Theme Of Mercy In The Aeneid

I, Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ, have the answer to the woes of men. You, Virgil, commissioned by Augustus Caesar, composed The Aeneid, describing the journey of pious Aeneas. Aeneas’ duty to his country, family, and the gods mark him as a symbol of Roman piety. The theme of mercy is also evident in The Aeneid and is linked to the concept of piety. Yet, the poem concludes with gloom and ambiguity in the eeriness of “death’s chill” (Fitzgerald 402). Though god-like Aeneas embodies the mold of Roman piety, this does not prevent him from going down a path of hatred. Turnus begs for mercy when the instrument of death lies in Aeneas’ hands saying, “go no further out of hatred” (Fitzgerald 402). Aeneas contemplates his words, but is eventually …show more content…
Mercy is a key element to piety; the most important Roman virtue. It is evident in many instances of The Aeneid. One example is when Aeneas and his men arrive in Carthage, and Dido has pity on them; "the city I build is yours" (Fitzgerald 24). However, this mercy is overcome by "amor," or love and "furor" or rage. Although Dido has shown mercy on Aeneas, it has only left her miserable and heartbroken when he has to leave and continue his journey to found Rome. Moved by "amor," she motivates her passion to "furor" ultimately leading to her violent suicide. Luke 's assertion in Chapter 6 of his Gospel would have led to a much better outcome for Dido. He writes the words of Jesus, "Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn to them the other also. Do to others as you would have them do to you" (Luke 6;27-31). In Chapter 13, John reasserts this notion of love, in the words of Jesus Christ, "love one another: just as I have loved you" (John 13; 34). These intensely personal Gospels are completely unlike anything Rome has witnessed before. This is because they are written by influence of God 's divine wisdom and the teachings come from God, the antidote of …show more content…
When Aeneas does not spare Turnus ' life, he lacks patience and mercy, and is therefore filled with hatred and evil. The Gospel of John states that, "anyone who does not love remains in death" (1 John 3; 14). Death – humanity 's biggest fear – has only been overcome by Christ through His Resurrection. I, Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ, testify that the path of human hatred can only be defeated by belief in Christ. I wrote in my letter to the Corinthians that "the last enemy to be destroyed is death" (1 Corinthians 15; 26). Hatred will all be destroyed by Christ, and the righteous will be saved. Virgil, you know that the path of hatred leads to violence, wrath, and death, but you did not know how to defeat it. Jesus Christ can prevent humankind from going down this path of hatred; for he is the antidote of