Analysis Of Virgil 's The Aeneid

While the ending of The Aeneid might be seen to have multiple significances, I believe that Virgil ended the poem the way he did to make a statement about the use of power to achieve dominance and rulership: namely, that a lust for nothing but power will ultimately consume. The poem ends with Turnus and Aeneas facing each other one-on-one on the battlefield. However, it should be noted that there are fundamental differences between the philosophies of the two combatants which should first be grasped to fully understand the significance of Aeneas’s actions in ending the war. Before the battle between Aeneas and Turnus begins, the reader gets a glimpse of Turnus’s philosophy regarding the stakes of the battle. “Either I’ll send, with my hand, this deserter of Asia, this Dardan, / Down to the Pit of the Damned—and the Latins can sit down and watch while / My lone sword is refuting the charge of dishonor we all share; / Or you [Latinus] must share my defeat. And Lavinia must go as this man’s wife.” (12.14-17) Turnus believes that in war, there is no possible outcome but for one leader and his entire army to be wiped out in the other side’s pursuit of honor and glory. Aeneas’s views on the battle are displayed earlier in the poem, when he journeys down into the underworld and is instructed in Trojan battle philosophy by his deceased father Anchises. “You, who are Roman, recall how to govern mankind with your power. / That will be your special ‘Arts’: the enforcement of peace as

A particular instance of self-indulgence shows Aeneas involved in a love affair with Dido, the queen of Carthage. Since Aeneas is distracted by this activity, he catches himself off guard when the gods intervene to direct him back on track toward his fate. "Then Aeneas was truly overwhelmed by the vision, stunned, his hackles bristle with fear, his voice chokes in his throat" once he is suddenly issued this urgent message. This detail perfectly describes Aeneas ' situation of being frozen in place and unable to make any progress on his fate. The gods ' reminder comes as a shock to Aeneas, thereby forcing him to acknowledge the consequences of his actions. His alarmed reaction

In the writing of Aeneid, Aeneas is described to exhibit pietas. Pietas refers to someone that demonstrates “selfless devotion to duty” (Lecture 2.2). We quickly realize that Aeneas is devoted to fulfilling his duties for his family, God and other individuals. In Aeneid, we see the many trials that Aeneas goes through to fulfill his mission. Throughout the story Aeneas is described to be someone that is “duty bound” (The Aeneid Line 500). One of the distractions that Aeneas is faced with is Dido, the Queen of Carthage. Aeneas remembers that “he was to be the ruler of Italy” (The Aeneid Line 297); therefore, he still continued on his mission. It was a hard decision for him to make and he was heartbroken, but he knew the decision had to be

In epic stories the hero is traditionally confronted by supernatural entities that either strive to encourage or hinder him. In Virgil’s Aeneid Aeneas deals with the such supernatural interferences all of which focus on the goal of Aeneas creating Rome and its people. Throughout the books Aeneas is a truly ‘haunted’ individual faced with ghost, gods and even fate itself all of which attempt to prompt and govern his choices. Aeneas is subjected to the power of these forces as they lead him throughout a journey to create his fated city, propelling him to victory.

In book eleven, Virgil stresses the protagonist’s views on unnecessary violence when Latin envoys are sent to Aeneas to beg for a truce so they may collect their dead to which Aeneas replies “I would wish for those that were killed to have left this battle alive and I would wish not to have come here, if the fates had not given me this place and this home. Nor do I wage war with this race. It was the King who abandoned our friendship and trusted more in the weapons of Turnus” . Here we can see clearly that Aeneas was reluctantly forced into this war, not necessarily by the Latins but rather by the fates. It is possible that Virgil wished to communicate his own opinions on war to his audience in a subtle and stylistic manner by using Aeneas as his mouthpiece. Aeneas is the hero who we have all grown to love by this point in the epic and so expressing ideas via him would be the best approach as they will be more easily accepted when suggested by a well liked character. This technique could also allow Virgil to convey his personal thoughts in such a way that it would still be in keeping with the rest of the story. Virgil further suggests that an intense desire for combat is unhealthy and not particularly admirable by portraying Turnus, the enemy, as the embodiment of such a characteristic. After being manipulated by Allecto, Virgil states that the “love of the sword raged

Conversely, Virgil depicts Aeneas as a more civilized leader. Aeneas gets detoured on his trip to Italy and finds himself in Carthage. He falls in love with Dido after being stuck with her in a cave and their relationship progress quickly. Aeneas plans to stay with Dido and help rebuild her city instead of continuing his journey to conquer his own. Mercury is sent by Jupiter to remind Aeneas what he was sent out to do in the first place. “What about your own realm, your own affairs?” Mercury asked Aeneas (Virgil, 83). Aeneas was stunned, but he knew Mercury was right. This meant that it was time for him to leave

In Virgil 's Aeneid, the theme of piety is one that arises on many different occasions and one that is ultimately central to the tale as it is told and the poem as a whole. Aeneas is indeed a very pious character, although he does not always come across exactly this way and accordingly many people would disagree. Throughout the poem, however, he is constantly fulfilling his duty to his family, his gods and his city. It is initially essential to understand the main character of Aeneas, and the role he plays in the story before one can truly understand and comprehend the question that is brought up about his piety.

Aeneas completely embodies the desired Roman virtues as he is a strong leader for his people, a dutiful servant of the gods, and a very devoted father and son. He demonstrates pietas—devotion to one’s family, country and mission. Aeneas is one to never lost sight of his goals. Above all, he remains devoted to this mission and reminds Dido that he is “duty-bound.” Throughout Book VI, Virgil reinforces the fact that Aeneas’s future is fated despite the hardships he is forced to endure along the way.

Aeneas faces adversity without ever losing faith in the will of fate and the gods. For example, his faith is reinforced when he sees the temple Dido built to honor Juno, "Here for the first time he took heart to hope, for safety, and to trust his destiny more, even in affliction." Aeneas “Each night thoughts come of young Ascanius, My dear boy wronged, defrauded of his kingdom, Hesperian lands of destiny. And now the gods' interpreter, sent by Jove himself—I swear it by your head and mine! With my very ears I drank his message in! So please, no more, of these appeals that set us both afire. I sail for Italy not of my own will.' These words, spoken by Aeneas to Dido when she confronts him about leaving, are his attempt at trying to console her at tell her it was not his will to leave her. Here, as elsewhere, the Aeneid portrays duty as conflicting with personal desires and connections. Virgil portrays the way in which Aeneas acted in this situation as heroic because of his self-sacrifice and determination to fulfill his destiny for the wellbeing of the future of his people. In this situation we see Aeneas as strong as he stands firm against Dido’s accusations, he does not complain or refuse to carry out his destiny he goes through with the will of the gods. Aeneas has to stand his ground because it is his fate set by the gods that

As Aeneas himself proclaims “I am pious Aeneas. […] I seek out Italy, my country, my ancestors born of Jove” (1.534-535, 538-539), he definitely understands and recognizes his first priority as sailing to Italy and establish a great race. Yet Aeneas falls in love with Dido indirectly due to Cupid’s magic and Venus’ plan to cease Juno’s intervention in Book 4, and develops a relationship with her publicly. This unanticipated incident furthermore induces resentment from the peoples of both Carthage and Troy, and Jupiter as Dido “has deigned to join herself to him […] in lust, and forgetful of their kingdom” (4. 254-255) and Aeneas becomes “servant to a woman, […] forgetful of what is [Aeneas’] own kingdom, [and his] own fate” according to Mercury’s message (4. 355-357). Aeneas’ accidental emotion of love drastically alternates the development of the storyline by pausing any future advancement despite the invisible force of fate.

Fate is often personified in ancient literature because it is a driving force behind many people’s journeys and actions. The same was true for Aeneas. His duty to the gods was tied closely to his duty to fate and to destiny. Basically, the reason for all of Aeneas’ journey is tied to his fate. Aeneas had been told by the gods that he was to found a great city which would grow and become an empire— Rome. Aeneas even placed his duty to fate above his own desires and passions. When Aeneas visits the underworld and sees his former lover, Dido, there, Aeneas frantically tries to appease her and explain why he had to leave her. He explains, “I left your land against my will, my queen./ The gods’ commands drove me to do their will” (6.244-245). Aeneas was destined to found Rome, and despite his own longing to stay with Dido, his duty to the gods and to fate trumped his own desires. However, Aeneas’ duty to the gods and their will was also a positive thing. After Vulcan gave Aeneas the shield which depicted the great feats of his descendants in Rome, Aeneas was motivated and proud. The shield showed many of his descendants passionately fighting for Rome, such as “Augustus Caesar leading into battle/ Italians, with both senators and people” (8.91-92). Aeneas remained faithful to the gods and to his family by persevering through difficulties, remembering his family, and fighting battles

Aeneas is interested in the depictions and they do well to ignite the fight inside of him, but he is still left wondering what the true cause is. As Virgil puts it, he “didn’t know the stories. /He shouldered his descendants’ glorious fate” (XIII.730-731). Once again, Virgil shows us how Aeneas is left to carry out the tasks placed upon him by the gods, doing his job dutifully without asking questions. He is once again playing the role of the passive hero, for he is obeying orders and fighting for a cause that he does not truly

Aeneas encourages his men, and convinces them that their troubles will soon be brought to an end; however he doubts his own words and fears for what their future will bring. Virgil shows Aeneas’ true feelings when he writes, “Talia voce refert, curisque ingentibus aeger spem voltu simulat, premit altum corde dolorem” (He says such things with his voice and sick with great grief he pretends hope in his face, he presses the pain deep in his heart. 15-16). Aeneas exhibits his humanity by the fact that he is “sick with grief” and has to fake hope because he does not possess any. He is grieving for all the things that he has lost such as his beloved city of Troy and his wife. Another passage that shows Aeneas’ humanity is when Virgil writes, “nunc omnes terrent aurae, sonus excitat omnis suspensum et pariter comitique onerique timentem” (Now all breezes terrify me, all sounds startle me anxious and fearing equally for both my companion and my burden. 79). Unlike the classic hero, Aeneas is shown to have fears and a deep caring for his family. When Aeneas is told by the god Mercury that he must leave Carthage to follow his destiny, he tries to leave without telling his lover, Dido. Again his humanity is shown because he makes mistakes, and does not do the morally right or brave

Following his encounter with Deiphobus, Aeneas gains an understanding that avenging the past and changing the future is an act of futility; he must abandon, rather than reconcile, his past faults and personal goals in order to create success within the budding community (6.595-660). Vergil instills within the text, and thus Aeneas, conflicting ideas about fate and free will. In doing so, he purposefully perpetuates the cognitive dissonance and its negative effects on Aeneas and the Trojans until the shift and resolution in book 6, which ultimately leads to his comprehension of the importance of the role he must play.

The marine navigation brings the world closer together. Presenting the Portuguese voyage in a rosy fashion, Luis Vaz de Camões penned The Lusíads to narrate a story of the lusophone community for the larger world, and their significant role in the age of exploration. The author’s stance of such undertaking is definitive. Camões delivers his fair share of critical comments, shown inside the epic poems, on the endeavor of his community. His ultimate viewpoint on the venturous enterprise is both conclusive and insightful. Therefore, it is of importance to assess his role in perpetuating the Portuguese imperialism and colonialism.