Well, the first (Odysseyian) half of the Aeneid is a LOT of fun. In fact, the second (Iliadic) half after Dido dies is often skipped. To me, it's kind of like R

Well, the first (Odysseyian) half of the Aeneid is a LOT of fun. In fact, the second (Iliadic) half after Dido dies is often skipped. To me, it's kind of like Romeo and Juliet; after Mercutio dies it's just a bunch of teen age yammering. Well, Aeneas just isn't that interesting (he's stoic!) and Dido is (or was). And then Turnus is no Hector. Fact is Vergil died without completing it. He wasn't happy with it and wanted it burned. Augustus, who had heard chapters read and who was its sponsor, countermanded that order. He had it edited but it wasn't Vergil's hand. It's OK to be a little disappointed with the result. BTW, Stanford iTunesU has a quite good 5 lecture podcast on the Aeneid by Susanna Braund. She knows everything.