The Aeneid

W. F. Jackson Knight’s prose translation captures the vitality and music of the original, while his introduction discusses Virgil’s life and literary career, and his poetic style and vision.

Aeneas the True - son of Venus and of a mortal father - escapes from Troy after it is sacked by the conquering Greeks. He undergoes many trials and adventures on a long sea journey, from a doomed love affair in Carthage with the tragic Queen Dido to a sojourn in the underworld. All the way, the hero is tormented by the meddling of the vengeful Juno, Queen of the Gods and a bitter enemy of Troy, but his mother and other gods protect Aeneas from despair and remind him of his ultimate destiny - to found the great city of Rome. Reflecting the Roman peoples’ great interest in the ‘myth’ of their origins, Virgil (70-19 BC) made the story of Aeneas glow with a new light in his majestic epic.