The Aeneid (1-102)

The Aeneid is the epic that Virgil wrote, based in the beginning shortly after the fall of Troy, where a trojan warrior, Aeneas, escapes the burning city with his son Ascanius, later called Iolus, and his father Anchises. In this passage, he is in the middle of telling his story of his escape from Troy to queen Dido, whose shore he is cast upon after his ships were wrecked by a storm. He is telling particularly about the death of Priam, the last king of Troy.

Perhaps you wonder how Priam met his end

when he saw his city stormed and seized, his gates

wrenched apart, the enemy camped in his palace depths,

the old man dons his armor long unsused, he clamps it

round his shoulders shaking with age and, all for nothing,

straps his useless sword to his hip, then makes

for the thick of battle, out to meet his death.

I find this particular passage interesting, partially because of Fagles' word choice in the translation, and also because of how in 7 lines, Virgil describes the direness of the situation for the Trojans. An old king who is far too weak to be fighting, is forced to put on his armor and run into battle, only to be killed shortly thereafter. I am very excited to read the rest of this book, because it is a very interesting story, parts of which i am familiar with and parts i am not. I have also noticed alot of similarities with the Odyssey by Homer, a greek poet whom Virgil admired.

Virgil. The Aeneid (Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition) (Penguin Classics Deluxe Editio). New York: Penguin Classics, 2008. Print.