Characters in the Aeneid

Virgil’s The Aeneid provides a plethora of symbols and metaphors relating to events that occurred during and directly before the reign of Augustus. This can be seen with throughout the piece and especially in book 6, with the story of Anchises, Aeneas’ father, discussing all the great Romans that will spring from the great city that Aeneas is bound by fate to found. The reasons behind this are clear when it is understood that Virgil was paid to write the piece for the Augustan Empire as a form…

She is the proud ruler of Carthage, and welcomes the main character, Aeneas, into her home. Quickly, she falls in love with the handsome traveler, where she commits to an affair with him out of wedlock. But after the rumors spread, her lover decides that its his time to return to his destiny of starting a new empire…

Homer’s Odyssey and Vergil’s Aeneid both follow heroic Greek tragedies that center around a group of wars spanning many years. Achilles, a ghost in the Odyssey, and Creusa, a ghost in the Aeneid, both appear to people they care about in their respective stories but have different opinions on death. Achilles feels it is a long walk after an eventful life that remains extremely uneventful. Whereas Creusa believes death to be acceptance and understanding of the lives and environment around her.…

I will argue that the behavior of the female characters in the Aeneid are irrational, rebellious and pose various threats to the Roman cause. The actions of the women are often in deep contrast to the events fated to happen. This depiction of women is significant because it allows the men, who are often the cause of their irrationality, to exist as the rational and restrained beings in this epic. Dido, the queen of Carthage and Aeneas’s unintended lover, is a prime example of the depiction of…

Having a sense of duty is one of the core principles of Stoic philosophy. This distinct value is shown in Virgil’s Aeneid through Aeneas. The concept of executing your duty becomes a clear motif throughout the story. He eloquently writes the Aeneid persuade people that rationality is more important than emotion. Emotion is shown in Aeneas but quickly fades when he is overcome with responsibilities beyond himself. This pattern is most distinct when Aeneas shows his devotion to his duty when he…

Euripides exemplifies how love can lead to hate. He is not emphasizing on the physical aspect of love at all. Instead, he focuses on the unstable and emotional aspects of love. In Virgil’s Aeneid, Virgil focuses on the natural,…

The Aeneid was written with a clear purpose; that is, it was commissioned by Caesar Augustus to not only legitimize his supreme position of power but also to construct a piece of poetry which would emphasize the magnificence of the Roman Empire through its complementary substance and proper genius. In order to portray Rome in an absolutely virtuous sense, Virgil would have to uphold primary aspects of Roman excellence, such as duty, piety, and clementia. Virgil seeks to accomplish this feat…

Roman society can be marked by the virtues applauded in its citizens. Such virtues as dignitas, gravitas, and comitas were the pillars of character; to display these was to be a true Roman, worthy of the respect of others. In The Aeneid, Virgil – through the storytelling of Aeneas in Book II – describes Ulysses, also known as Odysseus, the hero of Homer’s epic poems. Virgil, however, portrays Ulysses as a man without veritas, or truthfulness, making him unworthy of the respect of others. At…

notions of literature is believability. I entirely agree with them because most humans don’t read novels that do not have characters that they can relate to on a biological level. Unless, of course, it’s on something informational on a non-life form such as the Grand Canyon. If you think about it, probably four out of five bestselling books have human or human-like character involved in the plot. Literature leaves a lot to the imagination where you have tons of unique textures you can create by…

Aeneas' Leadership in the Aeneid. In the Aeneid by Virgil the main character Aeneas tries to be a good leader to his people, but fails; showing the lack of good leadership qualities in the majority of the book. A good leader is a person who supports people he/she is in charge of, sets a good example following rules of pietas, and helps in accomplishing a common goal.Pietas is to fulfill one’s obligations to the Gods, family, and people. Aeneas is a Trojan hero whose task in the book (which was…