Ovid's Metamorphoses: a free audiobook site that The Argonautica: a free audiobook site that includes a The Aeneid: a free audiobook site that includes a proseĭiscussion led by Melvin Bragg. So, while Homer was ignored in the European Middle Ages, Virgil continued to be read and loved. Oddly, the gods in the Aeneid were not much of a problem for Christian readers, perhaps because Jupiter was represented as wise and good. Virgil was pre-Christian (he died in 19 BCE), but the values presented in the Aeneid were compatible with Christian values, emphasizing the virtues of piety, suffering, leadership, and obedience to the gods. Achilles got an especially bad rap in the Aeneid-he was represented as Turnus, the raging Latin warrior who caused great destruction and had to be killed before there could be peace in Italy. The Trojans were noble and long-suffering, the Greeks devious and dangerous. The Aeneid transformed the Trojan losers into winners and the Greek winners into losers. The last six books of the Aeneid adapt many elements of the Iliad to tell of the wars in Italy between the newly arrived Trojan refugees and the already resident Latin people. The first six books of the Aeneid adapt many elements of the Odyssey to tell of the wanderings of the Trojan refugees. Virgil drew heavily on Homer to tell his story. Virgil drew on ancient legends that told how refugees from fallen Troy had migrated to Italy, where they became the ancestors of the Roman people.

Note: Our study guides are made to be used with the David West translation of the Aeneid.In the first century BCE, Virgil wrote the Aeneid, his epic of the founding of Rome.

Pierce’s compelling lectures will give your students a better understanding of the background and culture of the time period, as well as the themes inherent in this great epic.Īfter reading Homer and Virgil, your students will have completed their first big step on the road to being classically educated! This is a great preparation for Latin AP Virgil as well. And now your students can get the background they need to understand the Aeneid with a lifetime membership to our online instructional videos, featuring Elizabeth Pierce, one of Highlands Latin School’s master teachers. The Teacher Manual provides answers to the Comprehension and Discussion Questions, Chapter Summaries, Drill Exercises, and Quizzes and Tests.

The Student Guide includes Places & Characters to Know, Comprehension Questions, important Quotations, and Discussion Questions. Let us help you successfully read Virgil as you continue your quest to master the classics.

The aeneid online