The As An Archetypal Empire Essay

Aeneas, the titular hero of Virgil’s Aeneid, is the flawed Trojan hero sent on a divine quest to found the new Troy and establish the basis for the Roman Empire. Along this journey, he is pushed to his limits both mentally and physically. This strain shows him to be a deeply Roman hero, especially in the values that come forward in his actions and response to tragedy. He embodies two major Roman values: pietas and respect for family, both past and future.

Michael Cox’s thesis as outlined in “Empire by Denial? Debating US Power”, is chiefly that: the United States of America is an empire, and that current beliefs to the contrary are the result of denialism due to negative connotations associated with the concept of empire, not due to a lack of suitability of that term to describe the current state of American foreign policy.

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

Yin and yang are not opposing forces (dualities), but complementary forces, unseen (hidden, feminine) and seen (manifest, masculine), that interact to form a greater whole, as part of a dynamic system. Everything has both yin and yang aspects as light could not be understood if darkness didn't exist, and shadow cannot exist without light.

As of today, the United States of America is considered the largest global force in the history of the world. From their humble beginnings, America has made a large comeback, from surviving under the British rule, to becoming an independent and successful country that other nations look up to. However, ever since ancient times, even the most powerful empires have always had their problems, which eventually led to their downfall. For instance, various empires that were at the height of their time, including Rome, the Chinese, and the Abbasid, have always fell, and not one has survived to this day. However, what has not been taken into account is that this could happen to the “Empire” of America. Currently, the U.S. has been involved in multiple

In his journey, Aeneas encounters a multitude of trials and tribulations, each refining an integral characteristic of his role as a hero and leader. “Duty-bound Aeneas”, as Virgil regularly describes him, chooses to end his affair with the Carthaginian Queen Dido, appointing duty to a higher level of importance than love (I.519). The remorse displayed by Aeneas as he placates her spirit in the Underworld demonstrates his sincere regret for having hurt her. With regards to Dido, Aeneas chooses to fulfill his divine responsibility rather than succumb to emotion. However, in his struggle with the Latins, Aeneas displays inconsistent behavior and a lack of such a defined moral code, culminating in the killing of Turnus. Turnus pleads with Aeneas to return his body to his father , yet instead of honoring Turnus’ request for a proper

Ancient works such as Sophocles’ Antigone and Virgil’s The Aeneid are valuable because they provide a glimpse into life in ancient Greece. These texts allow readers to better understand the values and ideals held in the ancient world and see firsthand the areas where the Greeks placed great importance. One of these areas of significance is their concept of gender and traditional gender roles in society. The writings of Sophocles and Virgil have similarities and differences in the way the portray gender roles, but both influenced society and were passed down as lessons and examples to the Greek citizens.

Love can be seen as a powerful emotion in the time of the text The Aeneid by Virgil. It ultimately leads to the despair and death of the character Dido. Her death was caused by the leaving of her lover Aeneas, which was ordered by one of the Gods. The suicide of Dido leads one to several questions regarding the reasoning of the actions of each character. To fully understand the death of the character, one must examine whether the leaving of Aeneas was justified and if the reaction of Dido was appropriate for the circumstances.

In the article “Dido, Aeneas, and the Concept of Pietas,” the author Kenneth McLeish argues that Dido is in the Aeneid, because Virgil, a careful writer, saw her as a necessary piece of the epic--“Everything she says or does is part of the design, and her presence in the Aeneid must deepen our understanding, not lessen it.” McLeish explains that Virgil described her as being a real person with emotions, actions, and wholeness that real people possess (McLeish 127). In Virgil’s time, any Roman would look at Dido as weak (McLeish 130). She was married to a king that died and left all the power to her. Romans would immediately move from love to duty as they searched for a new ruler to protect their land. Dido, on the other hand, vowed against that very thing, placing devotion to romance over devotion to duty and government. Because of this, pious Romans would have urged Aeneas to move away from the weak ruler in pursuit of a greater prize, Rome. In direct contrast to Dido, Aeneas is a perfect picture of the pietas that Romans aimed to exemplify in their lives as citizens. He mourns for the fallen Troy when sees the Trojan War depicted in Dido’s temple, showing his deep care for his city (McLeish 128). Dido’s stark contrast to the Roman belief system at the time was specifically designed by Virgil to pull the support of the Romans to the divine mission of Rome and to encourage pious behavior among them (McLeish 131). Had Virgil depicted Dido as a role model after Aeneas left her, the purpose of the epic to encourage patriotism would have been compromised. Dido’s purpose was to rally the allegiance to Rome and a sense of Romanness. Dido’s very first encounter with Aeneas shows how she will lead to her own destruction (McLeish 129). Her first thought of Aeneas was purely smitten for his beauty, so she was already planting a seed in her own mind that she might have found the next king of Carthage even before Cupid’s influence took hold of her mind. McLeish’s view shows that Virgil did not write Dido to be glorified or even sympathized with, but that she was written as a bad example (McLeish 132).

In Virgil’s poem, The Aeneid, the ideal Roman hero is depicted in the form of Aeneas. Not only does Aeneas represent the Roman hero, but he also represents what every Roman citizen is called to be. Each Roman citizen must posses two major virtues, he must remain pious, and he must remain loyal to the Roman race. In the poem, Aeneas encompasses both of these virtues, and must deal with both the rewards and costs of them.

Aeneas happens to show signs of Stoicism in which he hides his feelings and emotions various times or to deal with situations just hoping that they would work out in the end. And indications of individualism are shown within the character Dido in which she lets her feelings in her individual well-being overtake her decisions. Losing focus on her Empire as a whole but more so on how her love for Aeneas. Though there are several instances where Virgil does stray from the ideals of Hellenism Aeneas happens to have a large sense of community and destiny. Virgil also happens to support the Empire of Rome being as the entirety of this piece of literature is simply a political position that he is displayed. From the very beginning Aeneas is admiring the sense of community and structure when finds the Greeks. Not only that but Aeneas shows many times that he believes that individual desires should be sacrificed for fulfilling ones destiny and obedience to the gods. He gives up his love for Dido even though he sees how much it is hurting both of them and the dispelling of her kingdom. He chooses the destiny that was given to him by the gods rather than indulging in his own personal happiness. Not only that but he's name directly means Aeneas the good, good more than likely referring to his obedience for the gods and obeying their wishes.

In the Aeneid, Virgil includes multiple aspects of divine intervention between Aeneas and many characters like Dido, Turnas, and Aschises. Many of these interactions seem like they determine the characters fate; but fate is predetermined. Aeneas has a prophecy, that he will found Rome and it will be a great Empire for hundreds of years. The goddesses Juno and Venus interfere with his journey multiple times, but in the end he does indeed found Rome, despite their interferences. This is strategically done by Virgil to represent Augustus and to create Pietas for the Roman citizens. Augustus commissioned Virgil to write the Aeneid. Augustus wanted the people of Rome to know what a great empire it is, and how it was founded by god-like figures, and that it was the gods and goddesses choice that the fate of Rome came about how it was that day. A flaw in Augustus’s plan erupted when Virgil dies, and requests the Aeneid be destroyed. This act implies that Virgil does not believe in what he wrote, and thinks divine intervention and fate is false. Virgil’s audience believed in virtues like pietas and stoicism, but often does not live by these ideals. The same goes for Rome’s fate though the Aeneid. They believed that it is a great empire founded by the will of the gods, but that fact does not change anything in most of the Roman’s daily lives; therefore it does not change their fate either.

She is a figure of passion and unpredictability which are qualities which contrast with Aeneas’s control and order. Aeneas’s traits are ones that can be associated with Rome and Augustus; ideal qualities for Romans and Roman leaders. While Dido is a great leader, she lets her emotions out of control and sacrifices her power for love. Aeneas on the other hand, sacrifices love for leadership and his duty; “Meanwhile Aeneas the True longed to allay her grief and dispel her sufferings with kind words. Yet he remained obedient to the divine command, and with many a sigh, for he was shaken to the depths by the strength of his love, returned to his ships”. This is represented by him leaving Dido to follow the prophecy. Dido represents sacrifice and passion as well as the furor which one must not possess in order to become a great Roman

In The Aeneid by Virgil, Virgil writes a representation of accounts of how Rome came to be founded and the basis of Roman morals. Aeneas, the protagonist, endures many great struggles against the gods, humans, and himself, to eventually fulfill his prophetic duty of establishing what will become Rome. Through Aeneas’ encounters Virgil emphasizes the characteristics of a good leader: one who is pious and righteous. These values of a good leader, in which Aeneas possesses, parallel to the values of Roman morals. As the story of Aeneas progresses, Virgil describes Aeneas as struggling to uphold these values and instead succumbing to his emotional desires. Further, I will argue that Virgil would describe Aeneas as a good leader for prioritizing

Virgil’s portrayal of Aeneas can arguably be based off of Augustus. His characterisation and values he is shown to possess demonstrate that of an ideal Roman citizen; the value most referenced and recognisable in the text is his piety. This refers to his religiousness and his ability to put duty before his own wants and needs. An example of this is him leaving Dido (Virgil Aen, 4.393-394). This abandoning of Dido, although tragic, shows his pietas to the will of the gods, his followers and to his son Iulus. Although a modern view of this part of the story suggests Virgil is pitying Dido and the Carthaginians and presenting Aeneas as cold and unsympathetic, to the Romans of the time Aeneas is performing his duty to the future state. Also, the Roman’s prized moderation and self control therefore Dido’s reaction to Aeneas leaving would be seen as excessive and over-dramatic which would reinforce the idea of non-Romans being barbarians and also demonstrates Virgil’s propagandistic intentions. Virgil successfully uses the Dido affair to strengthen and develop this idea of piety.