Rating: 
Summary: Classic Tale, Expert Translation
Review: I began reading the classics recently on purpose and one of the first things I noticed is the difference a translation could make. With our knowledge of language and its flexibilities, no translation can be judged as "correct" or "wrong" yet translations can, with the right artistry behind it, bring a work to life moreso than another.This is where Robert Fitzgerald comes in. He has translated all the major Greek and Roman classics - Iliad, Odyssey, Aenieid - and they all shine as works of art on their own. No one can deny the importance of these books, and one would have to foul up the translation horribly to demean the raw power of Homer's and Virgil's works. Fitzgerald though, takes the work to another level. With simple word and spelling choices, Fitzgerald translates the feeling of hearing this poem out loud as recited by an ancient poet into a reading pleasure hard to surpass. I have tried other translations, and can not help but come back to Fitzgerald.. The Aeneid is one of the most important poems ever. It lets us understand the Romans, the Greeks, and an art done so long ago from a civilization that is no more. To give this poem any kind of low rating is ridiculous; its influence is almost unsurpassed.
Rating: 
Summary: not as good as the Odyssey!
Review: I didn't like the Aeneid as much as the Odyssey. I thought that it was not as interesting and I had trouble reading parts. It is basiclly the same story as the Odyssey, just not as good. If I hadn't already read the Odyssey, I probably wouldn't have finished this or liked it at all.
Rating:
Summary: An Enthralling Story
Review: I felt that the book,The Aeneid was excellent. It was the exciting epic of a Trojan hero on a quest to found a new Troy. I found it fairly easy to read and the story excellent.
Rating:
Summary: An Enthralling Story
Review: I felt that the book,The Aeneid was excellent. It was the exciting epic of a Trojan hero on a quest to found a new Troy. I found it fairly easy to read and the story excellent.
Rating: 
Summary: The Aneid Wasn't Bad`
Review: I liked to book The Aneid. I thought that the story was very entertaining and that Virgil did a good job writing it, even though it wasn't completely finsihed. It is sort of slow in some parts but is very exciting in others. Even though Aneas is a pawn in the game of the gods, you don't know what is going to happen to him next.
Rating:
Summary: Adequate translation
Review: I read the Aeneid in its English translation by Rhoades in the Great Books of the Western World and was somewhat put off by the style. Fitzgerald's translation of this Latin classic reads easier and is likely to enjoy greater popularity. Since hardly anyone is familiar nowadays with the names of ancient Greek and Roman heroes the glossary at the back of the book is also very helpful.
Rating:
Summary: A response
Review: I read this book for a ninth grade Latin class. I am mostly responding to Ronald Kane's review of Virgil's Aeneid. Of course it doesn't rhyme perfectly in English; Virgil didn't write it in English! And while I am not denying the wondrous powers of Jewel and Maya Angelou (especially not Jewel's wonderful rhyming ability, even though know and own do not really rhyme), I am just suggesting that one ought not to base one's opinion upon the review of one who knows not of what one speaks. Virgil's Aeneid has survived for centuries, a sure sign that someone, somewhere, had enough sense to realize what a masterpiece it is.
Rating:
Summary: Not as good as Homer
Review: I'll be honest about the Aeneid. I had to struggle to finish it, even with Robert Fitzgerald's decent translation.
It's good in and of itself, as an adventure story. And I'm told in the original Latin it's quite beautiful. But compared to Homer, whom it deliberately imitates, it's not nearly as good. It's not on the same level of mythological epic as Homer. The gods just aren't as grand as they are in the Iliad, and Aeneas is no Odysseus.
Obviously Virgil died before he could complete it, so perhaps it should not be judged too unfairly. However, there is another reason it pales in comparison to Homer. We know that Troy was a real city, and the Greeks had some kind of war with them. This much is a fact, no matter how much of the rest of the story is mythological. And knowing that there is Truth behind Fiction in Homer's tale gives it a certain power. The legend of Trojan survivors founding Rome is obviously nothing but pure fiction, invented by the Romans to have a great origin. Knowing it's essentially political propaganda leaves one feeling a little cynical. Still, I admire Augustus for not burning it as Virgil requested.
The highlight of the poem for me was when Aeneas enters the Underworld to find the shade of his father. That is the kind of the grand mythological epic I appreciate, and wanted to see more of. The low point for me is when Aeneas visits the ancestors of the future Carthaginians and falls in love with their queen. The tongue-in-cheek irony over Rome's great enemy is just a bit too much. And the queen committing suicide when Aeneas leaves was a trifle over the top, even by the standards of epic poetry.
As far as the translation itself, it's much better than some others I have read. Fitzgerald breathes some life in this work instead of making it just another boring translation from Latin.
All in all, this is a book that should be read. But Homer is still resting comfortably as the champion and has little to fear from his imitators.
Rating: 
Summary: Not for a Classics scholar
Review: I've read several English translations of The Aeneid, and have translated the majority of it. Unfortunately, this is not a terribly good translation. While it flows nicely, and keeps a poetic form, Fitzgerald takes far too many liberties with the Latin language for my tastes. It is difficult to follow along with the actual Latin text, as he does not keep the same lines as Virgil. My recommendation is Mandelbaum's translation; he sticks closely to the Latin.
Rating:
Summary: Roman National Epic Comes Alive
Review: It can be difficult to write a review of one of the milestone pieces of literature of Western civilization. Love it or hate it the Aeneid maintains its position as one of the greatest epics ever composed. The story is simple enough, Aeneas, a Trojan, and a small band of followers must set out to find a new homeland after the fall of Troy. Virgil's verse translated by Robert Fitzgerald reads like a modern day adventure novel. The book is divided into roughly two parts: the first half of the poem tells the story of the fall of Troy complete with the greatest description of the Trojan horse story in print. This half of the poem matches the Odyssey of Homer providing a narrative of the unlucky travelers who must move on to their eventual homeland with the help of the gods and fate. Here are the stories of Dido, the funeral games, and the descent into the Underworld. The second half of the book parallels the Iliad of Homer. This half details the landing at Latium and the war of attrition between the Latins and the Trojans. This includes the epic battle between Turnus and Aeneas. While the poem has a tendency to become a little tedious it is a monumental piece of literature. Written as a national literary epic for the Roman empire it exemplifies the virtues of heroism, faith and family loyalty that were to be the hallmarks of the good Roman citizen. As an example Aeneas has a tendency to be too heroic and less human but the narrative drive is there all the same. At times the poem reads like a Roman propaganda piece but not too often. I remember struggling with Virgil in a high school Latin class and wondering what the point was. But now, after twenty years and with the help of an excellent translation the story becomes an enjoyable one indeed.
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