The Aeneid (75-133)

I have just finished reading the second book of the Aeneid in which Aeneas begins his tale. He tells that it would be hard for a warrior from either side of the battle to tell the story without crying. He begins when the Greeks were pushed back by the tide of the war after the death of Achilles. He says that Minerva inspired them to build a great wooden horse and fill it with armed men. They then left it in front of the gates of Troy and sailed to the island Tendos. The Trojans flooded out of the city rejoicing and raided the empty camps. Some of them wanted to lead the wooden horse into the city; others wanted to destroy it. Laocoon a priest, addressed the assembled men and women, warning them not to lead the horse into the city:

Do you

believe the enemy have sailed away?
Or think that any Grecian gifts are free
of craft? Is this the way Ulysses acts?
Either Achaeans hide, shut in this wood,
or else this is an engine built against
our walls...
I fear the Greeks, even when they bring gifts. (Book 2 lines 60-70)

He then throws a spear at the horse saying that they should not accept this gift, as something bad will come from it. No one pays attention to him, which then becomes to the death of the Trojans. Then after that 2 serpents come up from the depths and eat him. I find it very interesting as to how Virgil says the very famous words "I fear the Greeks, even when they bring gifts." This single quote is an excellent use of foreshadowing as we can tell that something bad is going to happen later. (the Trojan horse has Greeks inside of it which were let out to ransack the city). I find when Laocoon says "shut in this wood" you get a clear discription of what may be inside of this Trojan horse. Once again prompting us of what may happen in the future. Still I find the language of Virgil to be difficult as I read through this book, having to reread certain sections multiple times to understand what is happening, but however is a very interesting read.

Virgil, Robert Fagles, and Bernard MacGregor Walker. Knox. The Aeneid. New York: Penguin, 2008. Print.