Essay # 3Virgil’s The Aeneid is a story of true heroism in the face of war.
Ahero often proves himself through war. Many of the characters in theAeneid throw themselves into warfare enthusiastically for the glory andhonor of their names. Aeneas, however, has a sense of responsibilitytoward his people and their destiny rather than a wish for his name to behonored after his death, which makes him more of a modern epic hero, unlikethe earlier Greek heroes such as Homers Odysseus. The duty-bound Aeneas isdetermined to follow his fate wherever it leads even if he must sufferunbearable losses and receive no reward or glory on Earth. His ability toaccept his destined path despite his unhappiness in doing so is thedefining attribute of Aeneas’s heroism. Aeneas was destined, even before his own birth, to lay the foundationsin Italy for the glory of the Roman Empire.
The direction and destinationof Aeneas’s journey are predetermined, and his various sufferings andglories in battle and at sea over the course of the story merely postponethis unchangeable destiny. As the son of Venus, the goddess of beauty andlove, he enjoys a special divine protection which, at certain pointsthroughout his voyage, helps guide him to his destiny. Although Aeneas isfortunate enough to have a goddess as a mother, even the workings of thegods cannot tamper with fate. There are some instances on this voyage inwhich a few of the gods try to interfere with Aeneass life in order toadvance their own personal interests. However, none of these gods attemptsto manipulate Aeneas has anyeffect on the overall outcome of events. For example, in Book IV Junoplans a marriage between Dido and Aeneas in hopes that Carthage willprosper from the union.
Juno exclaims, Dido consumed with passion to hercore. Why not then, rule this people side by side with equal authority?. . . Now Venus knew this talk was all pretence, all to divert the futurepower from Italy to Libya. (99) Even though Junos plot for the union ofAeneas and Dido was successfully carried out, and Aeneas bore a deep lovefor Dido, he would not steer away from his destiny.
As soon as Mercurycame to him to remind him to leave Dido, he did so, ignoring his heartsstrongest desires knowing that Dido would suffer greatly. While other powerful characters in the epic (especially those opposedto Aeneas’s founding of Rome in Italy) try to fight against fate, Aeneasstays true to his calling. Turnus and Juno both resist destiny every stepof the way until the very end in Book XII in which they finally accepttheir inability to control destiny, allowing fate to triumph. Even Didodenies fate when she attempts to lure Aeneas into staying and building hiscity in her homeland.
Aeneas is stronger than these figures because he isso pius and bound by his duty to Troy and to the wishes of fate. Another aspect of Aeneas’s graceful heroism is his compassion for thesufferings of others, even as he is determined to always put his dutyfirst. He constantly delivers encouraging speeches to his fellow Trojansduring times of great suffering in order to keep their spirits high. Also,in Book V, Aeneas shows sympathy for the weak as he allows the crippled andunwilling to stay behind. He also is compassionate towards the souls ofthe underworld when he visits his father, Anchises in Book VI.
He hasfeels especially for the unburied dead, whose sufferings he witnesses. Hecarries this compassion with him throughout his battles, and later tries tomakesure that all the dead are buried properly, including enemies. Aeneas places a particularly high value on family. This is certainlyevident near the end of Book II as he is journeying back home. Aeneascarries his frail father upon his back, and takes his sons hand to guidethem.
When Creusus, his wife, falls behind, he goes back in an attempt tolook for her. He values his divine mother equally. He respects hergreatly, and obeys every word of her advise. Aeneas’s love for his familyboth aids him and distracts him during his long journey.
He suffers at theloss of his wife and his father, and questions the will of the gods. Hebegins to lose faith in the importance of his duty, but the love for hisson and his obedience toward his mother encourage him to continue along hispath. This value of family, and loyalty to his duty in the face of griefand loss add to Aeneas’s heroic qualities. Aeneas’s faith that his destiny would result in the founding of agreat and powerful political empire is one of the major reasons for hisstrong loyalty to his duty.
Aeneas travels for years to many foreignlands, fighting countless battles in an attempt to start a city. He haslittle knowledge of where he is for a large part of the journey, and he haseven less knowledge of where he is supposed to be going. He tries tosettle his people in lands which turn out to be the wrong places. He hasno place to call home.
He loses family members, friends, and fellowTrojans to death or abandonment as a result of loss of hope and faith inthis journey, or because they are simply to weak to go on. To most men,this voyage would seem pointless, even destructive. Yet Aeneas hascomplete faith in his declared fate. He understands that he must followhis destiny no matter how hopeless it seems to be. He does not findhappiness or peace of mind in doing his duty.
Instead he struggles withit, thinking at times that he may give up. But his piety urges him on. Amazingly, Aeneas is able to act nobly and with dignity every step ofthe way up until his final battle with Turnus in Book XII. At this pointhe is exhausted and full of wrath. He at first decides to spare Turnus,but changes his mind when he thinks of the way in which Pallas was slain byTurnus.
This is the first act of vengeance displayed by Aeneas, and quitea different way to end the story of an epic hero. Virgil does this for areason, however. Through this epic poem in its entirety, Virgil portraysthe human condition. A dignified and heroic being follows his destiny atall times, doing what is right not for himself but for the good of hispeople. This being faces many triumphs and defeats throughout hislifetime. He experiences love, friendship, and happiness, but also suffersgrief, loss, and pain.
There are many times throughout life when he mayquestion the value of his life and his work. A dignified hero, however,will push through all the way until his destiny is met, fighting andstruggling to the very end. It is only human, that at the end of such astruggle (which in no way benefits himself), he displays rage and hatred. Such a hero may never witness glory in his lifetime, but as Virgil hasproven, his name will be praised for centuries, even millenniums to come.
