The Aeneid
Virgil gave Rome its founding myth and created a new kind of hero — not the glory-seeker of Homer, but a man who sacrifices personal happiness for duty.
“I sing of arms and the man, he who, exiled by fate, first came from the coast of Troy to Italy.”
Why It Matters
Virgil gave Rome its founding myth and created a new kind of hero — not the glory-seeker of Homer, but a man who sacrifices personal happiness for duty. The poem's influence on Dante, Milton, and the entire Western epic tradition is direct and enormous. It is the most important Latin poem ever written.
The 
Take
Personal reviewSuch good writing, poetic and adventurous and epic. The description of underworld is unmatched. Virgil uniting the ancient Homeric epics, the mythological founding of Rome, and some history of Rome in 1 book is incredible. Fagles is a great translator.
Notable Quotes
“A joy it will be one day, perhaps, to remember even this.”
“I have lived. I have completed the course that Fortune allotted me.”
“The gates of Hell are open night and day; smooth the descent, and easy is the way. But to return, and view the cheerful skies — in this, the task and mighty labor lies.”