Propaganda is information, usually of a biased or misleading nature, which is used to promote a political cause or point of view. Virgil’s epic poem, the Aeneid, describes the backstory for the foundation of Rome and the majestic future which was soon to come. Aeneid, the protagonist in the poem, is alluded to be Augustus, and by doing this it gave the people of Rome a heroic image that Augustus could be envisioned by, and the people of the future a vision of the ruler that was. I believe Augustus used Virgil as his puppet to boost his self image by paying him to spread propaganda through his writing around the city in his favor. Writers had a copious amount of influence over the information made readily available to the people, which makes
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Therefore, Augustus would have to show this desirable trait, which Virgil did for him through the character of Aeneas. Aeneas was the son of Venus, and is the embodiment of Roman virtue. He demonstrates exemplary pietas, which is the devotion to one’s family, country, or duties, by being a dutiful servant to the gods, being devoted to his country, and a good leader to his people. Aeneas shows how he never loses sight of his goals in Book IV when he says to Dido that he is “duty bound.” He is aware that he has a higher prophecy to fulfil, finding the great city of Rome, and must chose to leave his lover, despite the consequences he faced by doing so. This example shows how Augustus uses the Aeneid to prove to the Romans that he is a man that values the fate the gods and will do anything for his city. In addition, an obvious section of propaganda is found in Book VI of the epic, when Aeneas accompanies the Sibyl down into the underworld to meet with Anchises. A seemingly dragged on section of the Aeneid is when Anchises spends an excessive amount of time talking about the future leader, Augustus. For example, in lines 940-1 of Book VI Virgil writes, “And here is the man promised to you, Augustus Caesar, born of the gods, who will establish again the Golden Age in the fields of Latium once ruled by Saturn.” Virgil goes on in this section of the …show more content…
“For although the nature of the correspondences between Aeneas and Augustus has been variously understood, there should be little doubt that, since all members of the Populus had plenty of opportunities to see their national leader in person, they might happily use Augustus' civic presence to quicken the figure of Aeneas in their imaginations.” (Bell 1999). This quote shows that the epic had much reign over the people of Rome’s minds, and Augustus took advantage of that. Creating a patron-client relation with such an impactful writer was smart, therefore Augustus did what any good ruler would do and control his image in a positive matter for present and future people to read
Therefore, Augustus would have to show this desirable trait, which Virgil did for him through the character of Aeneas. Aeneas was the son of Venus, and is the embodiment of Roman virtue. He demonstrates exemplary pietas, which is the devotion to one’s family, country, or duties, by being a dutiful servant to the gods, being devoted to his country, and a good leader to his people. Aeneas shows how he never loses sight of his goals in Book IV when he says to Dido that he is “duty bound.” He is aware that he has a higher prophecy to fulfil, finding the great city of Rome, and must chose to leave his lover, despite the consequences he faced by doing so. This example shows how Augustus uses the Aeneid to prove to the Romans that he is a man that values the fate the gods and will do anything for his city. In addition, an obvious section of propaganda is found in Book VI of the epic, when Aeneas accompanies the Sibyl down into the underworld to meet with Anchises. A seemingly dragged on section of the Aeneid is when Anchises spends an excessive amount of time talking about the future leader, Augustus. For example, in lines 940-1 of Book VI Virgil writes, “And here is the man promised to you, Augustus Caesar, born of the gods, who will establish again the Golden Age in the fields of Latium once ruled by Saturn.” Virgil goes on in this section of the …show more content…
“For although the nature of the correspondences between Aeneas and Augustus has been variously understood, there should be little doubt that, since all members of the Populus had plenty of opportunities to see their national leader in person, they might happily use Augustus' civic presence to quicken the figure of Aeneas in their imaginations.” (Bell 1999). This quote shows that the epic had much reign over the people of Rome’s minds, and Augustus took advantage of that. Creating a patron-client relation with such an impactful writer was smart, therefore Augustus did what any good ruler would do and control his image in a positive matter for present and future people to read