The Aeneid By Virgil And The Poem Of The Cid

In ancient epic poems, a hero is essential. A hero in these poems should possess heroic qualities such as courage, loyalty, and honor. Two ancient epics that depict strong heroic figures would be the Aeneid by Virgil and The Poem of the Cid. By analyzing the heroes in these poems, we are able to understand them profoundly and identify how they are alike in their goals. This paper will analyze the central heroic characters in the Aeneid and The Poem of the Cid by identifying how their ethics and characteristics relate and separate them from past heroes and themselves.
First of all, the Aeneid tells the story of the aftermath of the Trojan War and its survivors. Aeneas, a Trojan prince, leads his people to Italy in search of a new home. Aeneas is the central heroic figure in Virgil’s Aeneid. Aeneas is depicted as a ruler who is willing to go through a long journey in order to preserve his society. So, Aeneas does possess certain characteristics that differentiates him from other heroic figures we have seen in past epics. Aeneas is depicted as a hero who holds high regard for honor and duty. We see proof of this when Aeneas introduces …show more content…
By the end, both of these heroes are able to develop their societies. In the Aeneid, after all of Aeneas’ struggles he is able to settle his people in Italy. Aeneas fulfills his mission by battling Turnus for his kingdom and triumphs. Therefore, Aeneas has gained a home in which his people can settle down. Because of this, the Trojans are assured that the Trojan War did not completely lead to their culture’s demise. In The Poem of the Cid, after El Cid’s daughters are married off to Spanish kings, after their ex-husbands have been slain by El Cid’s nephews. This is how El Cid is able to develop his society. With these marriages, he is able to unify Spain. Essentially, both Aeneas and El Cid have fulfilled their roles as