The Aeneid Family Quotes

How we cite our quotes: Citations follow this format: (Book.Line). We used Robert Fitzgerald's translation.

Quote #10

The author of men and of the world replied
With a half-smile:
"Sister of Jupiter
Indeed you are, and Saturn's only child,
To feel such anger, stormy in your breast." (12.1124-1128)

If Aeneas tries to remind Ascanius of how courage runs in their family, here Jupiter tells his sister Juno that being a prickly pear runs in theirs. You can tell by that "half-smile," however, that Jupiter is also poking fun at himself. By this subtle touch, Virgil makes even the gods seem like a family just like those of mortals, with its own foibles and inside jokes.