In The Aeneid, Virgil demonstrates the values of the Romans by creating an epic similar to that of Homer’s Odyssey, yet with different ideals and views. Also illustrated in Virgil’s epic is the conflict between the gods’ will and Aeneas’s desire. He struggles internally with his thoughts and externally with Dido and her biddings. Ultimately, the gods’ will is the path Aeneas chooses to follow, to ensure his son achieves glory in the future. In the Aeneid, Virgil uses Aeneas to show that in the face of conflict, gods’ will trumps desire. When Dido and Aeneas first became ordained in the cave they sought safety in, all was well until they returned to civilization. Since Cupid shot Dido with his bow and arrow, she has completely devoted her
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For instance, when Virgil illustrates Aeneas’s realization about his duty, “Amazed, and shocked to the bottom of his soul by what his eyes had seen, Aeneas felt his hackles rise, his voice choke in his throat. As the sharp admonition and command from heaven had shaken him awake, he now burned only to be gone, to leave that land of the sweet life behind” (lines 361-367). Aeneas suddenly realizes his duty once again to continue his quest for his son and to please the gods. Unfortunately Dido’s response cannot stir Aeneas into staying which enrages her even more. Continually Aeneas speaks to Dido of his son and how the gods are leading him to fulfill his destiny, though Dido just becomes more engulfed in a fiery rage. With this Aeneas says, “Each night thoughts come of young Ascanius, my dear boy wronged, defrauded of his kingdom… And now the gods’ interpreter, sent by Jove himself has brought commands down through the racing winds!” (lines 465 - 470). By explaining to Dido how the gods contacted him directly, it shows the importance of his duty of following their …show more content…
Those strongly affiliated with religion or spiritual beliefs tend to put their god’s will above their desires in order to please their god and possibly themselves in the process. Science brings forth a possible reason to this process which includes two varying systems. According to Rachel Nuwer, “System 1 and System 2. System 2 evolved relatively recently. It’s the voice in our head – the narrator who never seems to shut up – that enables us to plan and think logically. System 1, on the other hand, is intuitive, instinctual and automatic” (BBC). With System 1 relying on instincts and our natural functioning, it could lead humans to build upon and rely on religious and spiritual aspects. Included with this ideology is the belief that gods are vengeful when people don’t adhere to their will. As Nuwer explains in her article, “Insecurity and suffering in a population may play a role here, by helping to encourage religions with stricter moral codes” (BBC). During ancient times, the belief was that the gods would punish them if they did not follow their will. Like Aeneas, his suffering would involve his son not gaining his rightful
For instance, when Virgil illustrates Aeneas’s realization about his duty, “Amazed, and shocked to the bottom of his soul by what his eyes had seen, Aeneas felt his hackles rise, his voice choke in his throat. As the sharp admonition and command from heaven had shaken him awake, he now burned only to be gone, to leave that land of the sweet life behind” (lines 361-367). Aeneas suddenly realizes his duty once again to continue his quest for his son and to please the gods. Unfortunately Dido’s response cannot stir Aeneas into staying which enrages her even more. Continually Aeneas speaks to Dido of his son and how the gods are leading him to fulfill his destiny, though Dido just becomes more engulfed in a fiery rage. With this Aeneas says, “Each night thoughts come of young Ascanius, my dear boy wronged, defrauded of his kingdom… And now the gods’ interpreter, sent by Jove himself has brought commands down through the racing winds!” (lines 465 - 470). By explaining to Dido how the gods contacted him directly, it shows the importance of his duty of following their …show more content…
Those strongly affiliated with religion or spiritual beliefs tend to put their god’s will above their desires in order to please their god and possibly themselves in the process. Science brings forth a possible reason to this process which includes two varying systems. According to Rachel Nuwer, “System 1 and System 2. System 2 evolved relatively recently. It’s the voice in our head – the narrator who never seems to shut up – that enables us to plan and think logically. System 1, on the other hand, is intuitive, instinctual and automatic” (BBC). With System 1 relying on instincts and our natural functioning, it could lead humans to build upon and rely on religious and spiritual aspects. Included with this ideology is the belief that gods are vengeful when people don’t adhere to their will. As Nuwer explains in her article, “Insecurity and suffering in a population may play a role here, by helping to encourage religions with stricter moral codes” (BBC). During ancient times, the belief was that the gods would punish them if they did not follow their will. Like Aeneas, his suffering would involve his son not gaining his rightful