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The Aeneid

by Virgil (-70–-19)

  • Free to read
  • 7 hours to read
  • 12 chapters
  • Reading level: 6th grade

"The Aeneid" by Virgil is a Latin epic poem written between 29 and 19 BC. It follows Aeneas, a Trojan hero who flees the fall of Troy and journeys to Italy, where he becomes the ancestor of the Romans. The first half chronicles his perilous wanderings across the Mediterranean, while the second depicts a brutal war against the Latins. Virgil transforms ancient legends into Rome's founding myth, connecting the empire to Troy's glory and legitimizing Roman power through divine ancestry and traditional virtues.

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  • Aeneas (Legendary character)
  • Legends · Rome
  • Epic poetry, Latin · Translations into English

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Book I

THE ARGUMENT.

The Trojans, after a seven years’ voyage, set sail for Italy, but
are overtaken by a dreadful storm, which Aeolus raises at the
request of Juno. The tempest sinks one, and scatters the rest.
Neptune drives off the winds, and calms the sea. Aeneas, with his
own ship and six more, arrives safe at an African port. Venus
complains to Jupiter of her son’s misfortunes. Jupiter comforts
her, and sends Mercury to procure him a kind reception among the
Carthaginians. Aeneas, going out to discover the country, meets
his mother in the shape of a huntress, who conveys him in a cloud
to Carthage, where he sees his friends whom he thought lost, and
receives a kind entertainment from the queen. Dido, by device of
Venus, begins to have a passion for him, and, after some
discourse with him, desires the history of his adventures since
the siege of Troy, which is the subject of the two following
books.

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Contents

  1. Book I
  2. Book II
  3. Book III
  4. Book IV
  5. Book V
  6. Book VI
  7. Book VII
  8. Book VIII
  9. Book IX
  10. Book X
  11. Book XI
  12. Book XII

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About this edition

This free edition of The Aeneid by Virgil comes from Project Gutenberg eBook #228, released 1995-03-01. It is in the public domain in the United States, so you can read it here in full at no cost, on any phone, tablet or computer. Genre: Poetry, Mythology, Legends & Folklore, Classics of Literature.

Summary provided by Project Gutenberg (automatically generated).

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