Skip to the content
The Library
of Alexandria
Sign inTry 3 months free3 months free

The Aeneid, Book 1 summary

Book 1 of 12 · 36 min to read the book

In Book 1, Juno attacks the Trojans with a storm, but Neptune saves their ships and Aeneas reaches Libya, where Dido welcomes the survivors to Carthage. Jupiter confirms their destined future, while Venus uses Cupid to make Dido love Aeneas, who receives her request to recount his troubles.

What happens

  1. Juno persuades Aeolus to release the winds against the Trojans; Neptune stops the storm, and seven ships reach a sheltered harbor.
  2. Aeneas feeds and encourages his companions while hiding his grief; Venus asks Jupiter to explain their suffering.
  3. Jupiter confirms the Trojan destiny and sends Mercury to secure a welcome; Venus meets Aeneas and explains Dido’s escape from Tyre.
  4. Hidden by Venus’s cloud, Aeneas enters Carthage, studies pictures of Troy’s war, and watches Dido welcome his missing companions.
  5. Aeneas appears, thanks Dido, and joins her feast; Venus hides Ascanius and sends Cupid disguised as the boy.
  6. Cupid turns Dido’s thoughts toward Aeneas, and she asks him to describe Troy’s fall and his wanderings.

Free for 3 months

Get the full summary of The Aeneid, free

  • 200,000+ classics as eBooks, audiobooks and 15-minute summaries, and print and large print at cost
  • Up to 5 readers in your home on one plan
Start freeNothing to pay today. USD 0.14 a day in the first year, then USD 0.27 a day.

In this book

AeneasDidoJunoVenusTheme: Divine power

What to notice

Food and shelter restore the survivors’ strength without ending their sorrow. The line stresses their uncertainty about missing companions.

Quick check

Why does Cupid take the appearance of Ascanius?

Free for 3 months

Get the full summary of The Aeneid, free

  • 200,000+ classics as eBooks, audiobooks and 15-minute summaries, and print and large print at cost
  • Up to 5 readers in your home on one plan
Start freeNothing to pay today. USD 0.14 a day in the first year, then USD 0.27 a day.
200,000+ classics to read, hear and hold

15-minute summaries today, eBooks and audiobooks as each book opens, and printed books, large print included, at cost.

Try 3 months free