Why does war break out in Latium?

Aneas and his men sail (from the location of the underword) and Aeneas spots land, so they sail for it

Virgil describes how the land is Latium, and the King (Latinus) only has one daughter (Lavinia) who he is trying to marry off.

Amata: wants Lavinia to marry Turnus

Latinus: reluctant to have Lavinia married to Turnus, due to the prophecies of the oracle.

Lavinia: passive, doesn't have a single line of dialogue

Aeneas and his men arrive on the shore and eat. Ascanius jokes that they are even eating their tables.

Aeneas recognises that this fulfils the prophecy that the Trojans wouldn't be safe until their hunger had reduced them to eating their tables. He tells his crew that this is their destined homeland.

Then they have an festival for the gods, and Jupiter thunders in response.

Aeneas: loyal crew member/leader

Confirms Aeneas' divine backing.

The next day they go out exploring, and Aeneas sends emissaries to King Latinus.

Meanwhile, he starts building a fortress for his men.

The emissaries reach King Latinus, and Latinus explains how the Latins and the Trojans are descended from the same ancestors.

Shows Aeneas' cunning and tactical skill.

The Latins and the Trojans are amicable to begin with.

They ask permission to settle on the coast, and offer Latinus gifts of friendship. Latinus accepts the offer, and he also says that Aeneas is the one to fulfil the prophecy about Lavinia's marriage.

Juno wants to make things difficult for Aeneas (despite fate). She decides to start a war between the Trojans and the Latins.

Divine intervention has a massive part to play in the causes of the war

Juno enlists the help of Alecto. Alecto goes to find Amata and, using the snakes that grow from her head, infects her with hatred.

Amata pleads to Latinus, telling him not to let Aeneas marry their daughter. But he doesn't listen.

Shows the inferior position of women in society

Amata takes her daughter and runs off into the woods, where she lives as a Bacchante (a devotee of Bacchus, the god of drunkenness and ecstasy). Many of the local women choose to join her.

Furor

Allecto goes to Turnus disguised as an old women, and tells him to go to war with the Trojans. Turnus tells her that war is the business of men.

patriarchal society

Allecto becomes enraged, and throws a torch at Turnus.

He wakes up in fright.

Shows that Turnus may have been honnorable before the gods interfered

In a fury, Turnus immediately decides to go to war with the Trojans, and he tells his soldiers to march towards the capitol of Latium.

Furor ( causes rational people to go to war)

Turnus: enraged and dangerous

Then Alecto goes to Aschanius, who is hunting, and puts his hound on the sent of the beloved pet stag, domesticated by Tyrrhus

This is the event that evokes the necessary rage to make the Latins want war. War is provoked by irrational emotion.

Divine intervention

Aschanius shoots the stage, causing a huge battle between the Trojans and the Latin herdsmen, in which some people are killed.

After the battle draws to a close, Turnus stirs up the Latins by telling them about Latinus' plan to marry Lavinia to a Trojan.

Turnus: manipulative and cunning

King Latinus disagrees with the war, but he is unable to stop the frenzy of his citizens. Instead, he hides away

The people call upon Latinus to open these gates but he refuses. So Juno comes down and opens them herself.

Latinus: weak?

Divine intervention