“There's a million reasons why I should give you up, But the heart wants what it wants.” These are the lyrics to the 2014 breakup song “The Heart Wants What it Wants” by Selena Gomez. The Aeneid is the Trojan’s response to the Greek’s The Odyssey. The author of The Aeneid , Virgil, wrote this story with the intention of it being remembered throughout history. The psychological and social qualities that characterize humankind, especially in contrast with other living things is the definition of human nature. In Book IV, Virgil depicts human nature as passion versus duty through both Dido and Aeneas’ battles with accomplishing what others tell them and striving for what their hearts crave. Duty drives Aeneas more than passion. The gods
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Dido’s sister, Anna, helps her realize her feelings for Aeneas are true and that she should be able to act on them if she chooses to. Dido longs for Aeneas so badly, but she feels she must honor the oath she made to her murdered husband. She also wants to do right by her kingdom. “ The queen, for her part, all that evening ached / With longing that her heart’s blood fed, a wound / Or inward fire eating her away” (Virgil, 1-3). Dido’s heart aches for Aeneas, but she does not know how she should act on these feelings. Virgil shows that even though these characters are noble and respected, Aeneas and Dido have a human connection, but neither of them knows what to do. A contributing factor in the marriage of Aeneas and Dido is the fact that Dido realizes Aeneas could help rule her city, Carthage. Anna points out that Aeneas would be a favorable asset to Carthage for different reasons. “ With Trojan soldiers as companions in arms, / By what exploits will Punic glory grow!” (Virgil 65-66) To convince Dido to marry Aeneas, Anna says that Aeneas could strengthen Carthage’s reputation and military. Dido does not want Carthage to fall just because she chooses to marry, so she makes this decision very carefully. The advice and reassurance of her sister help Dido make the decision to marry Aeneas. Virgil depicts Dido as level headed when she makes the decision to have the gods marry her. Towards the end of Book IV, Queen …show more content…
The Wise Sloth is a blog that contains editorial, philosophical, and instructional posts in the form of essays. The post chosen to use in this essay is about passion and duty and where to draw the line. Virgil’s implied theme of The Aeneid is the struggle between doing the dutiful thing or whether you should follow what your heart yearns for and be passionate. The post from The Wise Sloth first writes about growing up and learning how difficult it truly is to follow dreams or passions. Being completely careless and only surviving are the two extremes on the spectrum here, and most people can find a happy medium. “ If you sacrifice everything you want and everything you are just so you can survive, there was no point in being here.” (The Wise
Dido’s sister, Anna, helps her realize her feelings for Aeneas are true and that she should be able to act on them if she chooses to. Dido longs for Aeneas so badly, but she feels she must honor the oath she made to her murdered husband. She also wants to do right by her kingdom. “ The queen, for her part, all that evening ached / With longing that her heart’s blood fed, a wound / Or inward fire eating her away” (Virgil, 1-3). Dido’s heart aches for Aeneas, but she does not know how she should act on these feelings. Virgil shows that even though these characters are noble and respected, Aeneas and Dido have a human connection, but neither of them knows what to do. A contributing factor in the marriage of Aeneas and Dido is the fact that Dido realizes Aeneas could help rule her city, Carthage. Anna points out that Aeneas would be a favorable asset to Carthage for different reasons. “ With Trojan soldiers as companions in arms, / By what exploits will Punic glory grow!” (Virgil 65-66) To convince Dido to marry Aeneas, Anna says that Aeneas could strengthen Carthage’s reputation and military. Dido does not want Carthage to fall just because she chooses to marry, so she makes this decision very carefully. The advice and reassurance of her sister help Dido make the decision to marry Aeneas. Virgil depicts Dido as level headed when she makes the decision to have the gods marry her. Towards the end of Book IV, Queen …show more content…
The Wise Sloth is a blog that contains editorial, philosophical, and instructional posts in the form of essays. The post chosen to use in this essay is about passion and duty and where to draw the line. Virgil’s implied theme of The Aeneid is the struggle between doing the dutiful thing or whether you should follow what your heart yearns for and be passionate. The post from The Wise Sloth first writes about growing up and learning how difficult it truly is to follow dreams or passions. Being completely careless and only surviving are the two extremes on the spectrum here, and most people can find a happy medium. “ If you sacrifice everything you want and everything you are just so you can survive, there was no point in being here.” (The Wise