Propaganda In Virgil's Aeneid

Virgil’s Aeneid was initially thought to be a piece of propaganda. Granted, Virgil was commissioned by Augustus to write it, so of course it shed a positive light upon his current lord. It becomes extremely obvious in Book 6 when Anchises is telling Aeneas of the future heroes of Rome. After giving very brief descriptions of the heroes who would come, he goes into far greater detail over a certain one. He says, “And here is the man promised to you, Augustus Caesar, born of the gods, who will establish again a Golden Age”(Virgil, Book 6, 939-941). This praising of Augustus is obvious in other parts of the epic as well. But, what makes Virgil’s epic so interesting is how it counters all of these obvious ego-boosting moments with subtle, yet effective dissensions towards the ruler. According to Adam Parry, Virgil wrote the epic with “two voices.” One voice is the flatterer, and the other the dissident (Adam Parry, “The Two Voices of Virgil’s Aeneid.” Arion 2.4 1963: pp. 66-80). Despite all the gratifying Augustus gets, Virgil shows his disapproval simultaneously, albeit in a far less obvious fashion. When reading the Aeneid, it is …show more content…
In her dying moments, Dido curses the Roman people by saying, “And from my bones may some avenger rise up to harry the Trojans with fire and sword, now and whenever we have the power…may they ever be at war”(Virgil Book 4, 728-732). The avenger she speaks of is very likely meant to be an allusion to Hannibal, which creates another strong link to real world events. To add onto this, In Book 1, Virgil’s description of the Carthaginians is very similar to how the Roman Republic was structured. Now, all these things considered, when linked with the fact that Carthage was devastated after the Roman conquest, it becomes increasingly obvious that Virgil laments for the Republic. This is the third time in six books that Virgil alludes to the death of something he closely ties to the