Aeneas is a Trojan prince and refugee tasked by the gods with founding a new city in Italy. He carries the heavy burden of leadership and frequently relies on divine guidance rather than his own intuition. He is characterized by his piety, meaning he consistently subordinates his personal desires to his duties to the gods, his family, and his people.

Dido is the generous and capable queen of Carthage. A refugee herself, she fled her homeland of Tyre after her brother murdered her husband. She has sworn an oath of chastity to her late husband's memory, but divine intervention kindles an overwhelming passion in her for the newly arrived Trojan leader.

Turnus is the proud, brave leader of the Rutulians in Italy. He was previously betrothed to the Latin princess Lavinia before the Trojans arrived. Driven by a sense of stolen honor and inflamed by divine meddling, he views the refugees as foreign invaders and becomes their fiercest human opponent.

Juno is the queen of the gods and the bitterest enemy of the Trojans. She harbors old grudges from the Trojan War and knows that Aeneas's descendants are fated to destroy her favorite city, Carthage. She acts as the primary agent of delay in the epic, using her power to conjure storms and incite wars.

Venus is the goddess of love and Aeneas's fiercely protective mother. She frequently intervenes to aid the Trojans, whether by disguising herself to give directions, commissioning divine armor, or altering the emotions of mortals to ensure her son's safety.

Jupiter is the king of the gods and the ultimate arbiter of fate. He maintains cosmic order and ensures that the predetermined destiny of the world comes to pass, despite the constant squabbling and interference of the other gods.

Anchises is Aeneas's elderly father. Carried out of the burning ruins of Troy on his son's shoulders, he serves as an authoritative interpreter of signs during the Trojans' early wanderings. He maintains a deep, respectful bond with his son.

Ascanius, also known as Iulus, is the young son of Aeneas and Creusa. He represents the future of the Trojan line and the foundational beginnings of the Roman people. As the journey progresses, he gradually matures into a capable leader in his own right.

Latinus is the king of Latium. He is a reasonable ruler who recognizes that the arrival of the Trojans fulfills a prophecy requiring his daughter to marry a foreigner. He attempts to broker peace and alliances but loses control of his people when war fervor breaks out.

Amata is the queen of Latium and the wife of Latinus. She strongly favors Turnus as a suitor for her daughter. When infected by a Fury from the Underworld, she abandons reason and incites the local mothers, plunging the region into conflict.

Lavinia is the silent princess of Latium, the daughter of Latinus and Amata. She is the central prize in the conflict between the Italians and the Trojans, representing the unification of the two peoples and the future of the Roman bloodline.

Evander is the aging king of Arcadia and a Greek exile who settled in Italy on the future site of Rome. He shares past connections with Aeneas's family and eagerly offers his troops to aid the Trojans against their common Italian enemies.

Pallas is the brave, young son of King Evander. He is sent to war as Aeneas's apprentice to learn the martial arts. He leads the Arcadian troops with courage, but his relative inexperience places him in extreme danger on the battlefield against seasoned fighters.

Mezentius is an exiled Etruscan king known for his tyrannical cruelty and impious mockery of the gods. He fights as a powerful ally to Turnus. Despite his brutal nature, he possesses a deeply humanizing love for his courageous son.

Lausus is the noble son of the tyrannical Mezentius. He is a brave youth whose deep filial piety and loyalty stand in sharp contrast to his father's wickedness. He serves as a tragic foil to the young Trojan allies.

Camilla is a formidable Volscian warrior girl who fights alongside the Italians. Dedicated to the virgin goddess Diana from infancy by her exiled father, she was raised in the wilderness and trained in combat. She is fiercely independent and highly lethal on the battlefield.

Nisus is an older Trojan warrior known for his speed and deep devotion to his younger companion. He is a fiercely loyal fighter who proposes a daring, covert night mission to slip through enemy lines and retrieve Aeneas.

Euryalus is a remarkably handsome young Trojan warrior. He refuses to let his older companion undertake a dangerous night raid alone. While brave, his youth and desire for battle spoils compromise their mission.

Deiphobe, the Sibyl of Cumae, is a priestess of Apollo. She acts as Aeneas's vital guide into the Underworld, instructing him on the necessary rituals, such as retrieving the golden bough, and steering him safely past spirits and monsters.

Juturna is a minor water goddess and the sister of Turnus. Acting under Juno's orders, she actively interferes in the conflict to protect her brother, breaking truces and disguising herself as his charioteer to keep him away from Aeneas.

Allecto is a terrifying Fury from the Underworld. She specializes in sowing discord, madness, and civil war. She infects the minds of the Italian royals and manipulates events to ensure that a bloody war breaks out between the Latins and the Trojans.

Creusa is Aeneas's first wife and the mother of Ascanius. During the desperate flight from Troy, she becomes separated from the group. She later appears to prophesy his future royal bride in Italy.

Anna is the loyal and practical sister of Queen Dido. She acts as Dido's primary confidante, unknowingly helping to facilitate the tragic romance by encouraging her sister to act on her feelings for the Trojan leader.

Apollo is the god of prophecy, archery, and plague. He guides Aeneas through various oracles and priests, providing crucial, though sometimes cryptic, directions regarding where the Trojans are destined to settle.

Diomedes is a famously fierce Greek hero who settled in Italy after the Trojan War. When the Latins attempt to recruit him to fight Aeneas, he refuses, having learned the bitter costs of war and recognizing the strength of his former Trojan enemies.

Drances is an older Italian politician who strongly opposes Turnus. He advocates for peace with the Trojans and acts as a vocal critic of continuing the war, preferring diplomacy and blaming Turnus for the senseless loss of Latin lives.