Aeneas As A Good Leader In The Aeneid

Aeneas is the son of Anchises and Venus, and one of the leaders in the Trojan War and cousin to King Priam of Troy. Aeneas was one of the most respected Trojan heroes. When Troy was being sacked by the Greeks, Aeneas fought until the gods ordered him to flee. As you

his purpose. Aeneas is then left with the duty of leaving Carthage and Dido behind, whereas Odysseus is more subject to each gods will. The idea of an inevitable and

Odysseus, the hero in The Odyssey, and Aeneas, the hero in The Aeneid, fought in opposing sides in the Trojan war. Odysseus was the king of Ithaca and was arguably the smartest king and warrior in all of Greece, whereas Aeneas was a warrior from Troy whose destiny was to found the Roman race in Italy. While both men were highly acclaimed by their respective countrymen as heroes, they shared many similarities in respect to their background, their virtue and their struggles. However, amidst these similarities Odysseus and Aeneas were very different in their social status, their innate disposition and in the defining characteristics of their quest.

In the epic poem The Odyssey written by Homer, Odysseus is a good leader because his men put their faith and loyalty in him and Odysseus can use his wits to get his men out of deadly crises.

The Aeneid, the famous epic poem written by Virgil, depicts the struggle of establishing an empire. The beginning of The Aeneid introduces Aeneas, son of the goddess Venus, whose fate is to find a new home in Italy after the fall of Troy. Throughout the perilous journey, Aeneas faces great obstacles as he strives to fulfill his prophecy and gradually transform into the ideal Virgilian hero. To emphasize his growth, I will discuss three themes in this essay: the extent of free will as it relates to fate, the influence of divine beings on mortals, and the principles of morality. All of these ideas serve as an understanding as to why Aeneas is unable to act on his own accord. This leads me to defend the view that humans require the positive guidance of a mentor figure to resist their self-indulgence.

Aeneas is son of Anchises, the prince of Dardaria and Venus, goddess of beauty and love. Aeneas was a Trojan military leader during the Trojan War. Aeneas was also one of the lone survivors after the siege of Troy. After the fall of Troy, Aeneas is divinely lead to Carthage by Juno because she has a grudge against the Trojans. While in Carthage, queen Dido falls deeply in love with Aeneas. Jupiter afraid that Aeneas is abandoning his destiny sends Mercury to order Aeneas to leave Carthage and travel to Italy. Once he arrives in Italy he is visited by his father’s ghost which tells him he needs to travel to the Underworld. Aeneas ends up going to the Underworld to

Aeneas shows great commitment to the Gods throughout his mission in “The Aeneid”. He believes this devotion and trust in the divine is the meaning of “the good life”. He is so devoted to his duty that he introduces himself to strangers by stating his service to the Gods. He states,

In the Aeneid the Roman poet Virgil presents many different people that play roles in the life of Aeneas. From gods and goddesses to mortal men and women, every personality has some precise part to play in Aeneas' impersonal fate. Of the many different characters, several are women. In fact, after reading the Aeneid it becomes clear that women play a particularly large role in Aeneas' life. From Juno to Venus, and Penelope to Lavinia, women seem to directly affect Aeneas' destiny for good or for worse. However, one can also see that

Aeneas, the central figure in the Aeneid, personifies the Roman value of pietas. Pietas is one’s “respect for the gods, and dedication to both one’s family and community” (Lecture 10/20/17). Therefore, Aeneas starts the Aeneid very much unlike the traditional Homeric hero and as a consequence, unlike Achilles. In fact, the Aeneas closely resembles the Trojan prince Hector, the defender of Troy in the Iliad. He characterizes each of the qualities of pietas in his escape from Troy. During his escape, he states “take into your hands, Father, the sacred gods / of our country” because “it would be a sacrilege” if Aeneas had with his bloodied hands (Aen. 2.844 - 845) Aeneas is

In the same way that Greek society valued rugged individualism rather than the Roman sense of community, so did Achilles and Odysseus values differ from those of Aeneas'. The Homeric heroes had more self-centered values and their goals were less weighty than Aeneas'. The individualism of Achilles and Odysseus is apparent primarily in their battle scenes. While Achilles and

However, while Gilgamesh naturally somewhat dimwitted, and thus afforded some dependence on brawn over brains, Aeneas deserves no such handicap. Like David, another hero we have seen, his brazenness is derived from his knowledge of his own fate. David relies on the Lord as his security blanket. Knowing that he is forever in the favor of God makes him bolder in his actions. Similarly, the Gods reassure Aeneas that no matter what the obstacles facing him are, he will overcome them and plant the seeds of Rome. It is his fate and his duty. With this knowledge intact, one wonders why it took so much killing and despair on his part. Assured that victory is inevitable, why not wait for a peaceable solution. Again, the classic interpreters, ironically playing the role of the cynics, would say that Aeneas has no choice. He has to kill. He has to give up love and sacrifice his present for his future, and the future of his people. Well, if the peanut gallery will keep quiet for the time being, I will attempt to explain. There are a handful of heroes in mythology that do not conform to fate, that do not surrender to the Gods. One of these heroes is Hercules, who is, maybe not incidentally, a hero’s hero. He is in the upper echelon of heroes as it were. Hercules was infamous for not only detesting the Gods, and for not accepting their ‘decrees’, but also for out and out warring against them. Like Aeneas, he was half-God, but immortal.

Although to remain pious and to remain loyal are virtues that every roman should possess, there are some costs that sometimes outweigh the rewards. By following his destiny, Aeneas was put in an enormous amount of danger, that he would not have been put in if he had not fled Troy, in search for Rome. When he first leaves Troy, he knows that he may have to put himself in dangerous positions, but he is willing to do whatever it takes to please the Gods. Also, Aeneas lost nearly everything that he once had during the course of the poem. He lost his father, his lover, and ultimately, he loses his identity. Losing your own identity is the greatest loss that anyone could suffer and Aeneas does experience that loss. These losses that Aeneas endures, greatly outweigh the rewards that Aeneas acquires in the end of the poem. Aeneas defeats Turnus and gains the Roman empire, but that is how the story is left. There are no celebrations, there is no wedding for Aeneas and Lavinia. It is just over. The reward is that he has accomplished what he set out to do, but the reader is not shown how or if Aeneas is rewarded in a physical way.

The protagonist of the Aeneid and known hero to many, Aeneas, was a man of many virtues. His courage and obedience towards the Roman gods are clearly shown all throughout the book, as well as his passion for justice. When he leaves his lover, Dido, at the bidding of the gods, he shows obedience even when it went against his own will. The time Aeneas travels into the underworld to find his deceased father, it shows great bravery. It is even seen by the example of the crew of Aeneas that he was an incredible person, judging by how loyal they were to him. But, even with all these wonderful attributes, Aeneas wasn’t the entirely heroic person we believe him to be.

Compare Aeneas and Odysseus in Their Role As Leaders And Prospective Hero's? Virgil's 'Aeneid' and Homer's 'Odyssey' are two very different stories, told from opposing viewpoints: that of the Trojans in 'The Aeneid,' and of the Greeks in 'The Odyssey.' The two leaders, Aeneas and Odysseus, that feature are therefore very different in their approach to leadership. However, despite their differences they both rise to the challenges set to them as true leaders.

The role of the gods in the aeneid is clear from the onset: it is the journey aeneas must make to fulfill the will of the gods at the same time as enduring the fury of other gods in order to become founder of the roman race (find a quote). Aeneas is able to do this through his self-sacrifice and ability to resist temptations and own desires, whereas those that do not and resist the will of the gods die tragic deaths eg dido and turnus.