The Aeneid tells the story of Aeneas, a Trojan prince chosen by fate to found the civilization that will one day become Rome. After the fall of Troy, Aeneas leads survivors across the Mediterranean, driven not by personal ambition but by pietas—duty to the gods, his family, and the future.

The journey takes Aeneas through storms, shipwrecks, and divine interference. In Carthage, Aeneas falls in love with Queen Dido, herself a refugee who founded a thriving city. But the gods remind him of his mission, forcing him to abandon her. Dido's grief and suicide—and her curse upon his descendants—hint at the future enmity between Rome and Carthage.

In Italy, Aeneas descends into the Underworld, where his father reveals the spirits of future Roman heroes, including Julius Caesar and Augustus. Aeneas finally understands the grandeur—and the cost—of his destiny.

But fulfilling fate requires war. Aeneas battles native Italian forces led by the warrior Turnus. The final duel ends with Aeneas killing Turnus after seeing the stolen belt of his fallen ally Pallas—a moment that reveals the tension between mercy and vengeance. The epic ends abruptly, spotlighting the violence on which Rome's future is built.

Themes include duty versus desire, fate versus free will, sacrifice, and the founding of empire. Unlike Greek heroes who seek personal glory, Aeneas represents a new kind of hero—one who suppresses his own wishes for the good of generations to come.