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The Aeneid Influence On Society

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Virgil’s epic poem, The Aeneid, is well known throughout the western world. It was a symbol of rebirth for the Roman Empire and has been praised by many well known authors and poets like St. Augustine and Shakespeare. It set the new standard for heroes to come in books and movies. Its romance heavily influenced the writing of possibly the best romantic play of all time. Despite it not being as popular as Homer’s, The Odyssey, The Aeneid is one of the most important works in the western culture because of its lasting influence. That influence has reached much farther and endured much longer in western culture than Virgil would have ever possibly imagined. Virgil was born into a tumultuous time of Roman history which affected him throughout. During this time, the Roman Republic went through a series of civil wars that tore apart the empire. Virgil saw his idol, Julius Caesar, rise to become the dictator of Roman, and his fall as he was murdered just after speaking his final words, “Et tu Brute?”. After suffering the loss of his idol, Virgil began to support Caesar’s adopted son, Octavian. Octavian ended the last civil war by defeating Mark Antony at the battle of Actium. He was then named emperor of Rome …show more content…

In it, Virgil sets a new standard model for most heroes that we see today in books and movies. This new standard isn’t that of a perfect hero like most of the literature of the time. This new hero, Aeneas, is one that doesn’t fit the mold and has more of a human side to him. Aeneas is a fierce warrior that has many strengths, but also has weaknesses that cost him throughout The Aeneid. He has the strength to kill his enemy which is contrary to the typical hero. This type of hero can be seen in popular books and movies like J. R. R. Tolkien’s, The Hobbit. The list goes on and on of the popular books and movies in western culture today that have been inspired and influenced by The

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