, in Love, Talks with Anna. 1-5 Dido is in love, wounded and on fire. 6-8 At dawn she addresses her sympathetic sister DIDO: What a man! What a life he s had! Although resolved on celibacy after Sychaeus death, this man could change my mind But may I die if I break my vow to Sychaeus. She weeps ANNA: Why not love Aeneas? The dead don t care You ve rejected all your suitors. Look around the country - you re in danger The gods have brought him here to make Carthage great Just keep him here until the winter and bad sailing weather sets in Dido gives in to love and releases her sense of shame Dido and Anna sacrifice at the altars to Ceres, Apollo, Bacchus, and Juno Dido is consumed by passions SIMILE of Dido to a deer wounded by an unsuspecting shepherd Dido hangs on Aeneas every word Dido, thinking only of Aeneas, neglects her city and royal responsibilities Juno and Venus Plan the Marriage of Aeneas and Dido Juno sees what s going on and addresses Venus JUNO: It s really fair when two gods gang up on one woman What s the point of more fighting when you ve got Dido so in love already? Let s share the power: Dido will be a slave (wife) to Aeneas Venus sees Juno s hidden plans and prepares a reply: VENUS: I m willing - who would want to fight with you? But I'm not sure if Jupiter will approve this marriage and treaty You re his wife; so you find out and get his approval JUNO: I ll take care of that. Now listen to my plan Dido and Aeneas go out to hunt at dawn I will send a great storm, everyone scatters and the lovers wind up in a cave I ll be there and with your approval I will join them in marriage Venus knowingly smiles her agreement The Marriage in the Storm At dawn everyone is getting ready, especially Dido Aeneas enters. SIMILE of Aeneas compared to Apollo in terms of beauty The hunt proceeds, with Ascanius eagerly in the thick of it The storm arrives, Dido and Aeneas flee to a cave, and the marriage occurs This day begins Dido s downfall, when she considers this a real marriage Rumor Spreads the Story, Even to Iarbas, a Rejected Suitor Rumor has speed, strength and size Earth, angered at the gods, spawned this creature Rumor has an unusual appearance: eyes, mouths, and ears in abundance Rumor works night and day to spread truth or lies Rumor sings the story of Dido and Aeneas affair Rumor tells Iarbas the story and enrages him A pious, respected son of Jupiter, Iarbas goes to the altar of his divine father IARBAS: Have we prayed to you, a false god with no power? We let Dido in here in this country, but now she has chosen this half-man instead of me, who is worshipping a god with no real power Jupiter Notices What Has Happened and Intervenes Through Mercury Jupiter notices the forgetful lovers after Iarbas prayer and calls Mercury JUPITER: Carry my commands down to Aeneas His mother promised he would rule Italy and start a noble race Let him at least think of Ascanius and leave at once Mercury dons his wings and flies down to Aeneas by way of the Atlas Mountains Mercury lands to find Aeneas building Carthage and dressed in Dido s gifts MERCURY: "Why are you building here? Jupiter sent me to tell you to leave. Why waste time here? If not for yourself, at least do what you should for your son Ascanius Mercury finishes and vanishes into the thin air Aeneas and Dido Quarrel About His Departure.

6 Latin Aeneid Outline Book IV Page Aeneas ponders his situation, then orders his men to get ready to sail Dido finds out. SIMILE of Dido to a frenzied Bacchant DIDO: "Did you hope to sneak away? Do I mean so little to you? Would you sail in this weather if Troy still stood? Please, I beg you, change your mind Because of you I m hated by my neighbors and by my own people If only I had your baby, I wouldn t be so unhappy AENEAS: I don t regret loving you and will always remember you In my defense, I made no promises of marriage If I could, I would be back rebuilding Troy I leave for Italy only because the gods say I must Why begrudge the Trojans a foreign home when you have one in Carthage? My father Anchises in a dream has warned me to leave Now the gods themselves have personally warned me to leave Stop complaining. I seek Italy not willingly Dido rolls her eyes in anger DIDO: He s not born of humans? Is he bothered by anything I could do? Don t the gods see? I m the one who saved him when he was in trouble? Now he claims that the gods are making him leave. Sure! Go to Italy, but take my curses with you Dido collapses and is carried back to her bedroom Aeneas returns to his eager and busy men SIMILE of busy crew compared to busy ants Dido Tries Every Means to Keep Aeneas in Carthage Oh Dido, what thoughts you must have had as you saw Aeneas departing! Oh Love, what won t you force lovesick people like Dido to do! DIDO: "Anna, Aeneas is leaving, and you must ask him one favor for me, because you alone are accepted by him Why is he leaving me when I m not a Greek who sacked his city? One final request: stay until I can deal with my grief. I ll return the favor at my death Anna pleads with Aeneas but he will not listen to her words SIMILE of Aeneas to a tree with deep roots buffeted by winds Dido resolves to die because to live is painful That night Dido experiences numerous bad omens: While she sacrifices, the water turns black, wine becomes blood Voices are heard from Sychaeus shrine, an owl hoots mournfully, and old prophecies seem to be coming true, to her horror In her dreams Aeneas hunts her down or she wanders alone in a desert SIMILE of the mad Dido to the crazed Pentheus and the maddened Orestes, both figures from Greek tragedy Dido Builds a Pyre, Makes Sacrifices, and Laments Her Fate Dido, her plan resolved and her face composed, approaches Anna for help DIDO: I ve found a powerful priestess to help me resolve this problem I do this magic reluctantly. You must help by building a pyre to burn everything associated with Aeneas Anna, suspecting nothing, agrees to help As the pyre is built, the priestess and Dido perform the magic rites, invoking Erebus, Chaos, and Hecate In the peaceful night all creatures settle down to rest Dido tosses and turns on a sea of troubles DIDO (to herself): Should I go back to my rejected suitors? Should I follow the Trojan ships because the men will take pity on me? Should I make my people go over the sea again? Die as you deserve. Oh Anna, you put me in the middle of this mess. I didn t keep my promise to Sychaeus ashes. She breaks into lamentation When Mercury Reappears in a Dream, Aeneas and His Men Depart As Aeneas sleeps on boat, Mercury appears in his dream.

7 Latin Aeneid Outline Book IV Page MERCURY: Flee while you can! It s dangerous to stay because you can t trust a woman to be rational Aeneas wakes and springs into action AENEAS: Board the ships at once. The god orders us to leave. Help us, oh god The men immediately launch the ships in a frenzy of action Dido s Grand Soliloquy: Regrets and Curses Dido awakens, finds the Trojans have left, and breaks into a lament DIDO: Will he leave unpunished after mocking us? My people, get your ships and pursue him now! What am I saying? I should have killed him and his son while I had the chance Oh Sun, Juno, Hecate, avenging Furies, and gods of dying me, hear me now If Aeneas must reach Italy, fine. But let him be troubled by a war, be an exile, be separated from Iulus, see his people die, and not live to enjoy his unfair peace Let there be no peace between my people and the Romans May some avenger arise to keep this hatred alive in continuous warfare Dismissing Barce, Dido Climbs Pyre, Laments, and Stabs Herself Dido resolves to die as quickly as possible DIDO (to Barce): Go fetch my sister to help in these magic rites In a crazed state Dido climbs the pyre, draws Aeneas sword, and surveys the things that remind her of Aeneas DIDO: May I be free from all these sorrows I have accomplished much in my life: a city built, a husband avenged If only the Trojans had never come here in their ships! We must die now, unavenged Let Aeneas carry away the omens of my death As Dido collapses on the sword, a great cry echoes through the city SIMILE of the noise to that of an enemy destroying a great city Anna Arrives Too Late as Dido Dies, Finally Released to Death by Iris A breathless Anna arrives to find her sister dying ANNA: You tricked me, you ve abandoned me. I should have been able to die with you after I built this funeral pyre You ve destroyed yourself, me, your people and your city Let me wash your wounds and catch your dying last breath Anna embraces Dido who struggles to die and groans because she can t Juno sends Iris down to release Dido from her struggle to die before her time Iris lands on earth and stands at Dido s head IRIS: I cut a lock of your hair and enable you to die Dido dies as Iris cuts the hair and disappears.