The foundations for adventure, adversity and divine intervention are laid by Virgil in the first book of The Aeneid . Virgil offers the reader a summary in the first section of book one by outlining Aeneas' escape from his war ravaged home of Troy and by telling us about the destiny he is trying to fulfill. We are given eye-opening accounts of the gods who are acting against each other through Aeneas' journey. Book one sets the stage for the adventures to follow in the next eleven books. .
The summary laid out by the opening of Book I has an enormous effect on the rest of the poem. We are told that Aeneas is coming from the destroyed city of Troy and his goal is to found a new Troy in Italy. Virgil doesn't waste any time trying to build up suspense in the reader as to what Aeneas' intentions are. The reader knows exactly what Aeneas is trying to accomplish and that he must overcome the wrath of the gods to get there. The opening introduction allows the rest of the poem to focus on the travels and adventures of Aeneas. There may be one down side to the comprehensive summary at the beginning and that is that we already know that Aeneas is going to reach the shores of Italy and found a new city for his people. Virgil, however, is not necessarily concerned with the end result of Aeneas' travels, the story lies in the interplay between the Trojans and the gods. This interplay is what defines the rest of the adventure we are about to embark upon. .
Virgil outlines for us the role that mythology played in Roman culture. Aeneas' travels are not necessarily a result of mortal intentions, rather they are a result of divine interventions. Juno harbors an immense hatred of the Trojans. This hatred causes her to do anything and everything in her power to sabotage the Trojans that won't catch the attention of Jupiter. Book one gives us a glimpse into depth of this hatred. As the Trojans flee Sicily across the sea, Juno exclaims, "The race I hate is crossing the Tuscan sea.