Virgil Aeneid XII: A Selection

Book excerpt: This is the OCR-endorsed publication from Bloomsbury for the Latin AS and A-Level (Group 3) prescription of Aeneid Book XII, lines 1–106, 614–727, and the A-Level (Group 4) prescription of Aeneid Book XII, lines 728–952, giving full Latin text, commentary and vocabulary, with a detailed introduction that also covers the prescribed text to be read in English for A Level. Aeneid XII is the final book of Virgil's Roman epic. The war fought between Aeneas' refugee Trojans and the people of Latium here reaches a bloody, moving climax. The OCR selection contains two scenes of rich emotion focussed on the Italian war-leader Turnus as he reacts to military defeat and crisis, followed by the full narrative of the decisive single combat between Turnus and Aeneas with which the poem concludes. This is one of the great passages in Latin literature – grand in content and style, complex and challenging in its subject matter. Resources are available on the Companion Website.