Virgil's seminal epic, the Aeneid, tells the story of Aeneas's journey

in search of the land where he is destined to build the city that will
one day become the great Roman Empire. Largely influenced by
Homer's Odyssey and Iliad, the Aeneid begins halfway through
Aeneas's journey, as he nears the city of Carthage, ruled over
by Dido, who built the city after fleeing from her murderous brother.
Over dinner one night, he tells Dido and her court about his travels
thus far.

Aeneas recounts the story of the fall of Troy, and how he was
forced to leave the city of his birth with his father Anchises, his
son Ascanius, and his wife Creusa. During the flight, he lost
Creusa, whose shade appeared to him, telling him to follow his
destiny, which is to build a great city and take a royal bride. Aeneas
and the other Trojan refugees set out to sea, where they had a great
many adventures before arriving in Carthage: believing that their
destined land was in Crete, they founded a city there, only to be
struck down by a plague that forced them to leave; they fought
against the Harpies and were cursed by their leader, Celeano; they
fled the island of the Cyclops to avoid being slaughtered by the
one-eyed beasts; Anchises died on the island of Drepanum.

When Aeneas finishes telling Dido his tale, she realizes that she
has become inflamed with love for him, and she pursues him
relentlessly. Junomanipulates the situation so that the pair spends
the night in a cave, where they become lovers. Eventually, however,
Aeneas realizes that he has been abandoning his destiny by
dallying in Carthage, so he readies his men to leave. Dido has
convinced herself that the two are in fact husband and wife, and
she is so distraught by her lover's abandonment that she builds a
funeral pyre and slays herself on it using Aeneas's sword. As
Aeneas and his men sail away from Carthage, they see the city
 aflame, the residents in a panic, but they do not know that the
queen has died. The fleet sails to Drepanum, where they engage in
celebrations commemorating the one-year anniversary of
Anchises's death, and Aeneas receives a prophecy telling him to
travel to the Underworld to meet with his father.

With the sibyl of Cumae, Deiphobe, as his guide, Aeneas travels

through the Underworld in search of Anchises. On the journey,
Aeneas sees a great many terrible sights, including restless souls
who have not received proper burials, the ghosts of dead babies,
and the terrifying fortress Tartarus, where the most horrible sinners
live in eternal torture. When he finally locates his father in the
beautiful Elysium, where only the most heroic souls go to rest,
Anchises shows him the shades that, once reincarnated, will
become the heroes of the Roman Empire. Aeneas returns to the
land of the living, certain of the need to fulfill his destiny, and then
sets sail for Laurentum, where he will build his great city.

When Aeneas and his men arrive in Laurentum, they are greeted
warmly by King Latinus, who has heard a prophecy that his
daughter, Lavinia, should be wed to a foreigner. Juno, however,
angered by the treaty, sends one of the Furies to stir up trouble.
The Fury Allecto starts a war between the Trojans and the Latins by
striking anger into the heart of Turnus, Lavinia's other suitor. She
also inspires Latinus's wife, Queen Amata, to do all that she can to
prevent the Trojans from building their city in Laurentum. Turnus
calls the Latin men to arms against the foreigners, and a terrible,
drawn-out battle ensues. Aeneas seeks the aid of King Evander,
ruler of a poor neighboring kingdom, and the Etruscans, who wish
to avenge the wrong done to them by Mezentius, one of Turnus's
supporters. King Evander entrusts his son, Pallas, to fight at the
great warrior's side, but Pallas is brutally slain by Turnus - a move
that Turnus will come to regret.
 Eventually, even the Latins come to realize the inevitability of the
Trojan victory, and they call for a one-on-one duel between Turnus
and Aeneas. Just as the duel is about to begin, however, Turnus's
sister Juturna inflames the Latin troops. A young Trojan is killed,
and the battle begins once again. Finally, even Turnus realizes that
the only way to end the slaughter is through a duel, so the two meet
in a field. Aeneas clearly has the upper hand throughout the battle,
even though Turnus is aided by his sister, Juturna,
until Jupiter intervenes and declares that the gods may no longer
meddle in mortal affairs. Finally, Aeneas strikes Turnus to the
ground, and the fallen man pleads for his life, or at least for his
corpse to be sent back to his father for burial. Although Aeneas is
momentarily moved by his adversary's plea, he sees that Turnus
has callously slung Pallas's belt across his shoulders, and Aeneas
decides not to be merciful. The epic ends with Aeneas plunging his
sword through Turnus's heart and then with Turnus's moaning
shade fleeing to the Underworld.