Lecture Notes: Aeneid, Book Two

Introduction

• Aeneas recounts the fall of Troy to Queen Dido.
• Expresses sorrow and reluctance to remember the tragedy.

The Greek Deception

• Greeks, pretending to sail away, leave a wooden horse as a gift to Troy.
• The horse is filled with Greek soldiers.
• Trojans debate whether to accept the gift.

Warning Ignored

• Laocoon warns Trojans against accepting the horse.
• He strikes the horse with a spear, revealing its hollowness.
• Trojans ignore his warning after Sinon, a Greek captive, tells a deceitful story convincing them otherwise.

Sinon's Deception

• Sinon claims to be wronged by Greeks, gains Trojan sympathy.
• Invents a story about the horse being an offering to Athena.
• Trojans believe him and bring the horse into the city.

Laocoon's Fate

• Two sea serpents kill Laocoon and his sons.
• Trojans interpret this as a sign to trust the horse.

Fall of Troy

• Greek soldiers emerge from the horse at night, opening gates for Greek army.
• Troy is attacked, chaos ensues.

Aeneas' Vision

• Aeneas dreams of Hector, who warns him to flee.
• Hector instructs Aeneas to take Troy's sacred relics and found a new city.

The Escape

• Aeneas rallies the defenders but the city falls.
• Priam is killed by Pyrrhus in a brutal scene.

Aeneas’ Family

• Aeneas tries to save his family.
• Anchises initially refuses to leave; eventually agrees after divine signs.
• Creusa, Aeneas’s wife, is lost during the escape.

Aeneas’ Destiny

• Creusa’s spirit appears to Aeneas, telling him of his destiny in Italy.
• She reassures him before vanishing.

Conclusion

• Aeneas escapes with his father Anchises, son Iolus, and other refugees.
• They head for the mountains as Troy burns.

Key Themes

• Deception and betrayal (Sinon’s lie, the horse).
• Fate and divine intervention.
• Heroism and loss.
• The birth of a new hope from destruction.