The structure of the book is interesting.

The first half shows the final part of Aeneas' personal Odyssey and that of the Trojan exiles, while the second is a sort of Iliad about Aeneas' arrival in Latium.

The part about Dido is very beautiful, but here I am partial as I adored it even in high school when I memorized Dido's curse. Some parts, however, are rather slow and boring.

But precisely from these slow and boring parts, with the descriptions of countless Teucrian or Latin characters and their ancestors or, more rarely, descendants, one can well understand the meaning. Indeed, since the Aeneid was the work that had to both legitimate the power of Octavian Augustus and strengthen the Roman people by giving them a unity born from epic and a divine past, a presage of the coming glory, it is clear the intention to make as many gens as possible directly descend from ancient Greek and Italian heroes, more or less semi-divine.

However, there is a huge problem.

The work was incomplete at Virgil's death, and it shows.

One can hope that before publishing it, the author would have fixed some minor details, like the character of Aeneas. Which is okay, he is on a mission for the gods with the task of arriving in Latium and creating a city from which the glorious and extremely powerful Roman Empire will descend.

But he turns out to be of a unique and embarrassing flatness, especially when compared with the Homeric heroes.

Achilles, moved by the fateful anger for the wrong suffered and then for the death of Patroclus, Aeneas in the desperate defense of Troy, Ulysses with his story and his (more or less) desire to return home.

And Aeneas?

Aeneas is abundant in pietas and submits to the will of the gods.

So he gathers the people, the family, and the penates and sets off with the ships for the West. Because the gods have told him so. The same gods who, after deciding that Troy had to die, also made him kill his wife since it was necessary for him to arrive celibate in Italy, otherwise how do you get to bond with the indigenous populations?

Juno keeps him off course for years, but every time he sets off again because the gods tell him to.

He arrives in Carthage, he is practically given the city, the throne, and Dido's heart on a silver platter and he likes it there. But Venus lets him know that it's not the case, he has to continue. And he abandons everything and goes, leaving Dido to despair and sowing the seeds of the future wars between the two nations. Clearly, he doesn't shed a tear, he doesn't get angry: the gods want it, so he executes.

He arrives in Italy: again, his actions are always the execution of divine orders.

He is an automaton.

He shows no remorse, no regrets, no pain. Only when it comes to the old father does he become a real person, for the rest he is two-dimensional, a marionette moved by the divinities.

This sensation is sharpened by the fact that the final battle (which, since nominally Aeneas is a leading Trojan hero, should not have been in doubt) is decided by divine maneuvers. Like weakening and stunning the enemy.

I cannot say that I appreciated this book very much. After all, it is a gigantic marketing operation (perhaps one of the first?) and it teaches us that if an author judges a text still to be polished and perfected, probably that author may be right.

Don't be misled by inexpensive imitations.

This is the genuine Virgil and his eloquent description of the events that took place subsequent to the fall of Troy. (Beware of Greeks bearing gifts.)

Read this piece of work and uncover the reason why Virgil was the poet laureate of Italy, only to be supplanted by Dante. Also, read it to find out why Beatrice requested Virgil to lead her Beloved through the perilous Inferno.

Virgil's work is a masterpiece that offers profound insights into the human condition and the consequences of war. His vivid language and detailed descriptions bring the events to life, making it a captivating read for anyone interested in history, literature, or mythology.

By reading Virgil, we can gain a better understanding of the cultural and literary context of his time, as well as the enduring power of his words.

So, don't miss out on the opportunity to experience the genius of Virgil and discover the many wonders that his work has to offer.