The Aeneid was a literary epic written by Vergil. The Roman people as their national epic quickly accepted the Aeneid. Vergil's greatest influence was Homer. The Aeneid is about the Trojan hero Aeneas traveling to eventually start the Roman Empire. After the fall of Troy, Aeneas sailed for Italy where he and his followers will settle and eventually establish a colony that will one day become Rome. While on the route a storm drives his ships to the coast of Africa and Carthage. Dido, the queen of Cartage, welcomes Aeneas and his men. Venus, Aeneas' mother seeks to protect him from Juno, the goddess who is determined to thwart Aeneas's mission to get to Italy. Venus tries to stop Juno from using Dido in any scheme to delay Aeneas's quest. So Venus decides that Dido should fall in love with Aeneas. Venus inflames Dido's heart and her love for Aeneas begins to grow. Dido entertains her new guests at a banquet wherewith food and wine, she becomes more infatuated with Aeneas. Aeneas in a flashback remembers his adventures from the fall of Troy to arriving in Carthage. Dido kills herself because Aeneas left Carthage and rejected her love and pleadings to remain with him in northern Africa.
             Aeneas journeys through the underworld with the aid of a Sibyl. Along the way, they encounter many of Aeneas's friends and a few enemies. On many occasions, Aeneas and a friend talk about past adventures. As Aeneas wanders through the Underworld, he notices Dido wandering about. He tries to talk to her, but his words serve no purpose; she flees from him. He then sees the souls of those who died in battle. He sees numerous horrible sights like Grief, Disease, Old Age, Fear, Hunger, and several others. Sibyl explains why the dead souls behave the way they do. After witnessing all he did in the Underworld, Aeneas finally meets his father Anchises. Anchises tells Aeneas what is to come in the near future. Anchises lists the descendants of Ae...