1.3 Book 2 - The Fall of Troy

📚 A-Level Classical Civilisation ⏱️ 75 min 📖 Virgil's Aeneid

Why Book 2 Matters

Book 2 is the most famous book of the Aeneid—it's the story EVERY Roman child knew. The wooden horse, Laocoon and the serpents, the burning of Troy. But Virgil isn't just retelling a familiar tale. He's showing you the COST of Roman greatness—Troy must burn for Rome to rise.

Conticuere omnes intentique ora tenebant.
inde toro pater Aeneas sic orsus ab alto...

All fell silent and kept their faces fixed in attention.
Then father Aeneas from his high couch began thus...
— Aeneid 2.1-2
Narrative Structure: Flashback
Book 2 is told in FIRST PERSON by Aeneas to Dido at the banquet in Carthage. This isn't the narrator's voice—it's Aeneas reliving trauma. Notice how his emotions break through: he can barely speak about his wife Creusa, he calls Pyrrhus "savage," he questions the gods. This is personal testimony, not detached epic.

The Basic Story

The Greeks pretend to sail away, leaving a giant wooden horse. Trojans debate what to do—Laocoon warns them, but is killed by serpents. Sinon (a Greek spy) tricks them into bringing the horse inside. That night, Greeks emerge, open the gates, and slaughter Troy. Aeneas fights desperately but sees visions telling him to flee. He watches Priam murdered, rescues his father Anchises and son Ascanius, but loses his wife Creusa in the chaos. Her ghost tells him to sail to Italy.

Why This Matters for Exams

Book 2 establishes Aeneas as VICTIM, not conqueror. He doesn't choose to leave Troy—he's FORCED out by divine command and military defeat. This creates sympathy for the Trojans and complicates the poem's celebration of Rome.

Also: this book is FULL of vivid imagery, extended similes, and pathetic moments (Priam's death, Creusa's loss). Learn specific Latin quotes and be able to analyze Virgil's literary techniques.

Key Themes in Book 2

THEME
Deception (Dolus)
The Greeks win through trickery, not honest battle. The horse is a lie; Sinon is a liar. This raises questions about glory and honor.
THEME
Divine Cruelty
The gods actively destroy Troy. Minerva sends serpents to kill Laocoon. Venus shows Aeneas gods tearing down Troy's walls. Fate is pitiless.
THEME
Pietas (Duty)
Aeneas carries his father on his shoulders, leads his son by hand—the iconic image of Roman family duty transcending personal glory.
THEME
Loss & Trauma
Aeneas loses everything: his city, his wife, his world. The rest of the Aeneid is shaped by this trauma. He's a refugee, not a hero.
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The Wooden Horse: Divine Trickery

The Trojan Horse is the most famous trick in Western literature. But notice what Virgil does: he makes the Greeks SINISTER, not clever. They build the horse "by divine prompting" (Minerva helps)—the gods are complicit in deception.

Fracti bello fatisque repulsi
ductores Danaum, tot iam labentibus annis,
instar montis equum divina Palladis arte
aedificant...

Broken by war and pushed back by fate,
the Greek leaders, after so many years slipping by,
build a horse the size of a mountain by the divine art of Pallas [Athena]...
— Aeneid 2.13-15

Breaking Down the Latin

  • "Fracti bello fatisque repulsi": "Broken by war and pushed back by fate"—sounds like the Greeks are LOSING. Makes their trickery seem like desperation
  • "tot iam labentibus annis": "so many years slipping by"—emphasizes the TEN YEAR siege. Everyone is exhausted
  • "instar montis": "the size of a mountain"—epic scale, overwhelming presence
  • "divina Palladis arte": "by the divine art of Pallas"—the GODDESS teaches them to deceive. Divine sanction for lying

The Trojan Debate: What Should We Do?

When Trojans discover the horse, they argue. Some want to burn it, others to drag it into Troy as a war trophy. This debate is CRUCIAL—it shows Trojans making a free choice (even if it's the wrong one). They're not just victims; they're complicit in their own destruction.

Laocoon: The Prophet Who Dies for Truth

Laocoon is a Trojan priest who KNOWS the horse is a trap. He tries to save Troy. The gods kill him for it. This is one of Virgil's most shocking moments—divine injustice presented as fact.

"Quidquid id est, timeo Danaos et dona ferentes."

"Whatever it is, I fear the Greeks even when they bring gifts."
— Laocoon, Aeneid 2.49
Most Famous Line in Book 2
"Timeo Danaos et dona ferentes" = "I fear the Greeks even bearing gifts." This became a proverb. But notice: Laocoon is RIGHT, and he dies anyway. Being right doesn't save you when fate is against you.

After his warning, Laocoon hurls a spear at the horse. It THUDS into the side, and the horse ECHOES with the sound of hidden Greeks inside. This should have been proof! But then...

Ecce autem gemini a Tenedo tranquilla per alta
(horresco referens) immensis orbibus angues
incumbunt pelago pariterque ad litora tendunt...
corripiunt spirisque ligant ingentibus; et iam
bis medium amplexi, bis collo squamea circum
terga dati superant capite et cervicibus altis.

But look—twin serpents from Tenedos over the calm depths
(I shudder to tell it) with massive coils
press upon the sea and together make for shore...
they seize [Laocoon's sons] and bind them in huge coils; and now
twice embracing their waists, twice circling their necks with scaly
backs, they tower above with head and lofty necks.
— Aeneid 2.203-205, 214-217

The Horror of the Serpents

  • "horresco referens": "I shudder to tell it"—Aeneas STILL traumatized recalling this. Breaks the narrative to express horror
  • "gemini... angues": "twin serpents"—TWO snakes, symmetrical, unnatural, clearly divine punishment
  • "immensis orbibus": "massive coils"—the size emphasizes supernatural origin
  • "bis medium amplexi, bis collo... circum": "twice embracing... twice circling"—repetition creates suffocating rhythm
  • "superant capite et cervicibus altis": "they tower above with head and lofty necks"—serpents are HUGE, overwhelming
At gemitus ille dabat horrendos ad sidera tollit,
clamores simul horrendos ad sidera tollit,
qualis mugitus, fugit cum saucius aram
taurus et incertam excussit cervice securim.

But he was sending terrible groans to the stars,
raising terrible cries to the stars at the same time,
like the bellowing when a wounded bull flees the altar
and shakes the uncertain axe from its neck.
— Aeneid 2.222-224

The Bull Simile: Sacrifice Imagery

  • Laocoon = sacrificial bull: He's being SACRIFICED by the gods for trying to save his city
  • "saucius aram / taurus": "wounded bull at the altar"—religious context. This is ritual murder
  • "incertam... securim": "uncertain axe"—the sacrificial blow FAILED, leaving the bull in agony. Laocoon's death is prolonged, painful
  • "horrendos... ad sidera": "terrible [cries] to the stars"—his screams reach heaven. The gods HEAR and don't care

Why Do the Gods Kill Laocoon?

Virgil gives NO explanation. Laocoon is trying to SAVE Troy. But Troy is fated to fall, so anyone who opposes fate must be removed. The serpents come from Minerva's temple—she's pro-Greek. Divine will trumps human justice. This is terrifying.

Trojan Interpretation: They Get It WRONG

The Trojans see Laocoon's death as PUNISHMENT for throwing a spear at the horse (a sacred offering to Minerva, they think). So they conclude: the horse is holy; bring it inside to appease the gods.

This is dramatic irony at its peak. WE know they're misreading the omen. THEY think they're being pious. The gap between truth and belief destroys them.

Sinon: The Master Liar

Sinon is a Greek soldier left behind deliberately to trick the Trojans. His speech is a MASTERPIECE of manipulation—and Virgil wants you to see EXACTLY how he does it.

Sinon's Lie

Sinon pretends to be a Greek deserter who escaped execution by Odysseus. He claims the Greeks built the horse as an offering to Minerva to ensure safe passage home. He says they made it HUGE so Trojans couldn't bring it inside—because if they DO bring it in, Troy will be blessed with divine protection and one day conquer Greece.

Talibus insidiis periurique arte Sinonis
credita res, captique dolis lacrimisque coactis
quos neque Tydides nec Larisaeus Achilles,
non anni domuere decem, non mille carinae.

By such tricks and the art of perjured Sinon
the story was believed, and we were captured by tricks and forced tears—
we whom neither Diomedes nor Achilles of Larissa,
nor ten years, nor a thousand ships subdued.
— Aeneid 2.195-198

Why This Passage Is Devastating

  • "periurique arte Sinonis": "the art of perjured Sinon"—calls him a liar directly. ART = skill, craft. Lying is presented as sophisticated technique
  • "lacrimisque coactis": "forced tears"—Sinon FAKES crying. Emotional manipulation
  • "quos neque... Achilles": "whom neither... Achilles [defeated]"—Troy withstood the GREATEST Greek warriors
  • "non anni decem, non mille carinae": "nor ten years, nor a thousand ships"—Troy survived a DECADE of siege
  • The contrast: All that strength... defeated by ONE liar. Deceit > courage

Is Virgil Criticizing Greek "Cleverness"?

Greeks (especially Odysseus) were proud of their cunning intelligence (metis). But Virgil, writing for Romans who valued straightforward virtus (martial courage), presents Greek trickery as DISHONORABLE. Sinon is perjured, weeping fake tears, betraying guest-friendship. This isn't cleverness—it's villainy.

Why Do Trojans Believe Him?

Because Sinon's story FLATTERS them. "The Greeks made the horse huge so you CAN'T bring it in, because if you do, you'll become invincible." This appeals to Trojan pride and ambition.

Also: combined with Laocoon's death (which they misinterpret as divine punishment), Sinon's lie seems CONFIRMED by the gods. Fate uses deception as a weapon.

The Fall: Fire and Slaughter

Once the horse is inside, the Trojans celebrate their "victory." That night, the Greeks emerge. Virgil describes the carnage in vivid, horrifying detail.

Tempus erat quo prima quies mortalibus aegris
incipit et dono divum gratissima serpit.
In somnis, ecce, ante oculos maestissimus Hector
visus adesse mihi...

It was the time when first rest begins for weary mortals
and by gift of the gods creeps over them most welcome.
In dreams, look, before my eyes most sorrowful Hector
seemed to be present to me...
— Aeneid 2.268-271
Hector's Ghost: The Warning
Hector's ghost appears to Aeneas, bloodied and mangled (as he was when Achilles killed him). He tells Aeneas: "Troy is falling. Flee. Carry the sacred objects. Find a new city across the sea." This is Aeneas's FIRST divine command to leave. He doesn't want to—he wants to fight and die defending Troy—but fate has other plans.
Crudelis ubique
luctus, ubique pavor et plurima mortis imago.

Everywhere cruel
grief, everywhere terror and many an image of death.
— Aeneid 2.368-369

The Imagery of Collapse

  • "ubique... ubique": "everywhere... everywhere"—repetition creates sense of total catastrophe
  • "plurima mortis imago": "many an image of death"—bodies everywhere, death visible in every direction
  • "luctus... pavor": "grief... terror"—emotional chaos matching physical destruction
Urbs antiqua ruit multos dominata per annos.

The ancient city falls, which ruled for many years.
— Aeneid 2.363

The Simplicity of This Line

"Urbs antiqua ruit"—"The ancient city falls." Six words in Latin. No elaborate simile, no extended description. Just the stark fact. After all the build-up—the horse, Laocoon, Sinon—Troy's fall is stated almost quietly. The restraint makes it MORE powerful.

Aeneas's Failed Heroism

  • Aeneas gathers a small band to fight back—they put on Greek armor (disguise) and ambush Greeks
  • They have some success, but then OTHER GREEKS mistake them for Greeks and attack them
  • The deception backfires—they're killed by friendly fire (from the Greek perspective)
  • Aeneas sees Cassandra dragged from Minerva's temple, hair wild, screaming prophecies no one believes
  • He tries to save her—FAILS. He's helpless against the tide of slaughter

Why Virgil Shows Aeneas Fighting (and Failing)

Aeneas is NOT a coward. He tries to defend Troy—he fights bravely, kills Greeks, nearly dies multiple times. But he CAN'T save the city. This establishes that Aeneas leaves Troy because FATE forces him, not because he lacks courage.

Roman readers needed to see Aeneas as a warrior, not just a refugee. Virgil gives him heroic moments—then shows even heroism can't change destiny.

Priam's Death: The End of Kingship

Priam, the aged king of Troy, is murdered at his own household altar by Pyrrhus (Neoptolemus), son of Achilles. This scene is the symbolic death of Troy itself—the king killed, the royal line ended, the city's heart torn out.

The Scene

Priam's palace is under attack. His wife Hecuba and daughters huddle at the household altar (a sacred space where suppliants should be safe). Priam, ancient and feeble, puts on armor he can barely wear and prepares to fight. Hecuba begs him to stay with them at the altar. Then Pyrrhus bursts in, having just killed Priam's son Polites in front of him. Priam throws a weak spear—it doesn't even pierce Pyrrhus's shield. Pyrrhus drags Priam to the altar and kills him there.

"At non ille, satum quo te mentiris, Achilles
talis in hoste fuit Priamo; sed iura fidemque
supplicis erubuit corpusque exsangue sepulcro
reddidit Hectoreum meque in mea regna remisit."

"But he from whom you falsely claim descent, Achilles,
was not like this toward his enemy Priam; but he respected the rights and faith
of a suppliant and returned Hector's bloodless corpse for burial
and sent me back to my kingdom."
— Priam to Pyrrhus, Aeneid 2.540-543

Priam's Final Dignity

  • "At non ille... Achilles": "But not he... Achilles"—Priam contrasts Achilles (who had honor) with his son Pyrrhus (who has none)
  • "satum quo te mentiris": "from whom you falsely claim descent"—devastating insult. You're UNWORTHY of your father
  • "iura fidemque supplicis": "the rights and faith of a suppliant"—appeals to sacred law. Suppliants must be respected
  • Reference to Iliad 24: Achilles DID return Hector's body when Priam begged. Pyrrhus is WORSE than Achilles
Sic fatus senior telumque imbelle sine ictu
coniecit, rauco quod protinus aere repulsum,
et summo clipei nequiquam umbone pependit.

So spoke the old man and hurled his feeble spear without impact,
which at once rebounded from the hoarse bronze,
and hung uselessly from the top of the shield's boss.
— Aeneid 2.544-546

The Pathetic Spear-Throw

  • "telumque imbelle": "feeble spear"—not even a weapon anymore, just a gesture of defiance
  • "sine ictu": "without impact"—it doesn't wound, doesn't penetrate, doesn't matter
  • "rauco... aere": "hoarse bronze"—the shield's SOUND is described. We HEAR the pathetic clang
  • "nequiquam... pependit": "uselessly hung"—the spear just dangles there, impotent
  • Total helplessness: Priam CAN'T defend himself. Age has stripped him of warrior power
"Haec tamen referes et nuntius ibis
Pelidae genitori. Illi mea tristia facta
degeneremque Neoptolemum narrare memento.
Nunc morere." Hoc dicens altaria ad ipsa trementem
traxit et in multo lapsantem sanguine nati,
implicuitque comam laeva, dextraque coruscum
extulit ac lateri capulo tenus abdidit ensem.

"Yet you will report this and go as messenger
to my father, son of Peleus. Remember to tell him my sad deeds
and degenerate Neoptolemus.
Now die." Saying this, to the altar itself trembling
he dragged him and slipping in the abundant blood of his son,
and seized his hair with his left hand, and with his right hand the flashing
sword he raised and buried it up to the hilt in his side.
— Pyrrhus to Priam, Aeneid 2.547-553

The Horror of the Murder

  • "tristia facta / degeneremque": "sad deeds and degenerate"—Pyrrhus KNOWS he's dishonoring himself. Doesn't care
  • "altaria ad ipsa": "to the altar itself"—kills him AT THE ALTAR, violating sacred space
  • "trementem": "trembling"—Priam is shaking with age, fear, grief
  • "in multo... sanguine nati": "in the abundant blood of his son"—Priam SLIPS in Polites's blood. His son's blood makes him fall
  • "implicuitque comam": "seized his hair"—grabs him by the hair like an animal being slaughtered
  • "capulo tenus abdidit ensem": "buried the sword up to the hilt"—FULL penetration, violent, complete
Haec finis Priami fatorum; hic exitus illum
sorte tulit, Troiam incensam et prolapsa videntem
Pergama, tot quondam populis terrisque superbum
regnatorem Asiae. Iacet ingens litore truncus,
avulsumque umeris caput et sine nomine corpus.

This was the end of Priam's fates; this outcome
brought him by lot, seeing Troy burned and Pergama collapsed,
once proud ruler of so many peoples and lands
in Asia. He lies a huge trunk on the shore,
head torn from shoulders and a body without a name.
— Aeneid 2.554-558

The Final Image: Headless Trunk

"Iacet ingens litore truncus, / avulsumque umeris caput et sine nomine corpus"—"He lies a huge trunk on the shore, head torn from shoulders and a body without a name."

Priam is DECAPITATED (either literally or metaphorically—scholars debate). His body is NAMELESS—stripped of identity, kingship, humanity. He's reduced to a "trunk" (truncus), like a tree cut down. Once "ruler of Asia," now anonymous meat.

This is what defeat MEANS in epic. Not just death, but annihilation of identity.

Why This Scene Matters

  • Shows the COST of war—not glorious, but degrading and cruel
  • Pyrrhus = the next generation of Greeks, WORSE than their fathers (even Achilles had some honor)
  • Priam's death = Troy's death. The king is the city; when he falls, Troy is truly gone
  • Forces Aeneas (and readers) to witness injustice. The gods allow this. Fate requires this

The Escape: Duty Over Desire

After witnessing Priam's death, Aeneas thinks of his OWN father Anchises, wife Creusa, and son Ascanius. Venus appears and shows him the gods themselves tearing down Troy's walls—proof that resistance is futile. Aeneas runs home to gather his family.

Anchises Refuses to Leave

When Aeneas arrives home, Anchises (old, lame, broken by Troy's fall) REFUSES to flee. He says he'd rather die in Troy than live as a refugee. This nearly destroys Aeneas's resolve—he prepares to go back and die fighting. Then TWO omens occur: flames play harmlessly around Ascanius's head (divine favor), and a shooting star streaks toward Mount Ida (showing the path). Anchises interprets these as divine commands and agrees to leave.

"Ergo age, care pater, cervici imponere nostrae;
ipse subibo umeris nec me labor iste gravabit;
quo res cumque cadent, unum et commune periclum,
una salus ambobus erit."

"Come then, dear father, place yourself on my neck;
I myself will take you on my shoulders, nor will this labor burden me;
however things fall out, one and the same danger,
one safety will be for both of us."
— Aeneas to Anchises, Aeneid 2.707-710
The Iconic Image: Aeneas Carrying Anchises
This became THE symbol of Roman pietas—duty to family, especially elderly parents. Aeneas carries his father on his shoulders, leads his son by the hand, and holds the sacred objects of Troy. Three generations, moving toward Rome's future. This image appeared on Roman coins, sculptures, paintings. It defines Aeneas.

The Language of Duty

  • "care pater": "dear father"—affection + respect. Not just duty, but love
  • "cervici imponere nostrae": "place on my neck"—physical burden willingly accepted
  • "nec me labor iste gravabit": "nor will this labor burden me"—denies difficulty to reassure his father
  • "unum et commune periclum": "one and common danger"—shared fate. We survive together or die together

The Loss of Creusa: The Price of Survival

As they flee through burning Troy, Creusa (Aeneas's wife) becomes separated and disappears. Aeneas doesn't notice until they're outside the city. When he realizes, he runs back into Troy—ALONE—searching desperately for her.

Infelix Creusa! Quid primum desere? aut quo
nunc iter aut quae spes aut quid iam Creusa moratur?

Unhappy Creusa! What first should I say? Or where
now is my journey or what hope or what now delays Creusa?
— Aeneid 2.738-739 (Aeneas's frantic questions)

Aeneas's Guilt

Notice how Aeneas narrates this—he's CONFUSED, asking unanswerable questions. "What delays Creusa?"—as if she CHOSE to stay behind. He can't process that she's gone. This is trauma, not just grief.

Infelix simulacrum atque ipsius umbra Creusae
visa mihi ante oculos et nota maior imago...

The unhappy phantom and very shade of Creusa
appeared before my eyes, an image larger than her familiar form...
— Aeneid 2.772-773

Creusa's Ghost: The Prophetic Farewell

Creusa's ghost appears—LARGER than life (divine sign). She tells Aeneas: Don't grieve excessively. This was fated. The Great Mother (Cybele) keeps me here. You must sail to Hesperia (Italy), where a kingdom and royal wife await you. Don't weep for me. She tries three times to embrace Aeneas—three times her shade slips through his arms like wind.

Ter conatus ibi collo dare bracchia circum;
ter frustra comprensa manus effugit imago,
par levibus ventis volucrique simillima somno.

Three times I tried there to throw my arms around her neck;
three times the phantom grasped in vain fled my hands,
like light winds and most similar to fleeting sleep.
— Aeneid 2.792-794

The Failed Embrace: Homer's Influence

  • Source: This echoes Odyssey 11, where Odysseus tries THREE times to embrace his mother's ghost in the Underworld—and fails
  • "Ter... ter": "Three times... three times"—repetition emphasizes futility
  • "frustra comprensa": "grasped in vain"—the utter helplessness of trying to hold the dead
  • "par levibus ventis": "like light winds"—she's insubstantial, literally AIR
  • "volucri simillima somno": "most similar to fleeting sleep"—she's like a dream vanishing at dawn

What Creusa's Loss Means

  • Personal cost: Aeneas loses his wife—the emotional anchor to his Trojan past
  • Narrative necessity: If Creusa survived, Aeneas couldn't marry Lavinia (the Italian princess). Fate requires her death
  • Symbolic severance: Troy's past is GONE. Aeneas must build a new family, new identity, new city
  • Guilt and trauma: Aeneas blames himself (rightly or not) for not protecting her. This shapes his character

Why Book 2 Ends With Loss

Book 2 doesn't end triumphantly—it ends with Aeneas bereft, carrying his father, having LOST his wife, heading into exile. This is the foundation of Rome: refugees fleeing catastrophe, burdened by duty, haunted by ghosts.

Virgil wants Romans to remember: your empire was built on LOSS. Troy had to burn for Rome to rise. Every glory has a cost.

Book 2 Summary: What to Remember for Exams

KEY QUOTES
Latin You MUST Know
"Timeo Danaos et dona ferentes" (Laocoon). "Urbs antiqua ruit" (Troy falls). "Horresco referens" (Aeneas shudders). "Ter conatus... ter frustra" (failed embrace).
TECHNIQUE
First-Person Narration
Book 2 is Aeneas's flashback—emotional, traumatic, personal. Notice his feelings breaking through the narrative.
THEME
Deception vs Honor
Greeks win through LIES (Sinon, the horse). Trojans lose through misplaced TRUST. Questions heroic values.
SYMBOLISM
Aeneas Carrying Anchises
THE image of Roman pietas. Duty to family, respect for elders, continuity of tradition. Appears everywhere in Roman art.
PATHOS
Priam's Death
Helpless old king murdered at altar by Pyrrhus. Shows brutality of war, collapse of civilization, divine indifference.
LOSS
Creusa Vanishes
Aeneas's wife lost in chaos, ghost tells him to move forward. Rome requires sacrifice of personal happiness for communal destiny.
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