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Aeneid
Virgil
The Roman national epic following Trojan hero Aeneas from the fall of Troy to the founding of Rome. Primary source for Roman mythology and religious practice.
Notable Academic Translations
John Dryden (1697)Robert Fitzgerald (1983)Robert Fagles (2006)Sarah Ruden (2021)
Recommended Reading Order
Robert Fagles's 2006 translation is a vivid, widely read starting point; Sarah Ruden's 2021 translation is a tighter, line-for-line modern alternative.
Canonical Figures in this Text
Key heroes and divinities who feature prominently across the chapters of this work
Heroes & Mortals
Deities & Immortals
Key Dramatic Scenes
Pivotal passages and mythological turning points recorded in this canon
- I
The Fall of Troy
(Book 2)Aeneas recounts the Greeks' wooden horse and Troy's destruction, escaping with his father and son.
- II
Dido and Aeneas
(Book 4)Aeneas's affair with Queen Dido of Carthage ends when he abandons her to continue his divinely ordained journey.
- III
The Descent to the Underworld
(Book 6)Aeneas visits his dead father Anchises and glimpses the future glory of Rome.
- IV
The War in Latium
(Books 7-12)Aeneas fights Turnus and the Latin peoples for the right to settle in Italy.
- V
The Death of Turnus
(Book 12)Aeneas kills Turnus in single combat, ending the epic.
Source Passages and Editorial Notes
Direct quotations are distinguished from editorial paraphrases and records awaiting verification.
Ref: 1.1-4Latin
Direct quotation“Arma virumque cano, Troiae qui primus ab oris Italiam, fato profugus, Laviniaque venit litora, multum ille et terris iactatus et alto vi superum saevae memorem Iunonis ob iram.”
Arms and the man I sing, who first from the coasts of Troy, an exile by fate, came to Italy and Lavinian shores; much was he tossed on land and on the deep by violence of the gods, for cruel Juno's unforgetting wrath.
Translator: H. Rushton FaircloughH. Rushton Fairclough, 1916
Featured in The Aeneid - Journey to Rome →Ref: 6.851-853
Editorial paraphraseRemember thou, O Roman, to rule the nations with thy sway—these shall be thine arts: to crown peace with justice, to spare the vanquished, and to crush the proud in war.
Translator: Adapted translation; exact edition not verifiedEditorial adaptation; no single translation verified
Featured in The Aeneid - Journey to Rome →Stories Sourced from this Work
The Aeneid - Journey to Rome
The epic tale of Aeneas, Trojan hero and son of Venus, who escapes the fall of Troy and journeys to Italy to found the Roman race. Guided by fate and divine will, he overcomes trials, wars, and personal loss.
The Trojan War
The epic decade-long conflict between Greece and Troy, sparked by Paris's abduction of Helen, featuring the wrath of Achilles, the cunning of Odysseus, and the fall of the greatest city in the world.
Dido and Aeneas
The Trojan prince Aeneas, fleeing the destruction of his city, finds refuge with Queen Dido of Carthage. They fall deeply in love, but fate demands Aeneas continue his mission to found Rome, leading to Dido's tragic death.